Guest Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 hi, i hope someone can offer me some advise, i have a member of staff that has a body odour problem, she appears to be clean and is well presented every time she is at work but by the end of the session the smell is noticable, i really don't want to offend her she is fairly quiet and is gaining confidence slowly, has anyone else had to deal with this problem? if so what was the outcome? thanks in anticipation!
Lucy P Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 I had to deal with this just last month!! Unfortunatley my member of staff actually arrived at work with a bad odour which just got worse during the day, she is a lovely member of staff but i feel she prob wasn't brought up with the best hygiene standards and simply just didnt realise!! It took me months to get round to confronting the situation because i just didn't know what to say, however, other members of staff were refusing to work with her and were talking about her, so i thought that was worse than me actually speaking to her! I took her into the office and just said i had a small problem that i needed to discuss with her. I said that i didn't know whether she was aware but at times during the day she gives off quite a strong body odour! I said that i am sure this was due to her doing such a good job with the children and rushing around whiched caused her to sweat. I explained that i would have the same problem if i didnt follow good hygiene procedures, i said it is essential to shower each morning and apply a good anti perspirant, and also to reapply during the day. I made a space for her in the staff toilet to store extra uniform if she needed to change and a wash bag to keep all of her toiletries such as deodrant, wipes, talc etc I also give her the first ten mins of work to spend in the bathroom to do what ever she needs to do to ensure she is fresh for work. I diont think the others mind, they are probably quite grateful! Since our conversation, there has not been a problem and this topic reminds me, i must mention that our system has been working well tomorrow. By the way she was so grateful that i discussed this with her! Hope that helps, i have gone on a bit!!
Guest Wolfie Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 No, you haven't gone on at all Lucy - that's a very useful scenario to describe and it sounds as though you handled it admirably! Thanks for sharing and well done for tackling it, I'm sure many of us would have shied away from dealing with the issue.
Guest Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 thank you Lucy i know i can't leave it as i don't want everyone else to talk about her! i will think about how to word it, your description sounded spot on as you used yourself as the example and obviously didn't undermine her! i will find a good time when she is in next week, as i have said loads of times before give me 50 children no problem, give me 7 adults and oh boy what a challange, never a dull moment!!!!!!
Lucy P Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 No problem Its a really tricky subject to deal with but i felt great after i had dealt with it, especially after the member of staff thanked me for being so honest!!!
Beau Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 My husband had to deal with this at work once. As Lucy said the person in question had no idea and was eternally grateful that someone had the guts to actually tell him before it caused any more embarrassment. Providing it is dealt with sensitively it should result in a good outcome for all concerned.
Guest Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 When I took over as Manager I put cans of deodorant in the staff toilets with a note on them saying"please dont take this the wrong way but please feel free to use these", everyone came and asked me who it was aimed at (like I'd tell them if it was aimed at someone in particular). It wasn't aimed at anyone at all I just know that when you are working hard and playing you can sometimes get a bit sweaty!!! Happy to say that they are being used!! Good luck with a very sensitive subject
Alison Posted October 9, 2008 Posted October 9, 2008 By the way she was so grateful that i discussed this with her! I think thats an important thing to remember, embarassing as it maybe, the member of staff would probably appreciate being made aware of the situation
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