There is this "lady" at work that everybody hates. She's mean for no reason & she stinks like hell...?

Question

EVERY time she walks buy it smells like a Seattle fish market mixed with old dirty blood AND the stench lingers for like 20 minutes.

She is so mean & hateful to EVERYONE in the office, and someone needs to tell her to douche, bathe or something but it's become a running joke that is no longer funny.

It is getting worse and when she goes on her smoke breaks she HAS TO walk by me & another girl's desk.

Today the smell was so horrific me & another girl almost threw up...LITERALLY

What should I do?

I can't stand her because of her fowl attitude BUT at the same time I need to save my nose.

I thought about telling our supervisor but I don't know how to say it...

Should I just come out & say, "KRISTINE STINKS like dirty blood & fish!!!" OR is there a better way to handle this?

The reason I'm so unsure of if I should "tell" is because I KNOW my supervisor HAS to have smelled it too...There's no way not to.

PLEASE HELP!!!
(SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY!!!)

Answer 1

i went through something like this, except it was a guy. except, i was talking about how badly he stunk to my other co-worker and he over heard the whole thing. i felt guitly. we didn't talk for while and i felt bad. come to find out, this guy (the stink guy, who was also a punk and very grumpy) didn't have time to take care of himself, his parents died and left him with 6 YOUNGER siblings to take care of.

if i were you, i'd confront her like an adult, not like a child and say "eeew you stink" your something. tell her in a nice way. that's all i can think of.

Answer 2

I've experienced this before. Several people began complaining at once, asking where the odor was coming from.

Some even filed a 'bad air' workplace report with OSHA to get the building tested for airflow and toxic effluents . . .

Try having five or six people walk around all day wondering out loud about the air quality.

Ask the supervisor to have all the desks searched for old food that may be rotting.

Call security and complain that there is a potential that there is a 'stink bomb' planted by terrorists.

Keep up the 'noise' level . . . until the 'funk' level goes down.

Without you having to go to the supervisor personally and directly complaining about a specific person, the supervisor will find the guts to handle the real problem discreetly with enough people complaining out loud--but not specifically about her.

Answer 3

You could approach your boss with a concern for this lady's health. This kind of odor sounds like some female disorder. Perhaps something as simple as a vaginal infection, or it could be a fulminating cancer. There is always the chance that the supervisor already knows if this lady has some disease and is allowing her to work for as long as she can. The health angle approach seems caring and not just angry.
You can also put some Vicks Vapo Rub under your nose and you won't smell anything other than that....it's far better than this body odor! Either way you have a solution!

Answer 4

Think of this as "the island" type reality show where all of the survivors vote the stinky, smelly, disgusting, back-stabbing whacko off the island.

Except, you all get together and tell the boss the woman stinks like dead fish, rotting blood and some kind of menstrual dirty laundry and no one can take it anymore. Either she goes or you all go.

I'll bet your boss will find a nice small, smelly place for her to work, away from all of you.

Answer 5

did you people ever consider that maybe this woman has a rough life at home=her parents might be the owners of a fish place=her boyfriend,husband or parents and her can't get along=I think even though the smell is overpowering someone should try to befriend her and she just might open up and talk and then you all could help her=perhaps she has to work to help ends meet at home and they are under financial debts they are struggling with and can't afford some things=there's usually a reason behind this type of persons behaviour

Answer 6

I worked in an office where the girl that sat in front of me smelled so bad she was the talk of the office. I was constantly asked "how can you work with that smell she sits right in front of you." No one dared to tell her so one day after lunch I ask her to meet me in the ladies room. I told her nicely that every day when I passed her to go to my desk I could smell a strong odor of underarm perspiration coming from her. She said she never used deodorant but that she would start using it and thanked me.

Answer 7

you definitley need to talk to your manager or supervisor..it would be managements place to speak with her.
if a colleague says anything..it will be taken as offensive ( even though she is).
you & your office friends need to ask your supervisor for a few minutes of his/her time.
explain that when this certain colleague passes your desk..that her body odor is very strong and nauseating..
and that someone has to talk to her. she sounds a bit disturbed ..especially if she is that slovenly..and foul mouthed. maybe she needs some sort of counseling or psychiatric help. that was my serious answer to your
office problem....
here's my sense of humour about your office problem....
( as a joke...bring wooden clothes pins to work tomorrow..with bar of ivory soap. put the clothespin on your noses ....at least you & your office can laugh!.. try not to breathe too deeply..until you have that clothespin on!)
maybe a gas mask!!???

Answer 8

Just be honest with her. If not, tell your supervisor how you and your coworkers feel. Hygiene is supposed to be an important attribute to someone's career. What's the worse that could happen? I doubt you would get fired, but if you did, you wouldn't have to put up with that awful smell.

Answer 9

You could either talk to your supervisor about it, talk directly to her about it or go for a different approach.
I did this in my office to a guy with really bad BO. Put deodorant, soap and shampoo on her desk. She'll get the message if she isn't stupid, and she doesn't need to know who did it. It worked for me!

Answer 10

i think the best way to handle this is just to talk to your supervisor. explain that her offensive odour is distracting, and that there are several people who agree. there has to be a way for someone to tell her, WITHOUT embarrassing her. tell the boss that you would approach her yourself, but because of personality conflicts, you felt you should leave it in his hands!
in the mean time, you could always carry a refreshing scent with you at work(a little lemon juice on a face cloth in a baggie works).
good luck!