How to tell employee they smell

[Dingdong99]

We've just taken in a new person at work

He's 23, and I've noticed he has a bit of bad breath, but the bigger problem is the body odour

It's a client facing role and I get that it's hot but still

I feel bad but need to say something. How would you deliver this without giving him a complex / making me hate him forever!

There's no way to tell someone they smell without embarrassing them and making them self-conscious, unless they're a very unusual kind of person. All you can do is say it gently and sandwich it between nice feedback.

It'll be excruciating but do it and get it over with!

Shit sandwich

assuming you are working in HR? Because i don’t think a colleague should be delivering that to him, it will have to be HR.

I’d approach this in a maternal way - tell him it’s very common and you talk to lots of young people about the need to put on something clean every day, possibly changing into something clean and reapplying deodorant when they get to work if they’ve got warm on their journey and the importance of showering daily and washing clothes after every wear.

He is 23. That would be odd to approach it that way.

This...every time, and l use it regularly

If it’s your position to say something

A reminder of grooming practice within the workplace especially with a customer facing role. He may have a medical condition though and you risk offending

I think the advice is a good thing.

I had to once talk to someone in my team about body odour and she took it on board. Next day she asked me if things were better - having applied what seemed like a bucketload of perfume to herself - with the underlying body odour still there.

I’d send an email to all customer facing employees and remind them that they need to be washed and wearing clean clothes everyday. Use some gentle humour.

I really wouldn't do that. You'll make everybody in the team self-conscious, and it's weak management to send criticism to a whole team when it's actually directed at one person.

Unless you are his direct line manager you say nothing. Especially not the maternal stuff, that's weird.

If you are his line manager then you have a private, factual word. The contents of which are shared with nobody except, possibly your own line manager or HR. Before having the private word, check confidentially with HR how to phrase it.

I would say a client brought this to your attention anonymously and ask him if he is facing any barriers to personal hygiene.

Surely his manager just has a word.

If he's brand new I wouldn't say anything at all yet. Maybe he's had to go without money to wash his clothes, or his washer has just broken, or he's getting treatment for a medical issue etc etc

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t wash. It’s likely he makes sure he washes everyday because I’m sure his aware of it, some of us have a problem. I get out the shower and by the time I’ve finished getting dressed I used to smell a faint whiff already! Took me ages and lots of trial and error to find an antiperspirant that worked!
I wouldn’t mention washing and clean clothes, but maybe say his antiperspirant is not effective enough and you suggest he tried a few others

I think it should be HR or a line manager who should have the conversation. It should be done in private. Just keep it simple and honest. “I’ve noticed that you have body odour, it’s important for the comfort of the team and our clients that everyone is clean and presentable.” Then engage in asking if he was aware, does he have any underlying medical conditions. Make a nod to the unusual hot weather we have been having, especially if it’s just been recent. Ask him if he wants to go home for today, as he might be uncomfortable once it’s been brought to his attention.
Also, you mention he is new. Has it been an issue for several days/weeks? Could it just be a one off? Do you have facilities at work, for instance if he cycles to work are there facilities to have a shower he might not be aware of? Not sure what sector you are in, but could anything be done in terms of a fan, air con etc. if it’s a sweating issue. If he wears a uniform, does he have enough spares to wash them before his next shift etc.
It is an uncomfortable conversation to have for both parties, so simple and straight to the point is the best way to go.

What my union rep friend calls 'sheep dipping'.

I have one too OP, her breath is so bad I almost pass out. I have to work with her in a windowless room all day and its unbearable.
I've taken the cowards way out and asked her manager to talk to her abut it because I just can't.

You should be careful of overusing it.

One of my directors uses it loads and now if he pays anyone a compliment they assume its the first slice of bread!!

My DH had to do this. He started the conversation by asking if employee had washing machine/use of a bathroom at home and once that was established he said something along the lines of "Well bloody use it then!"
(Last part a joke obviously) He just said he had noticed that his hygiene isn't up to workplace standard and that it needed to improve. He didn't say other people had complained (they had) just because it's mortifying enough for him without knowing everyone had been speaking about him.

I’d send an email to all customer facing employees and remind them that they need to be washed and wearing clean clothes everyday. Use some gentle humour

Don't do this, it's not tackling the issue at all. The new person may not realise that they have a hygiene problem and take no notice of an email to everyone.
If you are his line a manger you need to have a one to one chat with him and let him know that it's it's unacceptable, ask him if he has any barriers to his personal hygiene and go from there.

Also just to add my DH used to really suffer with sweating and be really self conscious about smelling. He could literally be an hour out of the shower and be sweating he changed his deodorant and it solved the issue. Standard £2 deodorant just doesn't work on some people, he uses this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perspirex-High-Performance-Antiperspirant-Roll/dp/B01ELBXV54/ref=ascdff_B01ELBXV54/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310172312551&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1339070287754118386&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045120&hvtargid=pla-493498772592&psc=1

Nor should you.
It's always the line manager's responsibility.

Could you sandwich it among other training comments about appearance, such as:

'Oh, our policy about uniform is x, y and z, and we also have an unofficial policy about needing to have fresh clothes/showering/clean shoes every day as we're customer facing.'

I think a lot of people don't wash properly or do but don't clean their clothes. Standing in the shower for 3 mins washing your upper half only with shower gel doesn't do much
My colleagues feet were awful until I told him wash them with dettol soap, dry, use a foot deodorant and rotate your shoes

Here's what I do to stay clean smelling and I never get body odour or bad breath now. It sounds ridiculous when you list it all out, but if you're prone to sweating and you wash well but clothes smell or vice versa it doesn't work. You need to cover all angles and not everyone is taught

Wash armpits and feet with soap, between toes, belly button, everywhere using exfoliating gloves
Shower with a shower oil or gel making sure to go behind ears etc including legs, back, feet again
Dry properly after shower especially damp areas
Apply dove max cream (the £5 ish one) at night after showering
Wash towels, bedding and anything smelly on 60c with bio powder and no fabric softener, dry as quickly as possible
Keep coats and clothes away from cooking smells
Open windows every single day at home
Wash hair often
Use a bidet bottle after using the toilet
File feet every few days and moisturise them well, rotate shoes so not wearing them daily
Use a nail brush for keeping nails clean
Floss, interdental brushes with gum gel, tung gel/brush, remove any tonsil stones the second they appear