Do you think employees' personal hygiene is an issue for HR to deal with?

[Yorkshirepudding]

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If you don't feel able to talk to her about it (and of course, there's no reason why you should) then yes - it's a HR issue.

They should deal with it in confidence, so the woman doesn't have to know who has made the complaint - they don't even have to tell her that someone has made a complaint, it could simply be treated as something they have concerns about with regard to the cancer treatment your boss's wife is having.

My boss used to have a terrible BO problem, and it wasn't pleasant working in the same office. I spoke to HR about it, they had a word, and lo and behold a clean shirt every day and a bottle of deodorant in the office worked wonders!

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As a ex HR Manager I hated when this landed on my desk, I felt sad that noone closer to the person could deal with it. Very sensitive issue, but HR will deal with it,... well I used to have to!

finbar just said that too
she is Hr guru btu at work atm

Yep, line manager or HR. It's a horrid one to have to deal with but that's not your problem.

If personal hygiene problems are causes problems for colleagues, then yes, it is an HR/line manager issues.

Get some of that hand gel that kills germs and leave it on her desk

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On a management training course I once had to role-play a manager telling someone they had BO.
Never had to do it in RL though - but to answer your question, yes it absolutely is an issue for this person's manager or HR.

I once worked in a place where the boss had to have a word with someone about their personal hygine. the girl stank to high heaven, ironically we were part of a large company and one of the perks of the job were cheap toiletaries!

This girls was so bad, the room stank for hours after she left.

I was soooooooooooo glad I wan't the boss that day! But sadly it had to be done.

No. It's the line manager's job. However it often ends up being HR's job because line manager can't face having a tricky sensitive discussion.

HR should provide advice and guidance to line manager on how best to approach a sensitive issue like this. But sadly many managers find this area of people management difficult so hand it over.

flowerybeabag - said so much more gracefully than I would have put it.

It should be the line manager's job, but as is often the case when it comes to anything tricky or personal we have to do it in HR. Particularly if the line manager is male, IME. Oh the joys, the joys.

Well, I also worked in a shop where there was a woman who really stunk. Everyone knew and talked about it and in the end my manager had to take her to one side and have a quiet word with her.

She was mortified, she never realised! She was always very fragranced after that.

I am another HR person. We recently had a similar case. We gave the line manager a script, but he did not stick to it. He started telling the girl it was her scent (he was trying to be diplomatic) - she wondered what was wrong with her perfume, then that it might be the food she ate - she thought he was complaining about her packed lunch. It was close call whether she brought a grievance against him!

THE MANAGER

DEFFO HE SI AA MANAGER
SO MANAGE

In one office I worked in, one of the secretaries put up a poster about the importance of personal cleanliness and hygiene when you work in close proximity to other people. The person the poster was aimed at, stood there nodding his head in agreement whilst all around most people were gagging on his 'scent'!

In the end he had to be told directly. The problem was he wasn't changing his shirt each day and probably grabbed the previous days shirt as he fell out of bed (he was 18).

I do think its better if a friend mentions it to you.

As some one who had smell problems in my late teens, which I wasn't aware of as I smelt OK to me (I guess its difficult to detect a smell which is there all the time?)
I'd like to say that while I was mortified when a friend had a discrete word I was also very grateful to her as I really hadn't realized there was a problem.

I think it might have been more embarrassing if my manager or one of the HR team had spoken to me because I'd have assumed everyone was talking about me! They probably were but it felt like my friend had warned me before it got to that stage!!!!

I heart cod after that post.

As a line manager, I've had to do this. It is not easy. He ended up embarrassed I was embarrassed to have to bring it up. But, the situation did improve. Have a word with her manager, then up to HR if it isn't dealt with.

OK, I have decided I like Cod again

I work in HR and HATE having to do this. It should be upto the line manager. If there is no change then HR may have to step in but it depends on the work environment. In a food or healthcare work environment the person may be in breach of hygiene rules. If it is a general office type environment then it is less of an HR issue and the manager should manage the situation.

I suggest that as a first step perhaps a memo about Personal Hygiene/appearance goes out to all staff.