Communications: "The Talk" - Olfactory Issues

The workplace version of the inevitable "talk" every parent has with their budding adolescent is the talk you will inevitably have with an employee regarding their personal hygiene.

I guarantee you that if you manage for ten years or more, you will have employees report objections over one of the following three:
1. body odor
2. too much cologne
3. revealing clothing

We will address the two olfactory issues on this post.

Addressing body odor is easy if the offender is in a physical job such as maintenance or delivery work. First you take them aside (recurring theme) and explain that their work is physical in nature and very important...however, physical work means perspiration, and that rhymes with odor. So showering regularly (daily minimum) and wearing clean work clothes is important. That usually fixes it but if not, it becomes a disciplinary issue.

It becomes exponentially delicate if the case is an office employee who simply does not practice normal hygiene. In private, ask them if they are aware of the difficulty they are causing and simply explain how easily this can be corrected. One cautionary note here is that it is optimal to have a female manager speak to a female offender if at all possible. Experience has shown. Same resolution on the disciplinary issue.

With too much cologne, simply explain that an employee with a high sensitivity to scents is having a problem and to simply reduce or stop wearing cologne at work. Same disciplinary resolution.

Done with basic empathy and respect, these issue are easily resolvable.

Lance