It’s that dreadful duty that falls to many managers to address the issue
of personal hygiene or body odor. I’ve had to do it and there’s no
fun, easy way to tackle it but there are some points that can make the task a
bit more palatable if you’ll excuse the pun.
Firstly, it’s something that will come to your attention often through
co-workers of the accused, so the first step will be to verify that it is an
issue. Obviously, this should be done discreetly. Don’t hang around and put
this off. You need to act quickly.
What causes body odor?
There are a number of causes to the body odor issue, such as:
- Cleanliness
- Laundry Habits
- Diet
- Medical Problem.
It could be simply a cleanliness issue where the person just needs to
shower more regularly or use more effective deodorant. It could be linked to
laundry habits – they may wear the same clothes all week in which case, any
amount of bathing isn't going to mask the clothing smell. Also, another
sensitive area could be their cultural diet, which could impact on their
natural aroma. Finally, for some people, it could be a medical issue which
could be akin to halitosis for bad breath.
So, you've identified that the issue does in fact exist and you need to
address it with them. The bonus for you is that they may not be aware of the
issue and might be very grateful to you for bringing it to their attention.
That is the best outcome of the situation and does happen sometimes.
What to say
However, you have to get there first and it’s always good to be direct
and get to the point fast. You may say something to this person along the lines
of:
“I need to discuss something with you that is awkward and uncomfortable
for me. I do hope that I don’t offend you. You have had a noticeable body odor
lately and I wanted to bring it to your attention as most people wouldn't know
this about themselves.”
I suggest you then follow up with something that you believe may be the
reason or cause. For example, if you notice they wear the same clothes all week
long, you can suggest that it may have something to do with that.
At this point you will know whether the person is embarrassed or goes on
the offensive. You will notice that in the suggested wording above, you didn't
mention that people had complained about them – that will only make things
worse. You have stayed with the facts by saying they have a noticeable body
odor. If they do take a stance and refuse to admit it, you can remain on the
factual slant and tell them that they need to respect the workplace and come to
work clean.
You may also point other potential causes such as the list above and ask
them to have a think about what they can do. Get them to commit to some action
and make sure you follow up. Here's a short video role play of a situation like this:
Once you have addressed a situation like this, give yourself a reward
task to do after dealing with the situation – you deserve it!
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