Six Ways to Tell Your Co-worker that She Stinks

There is someone at your job whom nobody likes to spend too much time around. Certainly, you don't want to share the same cubicle with her. Her stench has become so distracting that your office has to spend 30 minutes discussing it whenever she's not around.

Everyone agrees that she needs to be told. Who's going to draw the short straw?

Oh no!! It's YOU. You have just been elected to tell this malodorous coworker than her stench is beyond bearable. What are you going to do?

Think hard about this. You still have to work with this person afterwards. What is the best approach to letting this person know without humiliating her beyond repair?

It's a tough decision and an equally tough position for the offender. Her disgusting body odor or rancid breath may be due to a medical problem. But if that's the case, let her know so she can take steps to get treatment.

You have to do it, so let's get to it.

Here are a few suggestions for getting this undesirable job done:

•Take the direct route and just tell her straight out. But before you go this way sniff your own pits and do a breath test. You don't want to tell someone they stink if your own body odor is louder than hers.

•Before mentioning the body odor problem, compliment the person on the great job they do for the company. Start out on a positive note so your coworker doesn't feel worthless after you break the bad news.

•Wait until close to quitting time and take the person aside privately before you spill the beans. There's no sense in humiliating the person in front of everyone when you can easily be discrete. Also, don't do the deed at 9:15 and make it necessary for her to stick around all day embarrassed and uncomfortable.

•Can't quite get up the nerve to come out and say it? Use the gift basket approach. Don't fill the basket with the normal smell-good items, though. Instead, load it up with extra strength deodorant, heavy duty mouth wash, clinical strength body wash, deodorizing spray for biological odors, a box of super strength, odor-free Depends, gift certificate to the dentist's office, etc. and have it delivered to her door anonymously.

•Ask your Human Resources Person to print out and distribute the company policy on personal hygiene outlining the consequences for reporting to work without performing the basic hygiene functions. And keep dropping one on her desk weekly until she "gets" it. Make sure your HR person includes a paragraph or two on the connection between poor hygiene and lack of job promotions. If such a policy doesn't exist, offer to write it!

•If all courage fails you and you can't bear to be the bearer of stinky news, send an anonymous email from this site : www.sendatip.com. Your email will be sent from this completely anonymous. She'll never know it was you. She may suspect, but your email address is never given out.

Nobody likes to hear negative things about themselves, but letting a coworker know that her poor hygiene habits have hit the skids could be the kindest thing you can do for her.

If she takes your advice she could find herself with the promotion and raise that she deserves instead of being passed over time after time. She may even thank you. Or share her mouthwash with you. Get the hint?

•If you're going to take the direct route and just tell her straight out there are four things you should take note of

1-Check your own pits and do a breath test. You do NOT want to tell your coworker she has an odor problem when you have a bigger one.

2-Do it privately and do it as close to quitting time as possible. There's no need to give her the news at 9:15 and then she has to hang around self-consciously and uncomfortably until 5:00.

3- People who consistently smell very strong usually get accustomed to their own scent and are unable not smell themselves. Your coworker may not believe you or think you're just being malicious. If need be let her know that you are representing the entire office.

4-Let her know it's not personal and that you understand she may have a medical problem or that she is really unaware of the problem but for the sake of a harmonious workplace she needs to make some changes.