please help me. i am a dental nurse, and i work with a lady dentist whom is asian(not that it matters what ethic she is from, although it may be a factor of the cause) she has really bad B.O (body odour) how do i tell her??
i've told the principal but she does not know how to resolve this issue meanwhile im working in a surgery 8 hours a day with this disgusting stench!!! what do i do??
how do i tell her???
she is really nice and i don't want to hurt her feelings!!
everyone else feels the same but i have to work with her!!
its got so bad i'm thinking of leaving!!
2006-11-14 21:52:23 · 21 answers · asked by natasha l 1 in Health ➔ Dental
hi Natasha l. in response to your question are you really sure that it is not you who really smells and you are just trying to pass the blame on this lovely Indian Asian dentist?
1. do you wash?
2. do you use deodorant?
3. are you one of these people that go into the bathroom in the morning leave the tap running and go for a little more sleep, lying on the bathroom floor pretending to have a wash?
4. if it's not you i suggest you shoot her!!!!!!!!
GOOD LUCK
2006-11-15 23:38:59 · answer #1 · answered by diane c 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
You could try writing her a letter, anonymously if need be, though it would still need to be sensitively phrased so that she wouldn't just think it had been sent as a nasty joke.
I sympathise with your dilemma that you obviously don't want to upset your colleague (and, no matter how you approach her, I'd say there's a good chance it will) but are finding that having to put up with a smell you find unpleasant is making work stressful for you. However, I do think it's important that you put the smell into perspective. Is it really that bad? Is there anything about her work, general demeanour or presence that could be making you blow this out of proportion? Only you know the answer to this, just as only you can describe to YA just how bad the smell is...
Just a couple of points, before I go, that will no doubt enrage the "It's Political Correctness Gone Mad" lobby:
1. You rightly say it doesn't matter "what ethnic (group) she is from" but then immediately add that it "may be a factor in the cause". This, in my view, is a contradiction in terms. Aren't you therefore saying that, actually, you think it *might* matter? You seem to be hiding your possible assumptions behind polite lip service to egalitarian principles.
2. You refer to your colleague as a "Lady Dentist". I'd suggest your use of "she" is quite enough for us to get a picture of her gender. I'm sure you don't mean for it to come across in this way but I think saying "lady" gives the impression that that a female dentist is somehow the exception to the rule. Obviously, this is not the case, as there have been female dentists for years!
PS: Sorry Steph007ess. I spent 20 minutes musing over my answer during my coffee break and missed that you had already suggested a letter! :-)
PPS: I liked Penelope's answer in the other thread too.
2006-11-15 06:29:36 · answer #2 · answered by CJ 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Write an anonymous letter to the surgery from a patient saying something along the lines of ''As a nervous patient I am grateful to have a dentist I am comfortable with but I need to bring to your attention that there is an odour from you while receiving treatment at each of my visits. I would normally turn a blind eye as I am relieved to have found a dentist that I am not fearful of but as it is I am extremely sensitive to odours in general and cannot even tolerate the smell of perfume in department stores etc. However, sensitive to smell I may be, I feel that I may not be the only patient who may experience this and so am letting you know so as to prevent any future possible embarrassment.
the patient is the closest person to the dentist so this approach is quite feasible. I left a dentist because his breath smelled and I never told him and I wonder how many other people did!
2006-11-15 06:08:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Talk to her privately and tell her you've had patients bringing this problem up to you (small white lie is okay here). Tell her they didn't want to approach her directly because they didn't want to hurt her feelings. She may not know that she is offensive and she might be embarrased to find out.
Bring in a fresh stick of your preffered deoderant when you have the talk with her, and offer it to her as "I've found that this works best for me, it might work for you." When you work in public health care, this is certainly something that can affect you professionally, so you would be doing her a favor to let her know. Plus you benefit from not having your nasal passages burned.
If that doesn't work, go back to your principal and make her resolve the issue or go over her head if she can't. You deserve a working environment that you can actually work in....
2006-11-15 06:03:48 · answer #4 · answered by Answer 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tell social affairs about it, if you have that or the ones managing the dorm. Your colleague must be from the Indian sub-continent. No offense, but it has something to do with what they eat. If nothing else works, move out. It is well worth it. I would not have been able to sleep if I were you.
2006-11-15 05:57:06 · answer #5 · answered by seek_fulfill 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God it must be bad!
I can understand where your coming from totally and you shouldn't have to deal with this.....
Your boss should be!! Tell him/her again the way you feel about it, that you are feeling ill because of it and are even thinking of leaving, another way is to tell your boss that there has been a customer complaint, that is your best bet!! It may be hard but you have to express your feelings to your boss!
Good luck xx
2006-11-15 05:57:35 · answer #6 · answered by ♥Lexi♥ 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i think your principal should bring it up saying someone complained about bad odurs. your principal should say something like could we all make sure we use deoderant so as not to offend anyone else.
its tricky as you dont really want to make the person stand out, good luck
2006-11-15 14:56:52 · answer #7 · answered by lalala 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd say make out that a patient has lodged a complaint, and you're following up. And if that's not possible, whoever employed her needs to tell her...
2006-11-15 06:00:29 · answer #8 · answered by My_Name 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get the prinicpal to make out that there has been a comment by a customer/patient and that she is following it up.
2006-11-15 05:55:16 · answer #9 · answered by lataliano 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
well many(not all) Asian(especially Indian) will not use deodorant as it is not a part of the culture to use these type of items.maybe you can give her like a gift basket full of perfume and deodorants and stuff.so maybe she will start using them.
2006-11-15 06:03:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋