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Talking to a Colleague About Faulty Hygiene

The American Society for Microbiology found that as many as 1/3 of the people who used the restrooms in the country’s major airports didn’t wash their hands afterwards. That’s a lot of people with some odd notions about personal hygiene.

Faulty hygiene, as many of us know all too well, is also a workplace problem. Few people can work up the nerve, though, to tell someone they smell bad or shouldn’t pick through the tray of cookies with their hands. But when you work in close proximity with someone with a hygiene problem you must do something to get the person to correct it. Otherwise the distraction will affect your work.

Try the secret-friend approach to avoid embarrassing the person. Send the person an anonymous note that says, “Your body odor belies what a sweet person you are. This is a note from someone who cares.” Your compassion and anonymity will probably work wonders.