curlylaura

There's a woman at work who quite frankly stinks. She starts the week not smelling but by mid-week she starts to smell and then stinks at the end of it. It's like she only bathes once a week.

How do I bring this up? And who do I mention it too? Or do I and everyone else just have to accept it?

__________________
Fat does not make you fat. It's actually pretty important.

The New Black

You don't have an hr dept?

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

Fifi.G

We had a similar problem with a former co worker. Really nice guy but his personal hygiene was lacking. Our supervisor had a talk with him in private after several people had complained. She broke the news to him gently, and told him a clean/hygienic appearance and smell was part of department policy, which it was. He did somewhat better after that.

__________________
When I hear terms like "hipster" I think, who told cliques they could leave high school??

spiderlashes5000

I think it's fairly common for HR to be asked to intervene in these matters.

__________________
3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

NetG

I hope you have a human resources department because as mentioned they're the ones trained to handle it.


If not, anyone have suggestions?


I was going to post this same basic thread as a hypothetical a couple weeks ago when I had the misfortune of being near a woman who really smelled terrible. I haven't seen her since, so it would be hypothetical as I don't know her, but I wondered what would happen if you're in a small enough company there's no HR - we have one and that's who I'd go to in my company, but I was wondering what if you don't have one.

__________________
The pews never miss a sermon but that doesn't get them one step closer to Heaven.
-Speckla

But at least the pews never attend yoga!

curlylaura

We don't have a specific HR dept. it's only a small business. Last time something was brought up with one of the managers involving a member of staff the message was to suck it up and accept it.

__________________
Fat does not make you fat. It's actually pretty important.

The New Black

I would think hygiene is a compelling enough health concern that mgmt would be more responsive this time. Approach them from that angle. If you can smell her, customers probably can too. I'd be majorly turned off by smelly employees, and equally turned off by mgmt if they refused to do anything about it.

Maybe they can put up a '10 Rules for Health and Hygiene' poster and of course daily washing would be one of the rules. Every doctor's office has those types of fliers, restaurants and other public establishments as well. It wouldn't be out of place in a pharmacy. I'm surprised there isn't one already. And if there is one, then mgmt needs to stress it, maybe as part of staying healthy during cold and flu season (assuming it's c&f season in the UK too).

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

thelio

How can I politely tell someone they stink? - Yahoo! Answers

How to Tell Someone They Have Body Odor | eHow.com

How to Tell a Coworker They Smell Bad | eHow.com

spiderlashes5000

with regard to the ehow advice...I have never met anyone w/ a medical condition that caused them to stink (other than breath). What kind of medical conditions cause ppl to stink? I'm sure it happens, I have just never met anyone who stunk and wasn't also slovenly.

Many years ago, cancer patients smelled bc of the treatments. But medical advances have changed that...or so I thought.

Do they mean specific drugs cause the person to have an odor?

Or certain injuries make washing and staying clean impossible?

__________________
3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

CurlyB_

The brother of my mothers fiancee (can't remember the english word) has a hormon disorder that causes him to stink to hell! I'm disgusted to death every time he enters the room...all in all he's a nice guy but the smell is horrible.
He bathes every day, but one hour later he has started smelling again. I kind of pity him cause there is no "cure" to it without tons of possible side effects.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using CurlTalk App

thelio

Causes of Body Odor that Are Due to Medical Conditions - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

sidenote: i'm too lazy to summarize and type anything out myself.

curlypearl

I'm at work so I haven't had time to read the Yahoo and e-how answers, but here's what we did in my last job.

First of all, we had an HR dept. which you don't have, but I cleared what action to take with them first.

Is there a senior admin. type in your organization or an office manager? S/he should send around a memo about personal hygiene to everyone so that the person doesn't feel singled out.

Another idea (which we didn't have to do) is to have someone put a bar of soap and deodorant on the offending person's desk. In lieu of that, you can print out something from yahoo or e-how and leave it on the person's desk so that s/he will get the message.

You shouldn't have to put up with that. Please let us know how you handle it. Even in US prisons the inmates shower twice a week and are given deodorant to use.

__________________
2/c and some 3A. Modified CG.
Highly porous. Color over grey.
Best 1st day method: Super Soaker
Protein treatment HG: Curl Junkie Repair Me
Conditioners: Curl Junkie Beauticurls Strengthening Conditioner,
Deep condish: Curl Junkie Curl Rehab
Stylers:Curl Junkie CCCC or CCCL
in combo with a gel, usually KCCC
Trying Curl Keeper - still experimenting

Every day is a gift

The New Black

A bar of soap on her desk? Isn't that a little mean?

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

CurlyB_

Definitely! I would feel really offended and sad, maybe even bullyied if someone ever did this to me!



Sent from my GT-I9000 using CurlTalk App

spiderlashes5000

I'm amost afraid to ask but what kind of smell is it? Is it armpit smell? Or something a bit more..."nefarious?" LOL

__________________
3b (with 3c tendencies) on modified CG

curlylaura

It's an unwashed body smell. Hard to pin point exactly what and I'd rather not think about it.

We don't have desks, I work in a pharmacy. Thing is she always stand really close to people when she's talking to them and doesn't understand the concept of personal space. Even if you take a step back she steps forward. So there is no escape.

There's another person at work who stinks of alcohol but that's been excused as her medication (no one believes it as she's admitted to drinking a bottle of wine a night before).

__________________
Fat does not make you fat. It's actually pretty important.

nynaeve77

In college, I had a roommate who didn't shower as often as she should've. For her birthday, a bunch of us who shared the floor with her in our dorm chipped in and got her a really nice gift basket of shower gel, lotion, etc. It got the point across in a nice way and it wasn't a problem after that.

__________________
"Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest."--Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas
-----------------------------------------------
My fotki: http://public.fotki.com/nynaeve77/
Password: orphanannie

thelio

i agree. i wouldnt do that. the idea about sending a memo to everyone is a better approach.

we had a situation where a co-worker would bring curry to work for lunch. another co-worker didnt like the smell and wrote a letter and left it on the coworkers desk. we all veiwed it offensive mainly because she did it secretly. if she had gone to the co worker and told her privatley the coworker could had easily begin to eat her lucnh in the lunchroom. our boss didnt like the lady's approach or the way she worded her letter either so she was fired (i never read the letter, but it apparently came off as bullying, rude, and racist. i'm unsure if this was the lady who wrote it intent). i wouldnt live a bar of soap on someones desk, it could put your job at risk. it could come off in a way you did not mean.

Who Me?

I think something should come from management to all of the employees, about the importance of hygiene and respecting others in the workplace by keeping to a certain standard. I don't know what I'd do if management refused. Probably go the route of trying to put up a generic sign about hygiene somewhere in the office for all to see, if I was allowed to.

In terms of the personal space issues, I would be all over this one. As soon as you step back and she steps forward I'd hold out my arm and say "I'm sorry, I have some issues with personal space. It makes me very uncomfortable to have someone too close to me. Please don't take it personally".

__________________
"I don't know! I don't know why I did it, I don't know why I enjoyed it, and I don't know why I'll do it again!" -BART SIMPSON

The New Black

I'd address the space issue directly too.^^

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242