Q: How do you tell someone at work that they’ve got terrible body odour? I don’t want to be mean, but it’s unbearable. His breath is even worse. He’s a really friendly guy, but the truth is I have to hold my breath when he comes around. —Anonymous
A: Your first step is to tell him privately and preferably at the end of the day. This at least gives him a night to digest it all without having to deal with the immediate embarrassment all day at work.
Secondly, sometimes we’ve got to take one for the team. You might want to confide in him that you’ve also experienced days when you weren’t sure about your own hygiene and possibly even share what products you find to really work well. The idea here is not to imply this person is nasty but to reassure him that he isn’t the only person who has experienced this and to let him that there are ways to improve it. Good luck.
Jill Andrew — CYW, BA, BA (Hons.), BEd. Please include your full name, address and telephone number when e-mailing. All letters are subject to publication.
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