A little help?

Just walk around exclaiming, "What is that smell? Don't you smell it? It's like toe jam and onions. Is it me?" Then sniff your armpit, make a face, and ask your coworkers to smell you.

quickWit said:

So what do you do when you work with someone who smells?

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Cut off their nose?

So what do you do when you work with someone who smells?

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Do what I do:

Gag and retch and ask loudly, in a panicked voice, "Who the hell died in here?!"

Then stumble around, maybe do a few spins for good effect and collapse.

(P.S. Make sure you collapse near the person you suspect of being the culprit. Eventually, after a few days of this, either other people will catch on and help spread the word about the perpetrator or you'll be fired.

Either way - no more smell.)

quickWit said:

Hey, you guys seem pretty smart! (Well, some of you, anyway).

So what do you do when you work with someone who smells? As a computer guy at an office filled with scientists and engineers I find myself constantly having to hold my breath as I work on their machines. Personal hygiene apparently is very low their list of priorities. I'm not sure what to do.

I'm almost certain that I can't hold my breath for 8 hours, but I'm almost that desperate. Anyone got a better idea?

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I'm a computer gal at an office filled with financial dweebs and I find myself constantly having to hold my breath as I work on their machines. They're everywhere.

1) Wipe a small amount of lotion, cologne or sanitizer under your nose before you go to work on their computer.
2) Don't sit in their chair.
3) Wash your hands afterwards
4) Repeat

Hope this helps!

Ooh, I've had this issue, but it was cologne my new boss was wearing. Finally personnel stepped in and created a no-scent rule. BUT - there's a guy here who doesn't bathe, shave, or wash his clothes and I'm pretty sure he doesn't own a toothbrush - I've gotten light-headed being around him before.

No one ever does anything. They tell him straight to his face that he stinks, and he laughs. Personnel won't do a thing about him, and I had to buy deoderizing room spray to use any time he comes to the front office (which violates our no-scent rule but gawd!)

My sympatheis to you.

I used to work with a man who I swear ate garlic for three meals a day! The smell was coming out of his skin and it was horrible! You could smell it as soon as he walked in the room. We all used to talk about him behind his back. Unfortunately there was nothing we could do. I just used to take a very deep breath before I walked into his office.

Hope it works out for you.

Get a jar of Vicks Menthol Rub and put a gob of that under your nose. It does two things -- it kills the smell of even dead bodies, and it makes you look like you have goobers, and no one comes around the guy with goobers!!

reigningcatsndogs said:

Get a jar of Vicks Menthol Rub and put a gob of that under your nose. It does two things -- it kills the smell of even dead bodies, and it makes you look like you have goobers, and no one comes around the guy with goobers!!

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Hey - - if it's good enough for the cops, it should work for you.

I used to work with a guy like this. We used to rotate who had to go into his office to tell him things, since you had to hold your breath the whole time you were in there. We lucked out when he started dating a new girl (I still don't understand how that happened) and she whipped him into shape. Showers on a regular basis AND deoderant! They dated almost a year and afterwards we asked her how she dealt with it, but she didn't give us her secret. I suspect Vicks.

quickWit said:

Hey, you guys seem pretty smart! (Well, some of you, anyway).

So what do you do when you work with someone who smells? As a computer guy at an office filled with scientists and engineers I find myself constantly having to hold my breath as I work on their machines. Personal hygiene apparently is very low their list of priorities. I'm not sure what to do.

I'm almost certain that I can't hold my breath for 8 hours, but I'm almost that desperate. Anyone got a better idea?

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Have a conversation with the person, about he's smell. Be honest, and friendly and don't act like it's a big thing. Maybe even include a little bit of humour to lighten up the conversation, but most of all be truthful.

Does the old "strong hint" method of anonymously leaving soap and deodorant on the offendor's desk (or offendors' desks) not work?

A special someone has offered the gift of a remedy for QW's troubles here (post #69...wow! what a coincidental number).

Seriously, tell them straight to their face without the use of profanity and do your best to be kind about it. I find blunt is often effective.

"Did you know that you really have bad BO?" I said that to my son and when that didn't work I said:

"My word you stink...go take a shower NOW." Oh and I also was specific and said he smelled like old cheese. It did the trick.

Obviously, you can't demand they shower right then and there but I would definitely take them aside and tell them discretely that they need to pay attention to hygiene and I would make a formal complaint with HR.

Slap them and say "You guys stink to high heaven, would you please take a shower and use soap."

kalel32 said:

Slap them and say "You guys stink to high heaven, would you please take a shower and use soap."

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And DEODORANT soap ta boot.

Find the supervisor and say, "If you don't talk to this person I am going to make a STINK about the situation."

quickWit said:

Just a quick update this morning, I'm in another office so I can't speak with the offender (pardon the pun) but will do so when I smell him again on Monday.

Would it be too obvious if I wore a HazMat suit when I spoke with him?

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It probably won't be too obvious, as he wouldn't have a clue why your wearing a HazMat suit. Sometimes you need to tell someone, to make it clear for them. Otherwise they will never realise, considering they live in the stink everyday, so it's non smelling to them.