What would you do if someone in your office......

Col200sx · 16-12-2009 11:04AM #1

..... Stinks up the whole room from his b/o, smell of smoke and booze.

Never changes his clothes, you're sometimes lucky if he's been on the right tear as you can smell the fags and booze more than the b/o and dirt.

Gagging here from the smell of him, it's horrible.

Thoughts?

petes · 16-12-2009 11:05AM

Throw a bucket of dettol on them.

No excuse for it.

ejmaztec · 16-12-2009 11:07AM

Petrol

Match

Run.

Keano · 16-12-2009 11:08AM

Buy 1000 air freshners and when he is not around put them all over his desk.

Porkpie · 16-12-2009 11:08AM

Get one of these

Kiera · 16-12-2009 11:08AM

I have one of these. Not as bad as you described but he does smell like a gym bag. Say it to your manager and let them have a word.

Unfortunately I am the manager and still hadn’t the balls to say it to him. It hasn’t been that bad lately so will put it off until it starts up again.

Fizman · 16-12-2009 11:09AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dmE-emrrAs

Jet Black · 16-12-2009 11:11AM

Tell him maybe?

jungleboy · 16-12-2009 11:16AM

If you are sharing the space with I think its is best not try and deal with it yourself.
Dose this person have a close friend or someone he gets on with best in the office, if so i would talk to them and see whats going on with him - it sound like he has a problem and i am sure you don't want to add to that. However perhaps some constructive advise would help, I had a similar problem with a staff member before and advise him that it effecting others.

If this dose not work then is obvious he has no respect for others and i would just tell him, or get you boss to deal with it.

merc998 · 16-12-2009 11:18AM

Thats nasty!!!apartently your not aloud tell someone its some sort of a law.you have to tell managment and they've to tell them with a least 1 witness.Feel for you thats horrible either you bring some air freshner sprays in and just keep dropping hinds smelly git!!!

R0ot · 16-12-2009 11:20AM

Speak to HR?

AnonoBoy · 16-12-2009 11:22AM

When you said office did you actually mean homeless shelter?

NothingMan · 16-12-2009 11:22AM

Probably just make a joke out of it to not be too mean, but if it's constant then i'd certainly complain to a manager.....Or kick him in the face. I don't mean that in a violent way, it's a well known fact that a face kicking is the secret ingredient in Lynx deoderants.

Wazdakka · 16-12-2009 11:26AM

Chances are the guy doesn't know he stinks..
Say it to him.

What's with all the pussyfooting around with managment and HR.

This over the top carefulness and PC bolox has gone mad.
If you were the person, would you rather hear about in a polite, joking, light hearted and nice way from your co-worker, Or in some over the top, chain of managment fuelled orgy of trumped up political correctness.

I would prefer to hear from the co-worker directly instead of involving more people in something that he could be oblivious to and probably quite embarrassed about.

VERYinterested · 16-12-2009 11:27AM

I worked with a guy once who smelled like a pigeon loft. It was horrible, b/o, manky yellow teeth, obviously couldn't use toilet paper and he must have slept in his clothes. We did everything from leaving the windows wide open on cold days like today to getting him grooming sets at Christmas.

We went to the boss about it and he had a chat, it improved for a time but he kept on having to be reminded. Now I remember that was one good thing about that company going bust and I no longer had to work with this person, it was abominable, you have my sympathy OP.

TobyZiegler · 16-12-2009 11:27AM

Kiera wrote: »

I have one of these. Not as bad as you described but he does smell like a gym bag. Say it to your manager and let them have a word.

Unfortunately I am the manager and still hadn’t the balls to say it to him. It hasn’t been that bad lately so will put it off until it starts up again.

I feel for you. Must be seriously awkward thing for manager to have to say to someone.

I'm sure people are glad to know but it still must be incredibly awkward for them and whoever is telling them.

Kiera · 16-12-2009 11:29AM

TobyZiegler wrote: »

I feel for you. Must be seriously awkward thing for manager to have to say to someone.

I'm sure people are glad to know but it still must be incredibly awkward for them and whoever is telling them.

Yeah there's no easy way to tell someone they smell. I wanted to drop hints like "ew it smells in here today, what is that?" but i still think thats mean. If it starts up again i'll find out off HR what way to deal with it.

Col200sx · 16-12-2009 11:42AM

:eek: That's a lot of replies in a short space of time.

Quick background on the situation:

This guy is in his 60s, alcoholic, very old school, spends each evening in the pub after work, but never fails to show up, and manages to get through the day, although his level of workmanship in an IT office is pretty bad.

I've never seen him in different clothes, he sits approx 15 feet away from me and I can still smell him. Some days he smells only pretty badly (like that's even acceptable!), other days, put it this way, if you were in a queue for something and he was in the same queue, you'd leave and come back later.

He's a recluse, and nobody can/will say anything to him. It's one of those sh1te situations we're all in.

xsiborg · 16-12-2009 11:47AM

Kiera wrote: »

Yeah there's no easy way to tell someone they smell. I wanted to drop hints like "ew it smells in here today, what is that?" but i still think thats mean. If it starts up again i'll find out off HR what way to deal with it.

Make an announcement to your office staff that you are taking them on a "team buiklding exercise" to the local swimming baths, get them to see it like a brain storming session like the romans used do. The rest of your team will pick up on the hint straight away and hopefully the "ollfactory offender" too might take the hint.

If you get the feeling he doesnt care mich then for personal hygiene, then might be the time to reconsider his position within an office environment. This could obviously have a detrimental effect on staff morale in general and this person doesn't seem all that bothered!

Dravokivich · 16-12-2009 11:55AM

Col200sx wrote: »

This guy is in his 60s

Well.. at least he's up for retirement in the next couple of years!

- Drav!

phasers · 16-12-2009 11:56AM

Tell your boss he sexually harassed you

jungleboy · 16-12-2009 12:00PM

You have got to talk to your boss, just tell him the truth. Get as many other people to come with you as you can.

Has this been discussed with anyone else in the office?

KarmaGarda · 16-12-2009 12:15PM

Look on the bright side. You can fart as much as you like and no one will notice.

CrazyRabbit · 16-12-2009 12:32PM

Wazdakka wrote: »

Chances are the guy doesn't know he stinks..
Say it to him.

What's with all the pussyfooting around with managment and HR.

This over the top carefulness and PC bolox has gone mad.
If you were the person, would you rather hear about in a polite, joking, light hearted and nice way from your co-worker, Or in some over the top, chain of managment fuelled orgy of trumped up political correctness.

I would prefer to hear from the co-worker directly instead of involving more people in something that he could be oblivious to and probably quite embarrassed about.

You smell.

Sofiztikated · 16-12-2009 12:42PM

My mentor, back in the day, told us how he dealt with one person like this.

After dropping many, many hints, he ended up just going up to him with a bar of soap, and said, "Here, don't want to be a prick, but, use this." Worked, apparently.

However, that did happen a number of years ago, and I can imagine the amount of ****e that would get you into now.

stovelid · 16-12-2009 12:55PM

betafrog wrote: »

A girlfriend of a friend works in a well known video rental store and has been told by managment 3 times that her BO was unacceptable and that they had received complaints from both staff and customers about it.

There is a woman in the Tesco beside my workplace and her BO is incredible.

I can't understand how people cannot smell themselves? It must be a deeper problem surely.

AnonoBoy · 16-12-2009 12:57PM

betafrog wrote: »

To be fair to her there doesn't seem to be much she can do about it,

Deodorant?

mixer101 · 16-12-2009 01:04PM

phasers wrote: »

Tell your boss he sexually harassed you

?
..and you reckon this would help?
How, exactly?

stovelid · 16-12-2009 01:21PM

Perhaps something like Driclor or even botox might help.

trustno1 · 16-12-2009 01:27PM

Col200sx wrote: »

:eek: That's a lot of replies in a short space of time.

Quick background on the situation:

This guy is in his 60s, alcoholic, very old school, spends each evening in the pub after work, but never fails to show up, and manages to get through the day, although his level of workmanship in an IT office is pretty bad.

I've never seen him in different clothes, he sits approx 15 feet away from me and I can still smell him. Some days he smells only pretty badly (like that's even acceptable!), other days, put it this way, if you were in a queue for something and he was in the same queue, you'd leave and come back later.

He's a recluse, and nobody can/will say anything to him. It's one of those sh1te situations we're all in.

Does he talk to anyone at all in the office?, if he is that bad someone else surely must have brought it up with management, he either doesn't realise how bad he smells (as someone else mentioned you get used to it to the point you don't smell it anymore) or he simply doesn't care. I kinnda feel sorry for him if his life revolves around a pub and he doesn't take care of his appearance..

. But I do feel your pain - there is nothing worse than sitting near something or someone that smells - even the 'breathing through your mouth' thing doesn't work!!.. I would just tell mangement to sort it out.. thats what they get paid the big money for and they should be trained in these things..

Fratton Fred · 16-12-2009 01:27PM

club together and buy him a mail order bride for christmas.

What would you do if someone in your office......

Comments