should i say something to her? i work in an office of 8 woman. and there is a manager, but should she be the one to say something or should i because i work beside her? her breath smells and she doesnt shower! what do i do???
2006-11-09 08:59:58 · 17 answers · asked by mommy 3 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Actually it will be the supervisor's responsibility to approach her with the complaints of the staff she works with. Make your complaint to the supervisor, and if there are others in your work area that also feel the same way, they also should approach the supervisor with their issues. The supervisor is then responsible for correcting the behavior.
2006-11-09 09:09:32 · answer #1 · answered by m27jean 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Talk to your manager, it is his/her responsibility not yours to say something about this sensitive issue. Your name shouldn't be brought up in this either and I'm sure you are not the only one who feels this way.
Usually when a person has poor hygiene they could also have low self esteem. Maybe befriending her and over a short period of time she could change for the better.
If your manager won't approach her then you can be the one to do this.
You can say that other co-workers have asked you to share this with her privately.
You can tell her that you are embarrassed to be the one to speak to her and that you are doing so because you do not like to hear others complain behind her back.
Anonymously sending her a deodorant probably will not get the message across.
By talking to her directly you have a better chance of changing her grooming practices.
And you can ask her to do the same for you if ever she should notice a problem.
She may or may not listen to you or anyone for that matter but she will know that the office is aware and is concerned.
2006-11-09 17:33:36 · answer #2 · answered by Carol N 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Speak to your supervisor. That way you wont have to take the heat and resentment if it pisses her off. Speak to your manager about how it bothers you and other co-workers but you dont want to cause any friction and tell her yourself. I worked in a room ( a small room) with eight women. And that was the way it was handled. Someone would tell the supervisor and the supervisor would come in and speak to everyone about the issue the one person was having but in a general way and not pointing any fingers...kind of like "we need to discuss cleanliness...everyone must look clean for work" but not point any fingers..that way no ones feelings were really hurt..i find that is better then telling someone yourself because that may just insult them, and its better then having a supervisor single someone out. good luck.
2006-11-12 23:34:13 · answer #3 · answered by jennyve25 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I were in your situation I would ask the 7 other coworkers to see if her stench is bothering anyone else and if so I would definitely inform the manager. If the whole office feels as you do, I’m sure your manager will not have a problem approaching her about the situation. Let your manager do the dirty work, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to have your work relationship to go sour over this with that person.
2006-11-09 17:13:24 · answer #4 · answered by Jessie 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I once had a friend at school with similar issues . . . she came over to my place for an overnighter once and AFTER the shower she still had BO issues.
Unfortunately, sometimes it is in their skin or something because bathing didn't help. I would just try a get some physical distance at work.
Sorry for you all (& her), good luck
2006-11-09 17:40:27 · answer #5 · answered by kate 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
make up a small basket with different sample sizes of personal hygiene products and then mail it to her at work with a little note saying you know she'll enjoy using these products...make it like a small gift rather than a large insult and she may not be too embarrassed and may stop smelling so bad. On the other hand, she may have emotional problems which make her feel that smelling bad is appropriate; it keeps people at bay and reinforces her low self-esteem. someone like this will likely never use anything a may need to be told directly to wash or to stay home.
at our store, we posted a sign in the bathrooms showing folks how to properly wash their hands, and reminding them that they are not alone and they are expected to be clean while they are at work.
good luck
2006-11-09 17:06:34 · answer #6 · answered by soobee 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
i don't know that there is any way of bringing up a persons hygeine without hurting their feelings....maybe the mngr could make a little speech to everyone saying "let's make sure we're keeping up our professional image....evryone make sure you come to work looking clean and neat....make sure you keep breath mints at your desk for after lunch...etc, etc".....that way she doesn't feel singled out and embarrassed, and also if she still doesn't comply the boss has already laid out the rules and can say "remember that talk we had about professional image...you need to work on a couple of things..."
....or x-mas is coming up...you might think about getting her a nice gift of some shower gels and shampoos, etc...
2006-11-09 17:17:36 · answer #7 · answered by SNAP! 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think the person that can approach her with sincere concern and the most decorum should be the one to speak with her as this is a very sensitive subject. Good luck!
2006-11-09 17:03:03 · answer #8 · answered by HereweGO 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We occasionally run into this sort of problem where I work. It is up to the manager to handle the problem.
2006-11-09 23:38:45 · answer #9 · answered by Classy Granny 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mention it to your manager. Let her know that this person is making it difficult for you to do your work.
2006-11-10 15:16:31 · answer #10 · answered by johnsredgloves 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋