Edit: just spoke to a supervisor like 15 minutes ago, she assured me she would handle it 🤞🤞
Edit 2: i told him myself. He made a comment about being up front about things so i took that opportunity to let him know what was bothering me, and he took it well. Let’s see how the week improves.
Just started a new job about a month and a half ago. This person in question has already been spoken to by a supervisor about an “odor” about 2 weeks ago, and now it is unbearable.
I like to think I’m a patient person, and pretty considerate of others’ feelings, but i just know that no matter how i word this he’s gonna just take it as being bullied at work rather than taking advice on what needs to change.
If it helps: dude has a girlfriend that he just CANNOT stop texting throughout the day, and it’s obvious that she’s got him on a leash. He keeps misplacing things, and sometimes doing double the work because she won’t leave him alone.
I’ve been that guy. I had an old pair of boots that I would occasionally wear to work, and I had become nose-blind to the odor. One of my coworkers pulled me aside and said “Dude, I think those boots are starting to decompose.”
It was embarrassing, but I’m very glad he told me and I was more mortified that I was so oblivious. I thanked him for having the courage to do the awkward thing and bring it to my attention, and asked him to let me know if he notices it with any other footwear. Apparently, it had been the talk of the office, and coworkers would avoid me on days when I wore those boots.
So my advice is to say something directly, privately, and with kindness.
As for the girlfriend stuff, that’s a whole different level of personal. I’d leave that out of the conversation until/unless you know him better.
The girlfriend thing was just more additional info to help anyone out understand the kind of person i am dealing with. She might not have anything to do with his odor, but she’s not helping it either. Especially when on multiple occasions he’s mentioned not having a lot of money because his “lady” (the title he gives her is “my lady”) always needs something.
I won’t bring her into it at all, but i do appreciate the help.
One time I was working in a different office than I usually do, and made a comment along the lines of “what’s that smell? Do you guys smell that?” I was mortified to learn after one person left the room that it was his shoes, and they all seemed to think it was funny that I was unknowingly calling this person out.
tell HR ?
Will def have to if he isn’t receptive, and if management won’t put down their foot. But I’m wanting to be the least hostile as possible because I actually like this job.
Tell HR. This is their job. Having them do it is the least hostile you can be.
Will def have to if he isn’t receptive.
The issue here is you could get yourself in trouble with HR if he takes it the wrong way. Tell HR first and let them handle it.
And if he comes to me asking questions and throwing a tantrum?
Go back to hr
Alright, noted. Thank you.
Then you fucking tell HR.
Rinse and repeat as needed until it stops being a problem.Updated the post. Thanks
Steel chair!
Then a stone cold stunner.
If you’re not in management then you’re not paid enough to deal with that. Tell your supervisor and allow them an opportunity to handle it. If it goes unresolved, take it to HR.
Updated my post. Thank you
I don’t know about you but I’m bored. Want to go wash our feet?
That’s a new one, lol. Thank you
I’m also in the “tell HR” team. If he would interpret a request to not invade your personal space* as “bullying”, then he is not someone who can be reasoned with.
*personal space includes the sensory input that you’re exposed to.
Speak to him privately. Tell him the truth. Or tough it out until he gets himself fired for not staying off his phone.
If it were me, I would love it if my coworker would tell me I stunk. Otherwise, I would internalize why no one wants to be around me and think I’m shitty. My preference would be for them to pull me aside somewhere private and directly tell me.
Well, thank the heavens he took it well when i told him. But idk if it’ll be a wake up call or not. He doesn’t wanna talk today which understandable, but again he needed to know.
As someone who has suffered/made others suffer foot odour, might I suggest the easiest way to fix this is cotton socks, highest percentage you can find. I was worried I was gonna have to go down the anti-bacterial foot washing route 3x+ a day, instead after about a week of my normal hygiene routine my feet stopped giving off eye watering stink and even my shoes lost their smell. note: I caught it fairly quickly, only bout a month but the last week was killer. If his has been longer he may still need anti-bacterial soap for a bit until his nails grow out, or see a doctor. Good luck.
Oh, that I didn’t know. might have to look into it for myself also, so thank you!
Might be helpless. Give him concrete tips for help. Tell him to wash his shoes, socks and feet in moderately warm water with white vinegar. Don’t use sparingly. Takes care of the problem.
If we even get that far in the talk I’ll try to let him know. But I’m hoping he’ll be receptive instead of just stomping around like the last time he was spoken to.
Hey buddy, can I talk to you. It’s easy to become nose blind to what you wear every day. I notice an odor, I think it’s coming from your feet. Maybe get checked for athletes foot. Or new shoes, or alternating shoes will let them dry out. I found I had to … Blah blah .
Sounds like it’s on the right path, thank you.
“Your foot odor is affecting me negatively.”
Insert grown man temper tantrum
You’ve mentioned a grown man temper tantrum a few times now. If you’re worried about him losing it then you shouldn’t be confronting him directly FFS. Let her deal with it and if he kicks off that’s for her to deal with too.
Well i let my supervisor know, and she said she’ll handle it. But the response i said that to definitely would trigger someone.
i just know that no matter how i word this he’s gonna just take it as being bullied at work
And
i took that opportunity to let him know what was bothering me, and he took it well.
I just love it when people exceed my expectations.
Same! :) i made an assumption and was wrong. I learned something.
Had a similar talk to a coworker about his body odor. He assured me that he takes showers every morning and nothing has changed since.
Some people just stink, unfortunately, especially if they’re stressed
Examples:
https://bellatory.com/hygiene-grooming/Why-Do-People-Have-Unpleasant-Body-Odor-Even-After-A-Bath
Does he wear the same clothes for a while? Maybe his washing machine is moldy, leaving a smell in the clothes? Doesn’t always have to be body odor, but of course you’d know better, having smelled the smell lol
He lives with his parents who I’ve heard from others are the kind of people that would be on top of issues like this. I’d guess its his feet, but he’s blissfully unaware of it despite us telling him
oh man… have you contacted HR? because seriously, it’s horrible to work with someone smelly. It’s not that hard to have 2-3 pairs of shoes to rotate to prevent this. I know I used to have smelly feet before I did that (not so bad that people told me about it at work, but none of my friends told me either so I guess with my shoes on it was okay).
Company doesn’t really have an HR department, it’s too small for that. My supervisor knows about it, almost everybody has smelled it, idk if anyone else has told him. Most of us just try to avoid him. It’s sad, but most of us have given up on him.
I’m sorry that this isn’t exactly helping the OP, but it does remind me…
How the hell do I keep my work shoes from smelling? I stand all day at work for 8 hours. I wear fresh socks each time I put on my shoes. I try spraying my shoes with lysol, putting baby powder in them, putting dryer sheets in them, throwing them in the washer, etc. But nothing helps totally alleviate it. After I kick them off at the end of the day, I can tell that they still smell and my feet will smell because of them until I shower again.
At least it doesn’t seem too bad like OP, but still. It’s frustrating to not be able to fix a smell.
I don’t have any sort of foot fungus and I wear breathable netted tennis shoes. I also wear different shoes when not at work. My non work shoes don’t stink (unless I go to like an amusement park or something and walk all day), but I also don’t wear any other shoes for such a long period of time at once.
Ideally, I need to have dedicated work shoes that aren’t swapped out for my other casual shoes. I work with biohazardous things and can end up with stuff like blood on my shoes.
Check out antiperspirant for your feet. The issue might be related to your feet sweating and creating dampness in your shoe your whole shift. Also ideally have two pairs of shoes to alternate for work.
There are types of antibacterial powder you can use. You put in a small amount before wearing the shoes - helps a lot, especially in combination with airing them out after every day!
Get a second pair of work shoes, keep your routine up with both, and switch each day. Lets them completely dry out.
What type of socks do you wear? Synthetic fibre or cotton? I answered OP above about how I killed my foot odour with simple cotton socks, perhaps this could help you.
I honestly have no idea what material my socks are made of. I haven’t heard this one before. Thanks for the suggestion!
Put them in a plastic bag and chuck them in the freezer. The cold kills off alot of the bacteria causing the smells.
Hand them some tea-tree oil and the instructions how to use it and tell them to wash their feet for a week with that.
Still might come off as hostile, but I will include this in his care instructions… If he even hears me out.
Hmm. There might not be a way around that. At least is constructive critizism. And there’s a good chance it’s some bacteria (as it most often is) and it’ll solve the issue for good. I can’t give any advice on the social norms. I’m mostly thinking in a problem-oriented way…
Thank you
