How do you tastefully tell a coworker they have nose hair-curling B.O.?

They recently moved me at work...I had to give up my nice, large, semi-private test benches, and move over with all the other techs.

The tech that works next to me has really bad body odor....a rank combo of ass and armpits so pungent, it would offend a limburger cheese maker. He works around 2-3 meters away from me, and I can still smell it. I actually set up a fan today blowing the funk back in his direction.

He's a great guy, and a pleasure to talk with, and I don't want to offend him. I thought about just anonomously leaving some deoderant on his desk. Anyone have any advise? I'd rather not make an HR complaint against him.

 

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I'd go with either your idea of anonymously leaving him some deodorant, or remark 'What's that horrific smell in here?' but don't imply that it's him.

 

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Tell him that you have a highly developed sense of smell and that you have noticed that he has a very strong body odor and that it ususally indicates some kind of illness. Express your concern regarding his health.

 

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This will probably kill you but say "Watch'ya up to tonight? Wanna play some tennis?" or other sport involving physical activity, if he goes for it and is all paly make him sweat rivers with the sport, then afterwards he'll have to take a Shower. This means work the next day you'll know he at least had a shower the night before. (On top of that, if you hit a bar afterwards perhaps you can get some of the opposite sex to pay attention to him, if he thinks he has a chance he might sort his hygiene out.)

 

http://www.nooffenseoranything.com/bodyodor.html

 

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Leave these on his desk.

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You say, "dude, you smell like shit, why don't you take a fucking shower?".

 

When you leave your deoderant, have a note (typed, of course), imploring him to use it.

 

I have TMAU, so I know what it's like to unknowingly fumigate people in close proximity. I can't smell myself. It was the biggest relief when I started to meet people who would tell me about it objectively. That was a lot better than I was younger - people would just be shitty about it and either make fun of me ruthlessly, or send weird little manipulative hints (which is equally as hurtful).

Nowadays, its kinda cool. I know to forewarn people about it, and to warn me if they smell it. My wife will say things like "You smell fishy today", and we'll start backtracking on the previous days diet to figure out what may possibly have caused it (IE - must have been grandma's broccoli casserole that contained too much choline).

 

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If you're a heartless bastard like I am, go up to them and say: "next time, could you wear some deodorant?"

But, that's just me.

 

I don't think there is a tactful way to tell someone that sort of thing..

 

There is an alternative, technically the workforce is the responsibility of your boss. Namely health and safety. You could just state to your boss "X is a great guy, and does his job well, but he has a BO problem which is making it extremely difficult to work near him. Can I move further away from him, or you tell him about the BO problem otherwise I'm going to start calling in sick because thats how I feel when I'm in close proximity."

 

Bosses here generally don't respond well to threats like that

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Well if the Boss wants to be stuck with lots of people that have BO that's their prerogative. My point was though that the Boss is suppose to be the one that irons out difficulties in the workplace, the problem is of course is asking them to act as an intermediary might be seen as going over the head of the person that smells bad.

 

A couple of ways about it

One need not file an HR complaint. I had a friend in HR the last time I had real job, and I know that every once in a while they would get some difficult issues like this, and their solution was to find some pretext to send around a general email about people's attire, grooming, or hygiene. Obviously, the guilty parties knew who they were. Well, sometimes.

To the other I once endured an appalling conversation. Not because it offended me, but ... well ... I worked in a video store once with a flaming queer boss. He wasn't the problem. We had a co-worker, a fairly large fellow, who carried about him this absolutely amazing stench. One day, after he left, one of the women who worked in the store said something about the smell. Our boss, with no regard for customers within earshot, said flatly, "It's unwashed cock."

Which, of course, stopped everybody dead in their tracks.

Unwashed, uncircumcised cock.

Somebody asked how he knew. I figure the question was just filler, meant to occupy the otherwise gelid silence that had fallen through the store.

I, of course, nearly laughed at the question. If there was one person in Seattle who knew what unwashed, uncircumcised cock smelled like, well, it was our boss. You could always tell what he'd been up to (or onto, as such) by the sound of his voice in the morning.

Point being, when push came to shove, there was nothing tasteful about it. "Wash your cock, man!"

Probably wouldn't work in a more formal setting. But holy God, what a smell.

The thing is that the guy wasn't that big. I mean, he wasn't like larger Picasso brother in the "Crazy From the Heat" video: "Excuse the personal question, but aren't there just some places you can't quite reach with a washcloth?" But holy God, what a smell.

 

if it really bothers you then be honest and tell him.

 

tiassa, are you under some stress today?

 

I think you're right, but I also think people with Bo know they have BO already..

 

What is TMAU?