Let's talk about personal hygiene!

**Jana Lewis** · 03-17-2010, 10:13 AM

What a fabulous exciting thread topic!!! :bbg:

Has anyone had an issue with an employee that wears too much purfume or body sprays?

Or-

Has anyone had an issue with an employee who smells dreadful and obviously is in need of a bath?

If you have, how did you approach this? It's such a sensitive issue.

**j.maran** · 03-17-2010, 10:50 AM

Our office is quite small so we're as blunt as can be. We just tell them either you stink or where the purfume is concerned we just tell them we're allergic and can't breathe.

**kat** · 03-17-2010, 10:52 AM

I once had an employee who only washed his clothes once a month.....really bad. After numerous hints, (thankfully worked in the lab) we decided to have a "white elephant" gift exchange and everyone in the office brought there almost empty (or new) jug of laundry soap. With no one to steal a gift from, he ended up getting the hint in a fun way.
Hope that helps

**kcount** · 03-17-2010, 11:18 AM

Just slap a stick-up air freshener on their back. Or you could hang a pine tree shaped car freshener from their glasses or name tag.

**Johns** · 03-17-2010, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by kat

I once had an employee who only washed his clothes once a month.....really bad.

And what, praytell, is so bad about that? Here you have a gentleman that is not only frugal, but also has come to tems with his humanity, and the odors that accompany it.

Kudos to him!:cheers:

**Jana Lewis** · 03-17-2010, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by kcount

Just slap a stick-up air freshener on their back. Or you could hang a pine tree shaped car freshener from their glasses or name tag.

Hmmm... that sounds like a plan! I wouldn't have to say anything then! I'm lovin' this idea!! LOL!

**DragonLensmanWV** · 03-17-2010, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Jana Lewis

What a fabulous exciting thread topic!!! :bbg:

Has anyone had an issue with an employee that wears too much purfume or body sprays?

Or-

Has anyone had an issue with an employee who smells dreadful and obviously is in need of a bath?

If you have, how did you approach this? It's such a sensitive issue.

Don't worry Jana, I'm sure your employees will figure out a tactful way to tell you that you stink.:):bbg::cheers:

**Uilleann** · 03-17-2010, 12:35 PM

It's not so much the employees (except for the smokers - DISGUSTING SMELL!) here - but more the patients. Medicaid much anyone? hehehe ;)

**Uncle Fester** · 03-17-2010, 01:28 PM

Isn't grinding a 1.67 on the dry edger a God send after a bean burrito lunch.:D

**DragonLensmanWV** · 03-17-2010, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Fester

Isn't grinding a 1.67 on the dry edger a God send after a bean burrito lunch.:D

Yeah, who can tell who farted?

**EHARDWICK** · 03-17-2010, 01:58 PM

Ever ask yourself it the person knows they stink? Sometime honesty is the best policy. Or you could have an office meeting and bring up personal hygiene simply saying some patient have complained about some of our employees. Think after a meeting where this if brought up, I'd double check myself.

Here is a question have any of you started to cough when taking a pd because of patients personal hygiene??

**fvc2020** · 03-17-2010, 02:39 PM

What about frame reps???? I have a new one that has to go. He smokes and then covered with strong colgne.(spelling)..Gave me such a headache.........

christina

**Johns** · 03-17-2010, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by fvc2020

What about frame reps???? I have a new one that has to go. He smokes and then covered with strong colgne.(spelling)..Gave me such a headache.........

christina

I used to have sales reps, and from what I recall, they didn't all stink...

:bbg:

**Wes** · 03-17-2010, 04:29 PM

We've had a couple stinkers in the lab (one of whom the girls would blast with febreeze regularly) but that really doesn't compare to the oil-soaked, green, face-cheese-filled glasses I sometimes see! Can you replace My nose-guards? YUCK!

**ronnie daniels** · 03-17-2010, 04:55 PM

just let them know...trust me theyd rather hear you stink than your fired lol. I have two wisdom teeth that I need to have cut out but wont go do lol and sometimes food will get down into my gums and my breath can get bad but someone in the lab just lets me know and i start eating breathmints like no1s business, my feelings dont get hurt and no customer has to smell my garlic sundae i had for lunch lol

**IcyTrax** · 03-17-2010, 05:02 PM

Body odor at our dispensary is of a top concern. I've had issues with an employee and every fourth customer that would walk in the door had enough body odour to kill a plant.

What we did was invest in 6 Automatic AirWiks (available at Wal-Mart, or wherever) across a 600 sq ft dispensary. They spray automatically off of two AA batteries every 8 minutes (you can change it to 16 or 30 minutes if you want). We placed one adjacent to the fitting table, one directly over the employee's seat...and the rest across the dispensary itself. All are time coordinated to spray at the same time....and it makes a major difference. Not only do we not have to tell our employees they stink (be blunt, being nice about it is a waste of time), but it avoids the awkward moment of having to tell a customer they stink. We've never had an odour issue since. We deal with customers that don't shower because their religion is against it...this is NOT a joke! So trust me, if the AirWiks work for us...it'll work for you. :o

**Johns** · 03-17-2010, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by ronnie daniels

just let them know...trust me theyd rather hear you stink than your fired lol.

Don't be so sure that they can be fired. I recently fired someone for stealing, and they paid her unemployment benefits until I could produce our company handbook stating that stealing was "against company policy". No joke.

You'd better have it spelled out, to the word that employees must not smell.

**Fezz** · 03-17-2010, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Johns

Don't be so sure that they can be fired. I recently fired someone for stealing, and they paid her unemployment benefits until I could produce our company handbook stating that stealing was "against company policy". No joke.

You'd better have it spelled out, to the word that employees must not smell.

Well that just stinks!

**opty4062** · 03-17-2010, 07:04 PM

In our office, you can already tell spring's a'coming by, not the employees, but the patients BO stinking up the tiny exam rooms. Yikes! Thank God for febreeze and clorox wipes!

**cocoisland58** · 03-17-2010, 08:46 PM

Oh for goodness sake the manager has to have some kohones and tell the offender that they offend (in a diplomatic way). I have outlawed perfume. I don't like one employee's choice, it smells like bugspray to me. I liked the other employee's scent. To be fair I just told both of them no more perfume (I never wear it anyway). Never had an employee with B.O. but did have one with the breath from hell. I left a tin of mints at the front desk and asked everyone to eat one when a patient walked in, no exceptions. I'm sure the person whose breath we hated knew it was him but we never said so.

**Johns** · 03-17-2010, 09:00 PM

Some of the folks that come into my office smell like horse manure, while some of the others don't smell as good.

(there really is no better smell, and nothing else comes close to saying "country".)

**For-Life** · 03-17-2010, 09:20 PM

Just ban scents (perfume and cologne. Do not go as far as certain soaps). My last two offices had to do that. I am going to tell you right now, there are people out there with allergies and some of those people are your customers. Just go out and smell like nothing. Why do you need perfume or cologne at work anyway?

Now, stories... We have one lady who works in our building for another office. Her perfume is so bad that if I walk by her, it stays in my lungs for the rest of the day. It is a real strong mix of flagrance, baby powder, and flowers. It smells like something my grandmother would wear. She also has a hair cut that looks like it is from the 30s or 40s. We call her "Crazy Perfume Lady"

**Yeap** · 03-19-2010, 05:05 AM

thanks god i don't have any colleague, but i have an experience that a patient is using very very strong perfume and she came in with sweat.. after some 'chemical chain reaction' i was nearly 'murdered' in my consultation room.. after she leave the practice, guess what.. i use antiseptic to clean up and spray it around to refresh the room..

**SharonB** · 03-19-2010, 09:26 AM

We had a front desk receptionist a few years ago who came in every morning smelling just fine (as in "neutral" - no odor), but by noon she smelled like Limburger (sp?) cheese, and it permeated the entire front desk area. She was competent, pleasant, and good with the patients....but the smell was nauseating. Her co-workers complained, and one even quit over it. What to do? Well, she was let go. But, just a few weeks later I was watching one of those reality shows on TV (like The Fattest Man On Earth, etc.), and there was a program about a woman who had the same genetic issue - she metabolized food in an unusual way, and constantly smelled bad. The TV woman had to radically change her diet to correct the problem. Our girl was apparently not aware she had a problem. It wasn't body odor, or unclean clothing. It was just BAD! Strange - she is a married grandmother. But the TV show said certain people do not pick up this odor due to THEIR genetic make-up, and I guess her husband wasn't aware of it, or didn't find it offensive. We have also had the issue of smoking, and too (like waaaay too) much perfume. That's an easy fix - just tell'em!

**SharonB** · 03-19-2010, 09:33 AM

And P.S. - I hate it when patients come in with tobacco breath, or smelling like stale urine (or feces...have had that too), or all the "nose-cheese" on the guard arms. They hand me their glasses and say "can you clean these up for me?" I drop them in the ultra-sound, and pray that the glop is not actually holding the frame parts together so the frame won't fall apart when I take it out. YUK!!!!