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Post Info TOPIC: How to tell someone they stink?
MzHartz


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How to tell someone they stink?
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I need advice.

There's this guy at work who smells.  Not just BO either.  He has long hair, and I suspect he hasn't washed his hair in months.  I don't want him in my office, he smells so bad.  And he's our delivery guy!

Well, everyone in this building is chicken.  No  one has said anything to him, not even the big tough guys downstairs.  Neither of the owners have, and they would be in the position to be brutally honest.

I'm just as chicken.  But if I could find a way to put it delicately, I would say something.  It's been going on for long enough, that the, "Do you smell something?" type hints probably wouldn't work.

So, how would you tell this guy he stinks?



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Jeremy Riggs


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"whoa! Time to change colognes. Whatever you've been wearing lately smells like a decomposing rat."

smile.gif

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MzHartz


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As accurate as that is, I don't think that's quite what I was looking for.

Hm, I wonder if mailing shampoo, soap, and deodorant to his house anonymously would work?

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confuzzed


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MzHartz wrote:
Hm, I wonder if mailing shampoo, soap, and deodorant to his house anonymously would work?

 rofl.gif

But sadly, I am guessing no.



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Mad Mema


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http://businessknowledgesource.com/blog/how_to_handle_an_employee_with_poor_personal_hygiene_025161.html

When in doubt... Google it.

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MzHartz


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He's one of those people who will take anything if it's free, so if the problem is that he's not washing, it might work. But, what if he's not washing his clothes? That would be consistent with the smell. It's not like I can mail him a washing machine.

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MzHartz


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"Try and attach the issue with business. When possible, make it a business issue rather than a personal one. You could tell them that their odor or breath may be offensive to potential customers, or a cramped office space makes the issue worse. Or perhaps their hygiene has caused a client to request a different rep. By approaching the issue as a business concern, it looks less like a personal attack."

Aha, I think I have it figured out. When brutal honesty won't work, lie through your teeth! What if I tell him a customer said he smelled?

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Mad Mema


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There ya go... "I really don't want to bring this up, but we have received a few calls from customers..."

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disco strangler


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eewwww!  A long long time ago, we used to have a guy who worked for us -- thank God, out in the warehouse, whom everyone called Stinky Ross.  He was so bad that when he came in the building and then left, the stench lingered forever bleh . 

The office people never said anything directly (yeah, we're of the chicken type too), but the warehouse manager told him he was not to come in the building because he smelled it up...  poor guy. 

YUCK! blehblehbleh

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Jeremy Riggs


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What kind of a personality is he MZ? Is he the type who's going to wonder what customer complained and then let it affect the way he deals with all his customers?

To me that's a risky gamble. Honesty is the best policy. If you're not comfortable being honest then personally I think it's best to just live with the problem. Ultimately your bosses should be the ones dealing with this anyway.

Have you considered complaining to them? As you stated, they would be well within their rights to sit him down and say his odor is a problem. They can point out that they've had complaints from co-workers.

Better to have him upset with an unknown co-worker than it is to have him upset with an unknown customer or customers.

That's just my two cents. If you don't want it give it back to me. In this economy I can't be throwing my money away. smile.gif

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Mad Mema


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You have a good point, JR. The bosses should be the ones dealing with this issue. It is their job. He represents the company, and it is their duty to make sure that they are being represented appropriately.



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MzHartz


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He has an outgoing personality, which is part of why it makes it hard to tell him. But you do make a good point, he might start wondering who said something.

I have said something to my boss, who's one of the owners. But I think I'm going to try again, and specifically request that she or the other owner say something to him.

One of the reasons I'm a little leery about being the one to do it is because I can't take that "I have a business to look after" stance. I think that I'm in a unique position that if I say something to him, he might take it personally; either it will seem like a friendly thing to do (I like the guy and all, but I really don't want to give him the wrong impression), or he'll start avoiding me out of embarrassment.

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confuzzed


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Can we take him out back and squirt him with the hose? Then someone can dump a bucket or two of soapy water on him and then rinse him off again.

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Mad Mema


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rofl.gif Excellent! The ol' fire hose and wire brush conversation!

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confuzzed


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When he asks why you did it, make up some silly foreign holiday, then the excuse that you were seeing if you could get the tradition started here and that he seemed like the perfect candidate.

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Mad Mema


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Or "Oh sorry... it was my gang initiation. Thanks for helping me get jumped in."

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MzHartz


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Mad Mema wrote:

Or "Oh sorry... it was my gang initiation. Thanks for helping me get jumped in."


LOL!

 



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confuzzed


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MzHartz wrote:

Mad Mema wrote:

Or "Oh sorry... it was my gang initiation. Thanks for helping me get jumped in."


LOL!
Definite LOL!

 



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confuzzed


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Maybe tell him it was for a book you are writing.

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JD The Jazz Doctor


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"Dude, you ******* stink. What the **** is your problem? Why do we have to put up with your *** stink. You *******. Join the human race and bathe. Wash your clothes. Out of ******** respect for other people. Let me know if you don't know what deoderant is, I am sure the whole office will chip in and buy you a case, you smelly *************."

Business can be brutal. Honesty is the best policy. wink

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