Body odor issues with member of staff

coinxoperated

A couple of years back I was managing a small team in a small office and we took a new lad, about 22ish. He had been there a week and I assumed someone had left something to rot in there binsZ we had cleaners in but still it lingered. I was sat behind him one day and literally saw him pick some dead skin off his scalp and flick it across the office. It was disgusting. As all the other staff in the office were women, they were disgusted and starting making quite horrible remarks. Before it could get too far I took him into a small room and said that he smelt of BO handed him some lynx and asked him to ensue he wears clean clothes and showers the next day.

He came back the next day, on the same clothes, Stinking.

I got my two male managers to pull him in and they told him in a lint man to man way that he reeked and if he needed to go home to shower or go to there houses to shower, he was welcome too (pretty generous!!!) they made him spray himself there and then aswell.

Next day, he smelt better. For Christmas he got soap on a rope with face written on one side and !!!! on the iteration

He left about 3 months later, but left a much cleaner individual

coolcait

I've had to deal with this issue a couple of times in the past, as a manager. And as a colleague - it's not always necessary to pass this kind of issue onto managers.

However, a lot of people prefer to leave it up to managers - not just from embarrassment, but from a fear of being seen to be 'picking on' the person who has B.O. (And I know that complaining about things to managers can be a form of 'picking on' others).

I take a matter-of-fact approach - using most of the techniques that others have already suggested.

Interestingly, however, last time I was on a 'diversity' course (we all get sent on refreshers every couple of years), HR stated quite clearly that managers could not/should not be speaking to staff about personal hygiene issues, or the fact that they smell.

This led to a lot of questions, but HR were adamant on this point.

So, if I have to deal with a situation like this in the future, my first stop will be HR - to make sure that I'm not getting myself into trouble, and to make sure that my staff don't get themselves into trouble by raising it directly with their colleague.

puddy

it is a good point though. i cannot stand the thought of poor hygiene and hate bad smells, but... who are we to say that someone else should wash or use deodorant because it suits us.

i would rather someone told me as i wouldnt want to cause olfactory offence, but at the same time i dont know how comfortable i feel about others having to confirm in that way. silly really as i cannot stand stinky people

DVardysShadow

DUKE wrote: »

You could hand out a memo on personal hygiene to everyone in the office so the person with the hygiene problem didn't feel quite so bad. But then you could risk upsetting everyone by doing this. Personally I'd just take them to one side & tell them.

I think that the memo would be the crassest way of approaching the subject and guaranteed to make the person with the problem feel bad. Even if I did not think I was the responsible person, I would lose respect for the manager who adopted such a cowardly way of addressing the issue.

LandyAndy

I've had to do this with a middle aged female member of my staff about 12 years ago. Probably the hardest thing I've had to do.

You have to do it though.

I spoke to her at the end of the day and she wasn't unaware of the problem. We also got treated to copious cheap perfume afterwards.

Savvy_Sue

luxor4t wrote: »

I had to deal with this situation some years back. As the stinker (:o) was male and I am female, I asked a senior male colleague to approach him man-to-man.
He did it from a health point of view ie "we're concerned that you might have health problems because..." That was how I'd have dealt with a female colleague.

You do have to be aware of health problems, and if you have an HR dept I'd get their advice and support first, OP.

However, the biggest problem I had to deal with was 'cured' when the person stopped drenching their clothes in cheap fabric conditioner.

apesxx

We have a couple where i work. One guy works as a cleaner and we all know he only showers once per week. He has quite a manual job too and I know for a fact he walks the 2 mile each way to work 5 times a week. He's been taken into the office dozens of times and still he gets no better, we've even bought him shower gel and deodorant. I know he howlers on a sat so when I work with him on a Friday night he is absolutely stinking.

There is another woman too but managers will not do anything at all about her. She smells really really bad and when she breathes on you it's like the breath of death. She drinks a lot and So I don't know if that contributes t the odour!

OP you really need to have a word with her about it. If its anything like the place I work they will all be talking about her behind her back and that could turn into an even bigger problem.

j.e.j.

DVardysShadow wrote: »

I think that the memo would be the crassest way of approaching the subject and guaranteed to make the person with the problem feel bad. Even if I did not think I was the responsible person, I would lose respect for the manager who adopted such a cowardly way of addressing the issue.

I actually think a more likely outcome of dealing with the problem by just sending a memo round is that the person who it's aimed at won't take any notice, and people it isn't intended for will start getting paranoid in case they smell.

I never agreed with it when a manager, instead of addressing a problem (whatever that problem was) with a certain person, would just make a general comment to the whole team in the hope that that person might get the hint. 1) they never did and 2) others started to feel that they were being criticised for something that wasn't relevant to them.

jetplane

You haven't mentioned what the smell is, not that we need graphic detail but sometimes the smell is dirty clothes, sweat, unwashed or something else.

I have worked with people who stink ;

One lad just started work he was too poor to put his heating on and he often washed in cold water. Don't know how he washed and dried his clothes, he always had a damp smell.

I used Bold lavender 2in1 and my whole family and house had a damp smell.

I also worked with a male colleague who reeked of sweat, his wife was an immaculate beauty consultant. I could never work out why she didn't notice or tell him.

The worst smell I had to endure was a woman who insisted on wearing poison perfume it was suffocating. Someone complained and she actually squirted them with it.

Oh another one older woman used to wear hyacinth or fushia or something urgh it was smellier than dirty tights or sweaty armpits.

What about the smell of smoke urgh when a collegue comes in from having a giggie it knocks me sick. What about someone who eats lots of spicy food or curries.

Sorry I don't think this helps you deal with it but should this be a management issue? When is a smell not a smell?

CATS

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies. The smell is def B.O, It's a stale old B.O smell, his breath is also awful when he speaks to you. He is also a large lad so am not sure if that has anything to do with it. The work he does is not manual, desk work, so he is sitting down all day. I know he travels by train everyday so maybe that makes him sweat even more, but the smell is old B.O smell. This has been going on for about a year but before we all sat a good distance so the smell didn't affect people as much. Now we sit closer it is becoming an issue. Some days he smells ok so I assume he showers but most of the week the smell is bad. I have spoken to another male colleague who is senior and asked him if he could talk to him. Hopefully that will help.

Thank you all for your replies