How to subtly inform a colleague that they have BO

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by datasupa

very regettably, in this particular case 'they' be a 'she.' of the russian persuasion.

Originally Posted by tiecollector

Someone did get in trouble once though and was sent to sensitivity training for another offense.

Honestly, because it is a female, you need to be very careful. I would take it to HR and let them handle it. In this type of situation it is way too easy to have your comment misinterpreted (either intentionally or unintentionally).

I've actually seen a similar situation where the complaint was filed by a third party who overhead part of the conversation, took comments out of context and filed a harassment complaint against the poor guy. Luckily, I and some other people were able to make it clear that he had not made the comments in an offensive fashion, but it was still a big headache for all of us and especially for him.

 

[Reggs]

Even worse, some men wear offensive cologne or "body spray."

It's not uncommon for me to change seats in a semester because the person next to me smells bad.

 

[tvontheradio]

lol funny stuff

 

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by datasupa

very regettably, in this particular case 'they' be a 'she.' of the russian persuasion.
It does not change a thing. If you are talking in general, it's "he".

Originally Posted by m@T

I used to go boxing at lunchtimes 3x a week
I hope your use of the past tense means you have now moved to 4x a week.

 

[HomerJ]

What would Michael Scott do. Hold a workshop on workplace hygiene. Everyone would be required to attend. That way she won't know it's about her.

 

[Nantucket Red]

You approach it somewhat like this:

HomerJ, this is probably as embarrassing for me to say as it is for you to hear, but are you aware that your avatar is a picture of John Fitzgerald Page?

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Sometimes the BO is "cultural". When it's "cultural", I think not only are you not allowed to mention it to the offender, but also you are required to give him a raise.

 

[warlok1965]

There's a lady in my gym that stinks to high heaven...waaayy beyond normal BO. I have personally heard other members complaining to the front desk about her on more than one occasion. Occasionally I will be standing by a machine and catch a whiff of something nasty and think "Oh wow, is that me?". I will look around and discover "the girl" lurking somewhere nearby. Once or twice it has been so bad I nearly gagged.

I thought about anonymously putting a can of deodorant in her gym bag, but decided against it. I just wonder how she can be so unaware of her own overpowering BO.