Dealing with body odour in the workplace

This article on body odour in the workplace, first appeared in People Management on 20 May 2022.

Confronting anyone about such a personal issue as body odour has the potential to come across as rude, and, in certain circumstances, discriminatory.

The employer should first discuss the issue informally with the employee. It is absolutely imperative this is done sensitively, being empathetic to the employee’s feelings, while setting out the issue clearly to agree a resolution.

Employers need to determine who is best placed to have this conversation, and check the existing relationship they have with the employee – as there are risks to all parties. A part-time female French tutor was recently awarded £5,000 injury to feelings for harassment related to sex where she had been repeatedly asked to approach an elderly male student regarding his involuntary release of urine. The managers involved had assumed she was better suited to speaking with the student because she was a woman, whereas a manager of either sex would have been more appropriate than a tutor. Whoever is selected, it should be a one-to-one conversation in a private setting, to prevent the employee feeling embarrassed or humiliated in front of others.

There might be an explanation for the body odour due to a medical condition and employers should ensure the individual is not being bullied or ostracised as a result of their condition.

A clear policy on personal appearance, including hygiene and body odour in the workplace, could go a long way to assisting employers, and even help avoid the situation arising in the first place.

Read the article in full here.