to ask my colleague if he washes his hands after using the toilet?

[FairhairedandFrustrated]

Because every time he moves I get the biggest whiff of poo!

He's in his forties, an intelligent man, but why oh bloody why can he either not a) wipe properly, or b) wash his hands?

I can't stand being near him and often the smell in the small office is enough to make me hurl!

There are 4 of us in the office and myself and our closest colleague smell it and have often remarked "did we stand in something".. trying to ask without hurting his feelings.

But now I don't care if his feelings are hurt... I can't stand the smell of shit he brings with him! Nor can I stand the smell he leaves in the bathroom on a Monday (rich pickings at weekends!) nor the poo that won't flush..

He often wears the same clothes 5 days in a row - so if it's skiddies in his pants then we're fucked.

How would you address it?

And would I be unreasonable to ask him every time he uses the bathroom "have you washed & flushed?"

"Perhaps he has a colostomy/ileostomy bag."

I was thinking that as well. However, I have a friend who had an ileostomy and she never smelt offensive.

I think hand washing is pointless, you turn the taps on with dirty hand, wash them, then touch the dirty taps again reinfected the hands. Then dry them with the hot hand dryer which helps the germ multiply

Who knows what the cause of the problem is, but, regardless of what office your manager works in it is HER responsibility to deal with it. She is paid to deal with this, and if not her, then HR or her manager or her manager's manager... whatever.. whoever... YOU aren't paid to deal with it (or put up with it).

TBH it's a real potential health hazard. As for touching his keyboard... ugh. Definitely not. Make sure you have some anti bac wipes and gel to tide you over til you can wash your own hands.

There's a woman in my office with dubious personal hygiene. I can put up with quite a bit (unwillingly, but I can) ie that smelly/greasy hair smell, halitosis, sweaty bra smell (a very particular kind of sweaty smell caused by wearing the same bra for around 3 weeks and yes, it WAS the same bra, no it isn't that she has 10 of the same bras because she told me she only had two bras, a turquoise one and a red one , and I could see the red one's strap)

but

POOH SMELL is an actual health hazard whereas sweaty bra et al is NOT.

Ah no, other colleague said it in a jokey manner - we've not discussed it with him (2 females & 2 males in office and the 2 females have discussed it but not with the other male IYKWIM) so was all said in a jokey way.

It is the exact same set of clothes, as when he spilled the coffee on a blue shirt on a Tuesday morning it was still on the blue shirt on Friday.

I discussed his appearance with our manager about 6weeks ago & if it was ever broached with him, I was never made aware. But he wears the same brown cords every day... sometimes he wears sandals, sometimes he wears climbing boots.

Other female colleague remarked that he comes out of the toilet far too fast to have washed his hands... (very small office) and we hear the toilet flushing then he leaves the toilet.. not enough time to pump handwash (which I provided in a bid to help hygiene matters) wash, and dry.

We work with the public too and I worry they'll smell it. But the appearance was discussed with out manager as Angus was attending court cases wearing fishing trousers and an aran jumper rather than a pair of trousers and a shirt like he's meant to!

Dear lord... sweaty bra smell....

I was thinking his breath, pooy breath is quite common I have a work colleague that have this and one of my uncles was nicknamed farty breath by us kids when we were young!

But it's at all times, not just morning breath.

The time we smelt it yesterday we were all ready to go home! So 5pm!

Poo Troll?

LadyBeagleEyes, I have thought of posting that very line all evening but couldn't be arsed never got around to it. Damn!

Not a troll. Have been here for 10 years (under various guises)

Or that a pun on loo roll... poo troll?

There is a troll who posts weirdly plausible poo related stories. Don't take it to heart, if people suspect you they can report and MNHQ will know who you are.

I had to read this carefully to check you were not talking about my DH! I dread to think how those he works with cope with the stink.....but he does wear a clean shirt every day and not arran jumpers lol.

My advice to help the man with one shirt is that as christmas is coming up then the office secret santa has to be giving lots if hygiene products or even a primani shirt this year :)

Thanks for that ENM - wasn't aware.

And you're right nerfmum, some smellies and wipes may be wrapped.

I'm leaving at Christmas so won't be my problem after that!

nerfmum, does your dh reek of poo too? Sorry, just re-read your post.

So you can smell it off him? Do you say anything?

er..I tell him he stinks all the time! (not poo so much as feet)He does have issues with hyperhydroisis (excessive sweating) but I wish wish wish he would shower every morning :(

I doubt it's his hands. If his hands had enough poo on the smell you'd be able to see the poo!

It's not musty clothes smell is it? Like when you wash clothes and leave them in the machine for a good few days, then take them out to dry and your clothes smell like shit. Maybe he's not washing his clothes properly?

He may well be wearing a bag or something in which case you need to be very very careful you don't get done for bullying.

Read your HR policy and now follow it.

He is not wearing a bag.

It's just a whiff.

It may be musty clothes, but it just smells like pure shit.

Unless you were really bad at wiping, I can't see how not washing your hands would make you smelly (grim yes, but not smelly). It sounds like he has really bad personal hygiene, halitosis or a bag.

Your colleagues need to be careful with the comments for the bullying in the workplace reason another poster mentioned.

Eurochick - not washing your hands would make you smell of poo, if poo had got under nails when wiping from poking fingers through the tissue. (you did ponder

If he has bad personal hygiene I doubt he keeps his nails nicely trimmed...... ... ...

Who would like to volunteer for a scientific home experiment?

Because i've worked with him for 4 years and known his a lot longer than that, He hasn't a bag on. Definitely not.

OP, you are being very jokey about this. Continually joking about what to say next and what you've already said tot his guy. Where is your professionalism? Please report this to you Mnaager and don't say another word about it, to either him, or any of your other colleagues. Coz actually, this aint that funny.