How to Deal With a Smelly Co-worker - The Muse

How to Deal With a Smelly Co-worker - The MuseHow to Deal With a Smelly Co-worker The smell is unmistakable. After triple-checking that its not your own body odor thats resulting in the stench, youve determined who the offending festivitt is. But what to do? Its not as though you ever received any professional training in how to tell a co-worker he stinks and needs to bathe more.As someone who has firsthand experience with this when I worked in a restaurant, I can tell you that this is one to leave to the powers that be. As cool as the chef and I were, I simply couldnt tell him he smelled and needed to start wearing deodorant and, um, showering on a regular basis. If you have a co-worker with questionable hygiene, I can understand your struggle it is all too real. But dont try to tackle this one yourself. Instead, request a meeting with someone in your organizations HR department. If youre tight with your boss and feel more comfortable mentioning it to them, then thats a fine route t o take as well. Either way, youre going to have to be frank This is weird and hard to say, but here it is Ive noticed that Name may have some body odor issues, and, well, the thing is, its just really unpleasant to be around. I didnt want to say anything, but I dont think Im the only one whos bothered by it. Its OK if you cringe as you say it and brace yourself for the response. In all likelihood, your manager or HR will note the issue and handle it accordingly- probably in the form of a conversation with your colleague.There are plenty of times being assertive pays off, but not here. Leave this one to someone more equipped to handle it.If youre struggling to get through the work because your co-workers hygiene issues are distracting, well, youre going to have to find a good solution to it. After all, theres no reason that you should let an annoying co-worker habit get in the way of you doing your best work. So, tell me on Twitter What is your most frustrating office issue? If a lot of people agree, I might just cover it And in the meantime, check out career coach Melody Wildings advice for dealing with office frustrations.