Guy at work with body odor problem

mothermachine said:
No need for that attitude, is there? Like I said, this is about being tactful. Going up to someone and telling them "what you're doing is annoying. Please stop" is hardly tactful, is it? Honesty is the thing, yes, but it's how to go about it....
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Sorry, but leaving anonymous notes around the office is just not, ever, the right solution. It's childish and leaves the poor recipient wondering who they've annoyed and whether everyone in the office has been talking behind their back about it.

And to be honest, a polite but clear request to stop doing something, or at least to make them aware that they are doing something which is disrupting you, is about as tactful as it gets. I didn't suggest you shout it out in the middle of the office, you can always take someone aside and speak to them privately. What else are you going to do? Aside from speak to your manager about it and let them deal with it, I suppose.
 
We just had a new person start who smells horrendous at even 9AM, can you actually tell HR to sort it? I'm just breathing through my mouth near his desk atm
 
Gammawolf said:
No, he's correct. Sweat does not smell. Bacteria on your skin that break down sweat cause BO.
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Washing does not remove enough of that bacteria for everyone.

There are people who don't smell no matter how much they sweat and there are people who smell when they sweat no matter how much they wash.

It really isn't the same for everyone.
 
AJK said:
Sorry, but leaving anonymous notes around the office is just not, ever, the right solution. It's childish and leaves the poor recipient wondering who they've annoyed and whether everyone in the office has been talking behind their back about it.

And to be honest, a polite but clear request to stop doing something, or at least to make them aware that they are doing something which is disrupting you, is about as tactful as it gets. I didn't suggest you shout it out in the middle of the office, you can always take someone aside and speak to them privately. What else are you going to do? Aside from speak to your manager about it and let them deal with it, I suppose.
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There is no manager - we're all separate businesses doing our own thing in a shared office space. I don't think there's anything wrong with a short, polite, anonymous note. Some people are really, really bad at being asked to stop doing something (have had this with another chap in the office who just won't tidy up after himself and often leaves the office insecured - talked to him directly about it and he just lost the plot).

It's not childish to want to give someone a hint without making it personal. Telling someone online that they're acting like a 6 year old, is, however...
 
mothermachine said:
I don't think there's anything wrong with a short, polite, anonymous note.
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It's inappropriate. Come on, surely you see that? Normal adults working in close proximity to each other need to have a better grasp of conflict resolution than sending anonymous notes. Yes, some issues are embarrassing to talk about (though not really the one you describe), but sometimes something has to be said, and it will cause far less offence quietly face-to-face than leaving a note, which will embarrass the recipient and make them feel like crap.

The other chap who "lost the plot" when confronted about leaving the office unsecured? Well he just shouldn't be employed - which obviously isn't your decision. Don't let that experience drive you to leaving anonymous notes around the office.
 
I used to work in an office with a guy who had a generally unpleasant smell about him.

When he was quizzed about it he said that he was fully aware of the smell but it was his feet, not the rest of his body.

Apparently he suffered from some... thing... to do with his feet and couldn't find anything to fix it.

tl:dr - feets
 
5 minutes out of your day to have a quick shower and throw on some deo/cologne isn't much to ask. Having people who smell in a closed office environment is horrible.
 
Had this with my best friend and I had to tell him. He wasn't happy I told him but he had bad personal hygiene which he did sort in the end. He no longer smells funky :)
 
I'm having 'one of those days' so I'm sorry if I'm being bitchy, but I've just realised that groen acts like groen in real life too.

Why I'm surprised I don't know... but the thought somehow...terrifies me.
 
malachi said:
Had this with my best friend and I had to tell him. He wasn't happy I told him but he had bad personal hygiene which he did sort in the end. He no longer smells funky :)
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I'm terrible... I have a stinky friend and I haven't had the guts to tell him. It's been years now :o
I guess I've built up a resistance.
 
Used to work with a guy in the club who had a problem. Just on and dealt with it. Until one night it was so bad we had customers complain so I sent him home and told him not to come in again without having had a shower. He never turned up again which was convenient as I learnt he was stealing that night as well so I would have had to fire him.
 
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