Q: Someone who sits near me (who I don't work with directly) has the most annoying habits. Sorry, but no. I turn on my fan to get it blown away from my desk. If someone else wants to wear it, thats their prerogative. I like the good humor and kindness with which youre responding :). I honestly tried to accommodate my coworker but there was nothing more I could do. But since I had a bad cold about 2 month ago, I am doing it all the time, even though my nose isn't running or blocked. Particularly as my wash bag was also missing and I discovered the hard way that the brand of deoderant I use has a slightly different recipe in Spain to the oe it has in the UK. I also have sniffles all the time. She still cant stand to smell it. That seems pretty unreasonable. Yep. I actually had a coworker use this as a bullying tactic about 7 years ago. Theres a way to deal with this coworker head on, which involves a level of comfort with direct confrontation that not everyone has. Has your boyfriend gone to an ENT? It's a personal issue and you won't like it but it needs addressing and I don't want you to react badly OK? She pounced on that and tried to make it seem like using soap was somehow inconsiderate. Id be pretty miffed if I had to stop using things in my personal life. I have attended conferences where the registration page indicated scent-free environment, and at the opening meeting another announcement was made about not using scented products, including the soap, etc. There might be something in the building that nobody is aware of. The OP writes that she wears scents with patchouli on the weekend. About 75% of Smelly Things gives me a headache, so I have a slight aversion as well. Whether or not the coworker has a sensitivity, her behavior is way inappropriate. Anyway, I could definitely see it clinging to clothes from air fresheners/oils or any unwashed items and handbags. Boss talked to her, and she insisted she hadnt sprayed anything.but I had 2 witnesses who said she did. Its quite another to pay a bunch of money on things like carpet cleaning, new mattress pad, etc., in the hope that it might appease the coworker. And if this is how OP functions, what about the other coworkers? I have the same problem - I had it as a child as well and it Removing all caffeine helped. My yoga mat under my desk? Been over 10 years now. I think once in a while isnt likely to be a problem. It dont bother me. The Content on this Site is presented in a summary fashion, and is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. it. Although one important difference was that the LW in that case was the allergic co-workers boss, so they needed to be able to have private conversations some times. It is going down the whole ethnic food route of complaining about stinky food. Not only that, but it can also be a sign that your female coworker likes you but is hiding it. Agreed. I cant think of anything else that I can do. Shes being a jerk. I would abstain from actively putting on perfume before work, but I wouldnt get up early to shower before work if that wasnt something I felt like doing. What she doesn't know is that I love to sniff all her friends shoes. Jobacle.com: Top 7 Workplace Etiquette No-Nos, HR Hero: How to Discipline & Document Employee Behavior, University of Toronto: Workplace Etiquette Quiz. Stupid 16 year old prick that couldnt have been more annoying to begin with. Ive been even more sensitive to it with the pregnancy, and yet I wouldnt dream of asking students to quit smoking before coming to class because I cant make that request from them. It seems that the OP has taken a lot of measures to make sure that the coworker is comfortable. Get private office or moved away from said problem because I'm a good employee they don't want to lose because I can't concentrate or keep my sanity at work. But to negatively comment about any group is . I had wondered that as well. Granted you should tone it down at work, but I and everyone else is allowed to smell like the body wash or shampoo or hand lotion of their choosing. My friend worked a really hellish retail job one Christmas. Something like jeopardy would trigger a kind of nervousness. Hopefully your boss can accommodate and move her, or you? I once sent an employee of mine home for this. Thanks for giving your more mature (compared to the coworker) perspective here. His family would get so angry about it when he was younger. Its one thing to ask a coworker to stop wearing a strongly smelling perfume, its another to suggest that people need to switch out ALL of their personal care products to accommodate a coworker! ), 4. Then again, here the people rocking the strong scents tend to be older and more senior in the organization. If you have a fabric chair it could have residual scents. The immune response necessary for an allergic reaction cant be caused by synthetic chemicals. If you happen to burp unexpectedly, excuse yourself quickly and avoid making a big deal about it. I think its one of those scents that everyones nose interprets differently. Occasionally I feel like I can smell the soap my first boyfriend used, and it still makes me feel on edge (the relationship was, unfortunately, abusive). The jerkness indicator that leaps out at me is that she is still fixated on patchouli, which is a pretty distinctive smell. Its easy for responses that were designed to keep us safe to become a little overreactive. I went to the doctor because the constant sniffing causes my chest to feel tight (like an over worked muscle). coworker is constantly coughing and blowing her nose, legal names and job applications, and more by Alison Green on September 24, 2015 It's five answers to five questions. She is a jerk but she may imagine she smells patchouili because it is so associated with you. For the two years I worked there, there was not another issue. Bravo. Ive had this happen with arm rests and scented lotions. (Though I do still wonder what it takes to teach kids to chew with their mouths closed). ? JEREMY SAYS: It's possible, but extremely unlikely, that all this grunting, snorting and nose-picking is done knowingly and specifically with the intention of irritating you. My coworker walks in after 8:00 a.m. every single day. Love the Smelly LW title! I dont have any advice, but I am wondering how it is fair or reasonable that the OP should even have to make all of these concessions at her own expense because her coworker wont stop picking on her. My mom had the same experience with TCBY yogurt. My officemate has an odd personal smell that reminds me of mothballs and old man. Taking credit for your ideas. In the case of sniffing, offer your colleague a box of tissues or suggest that she should stay home until she feels better. And laundry care routines arent always simple either my mom has allergic reactions to many common brands of detergent, so finding a new unscented brand that doesnt make her break out in hives would be, again, a trial and error process that could get expensive fast. My mom has become extremely sensitive to spicy foods as she has gotten older. 47 1 Sponsored by Karma Shopping LTD LW treat this as a bullying issue, not a health issue, and proceed accordingly. Has made my life hell for years. Your coworkers shoot you irritated looks as you clear your throat (again). I would follow Allisons advice and go to HR with her to see how to accommodate her sensitivity. Oils, especially, can seep into fabric and smell forever, even though you are no longer wearing scented products. It took a long time, and as a result I cant use that detergent anymore because I associate it with spending hours with a mattress that reeked of pee. Its tough to describe. I hope you can resolve the situation in a way that works for both of you and is not unfair to you. This is so true. Policy. It sounds like OP has done everything she can reasonably do, and now its time for managers to step in. I love the essential oil, but I abhor the incense sticks. Find out if your city is a top "allergy capital.". We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. I once used a mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and my favorite detergent to remove cat pee from a mattress. If the coworker has a legit fragrance sensitivity than she needs to inform her manager and HR. Unscented soaps, lotions, body washes, deodorants, laundry detergents, and dishwasher detergents are all easier to find than unscented shampoo. It certainly sounds like youve done your due diligence in removing scented items from your workday routine, so is it possible the culprit is something difficult to wash or even notice? Sniffle. I think that Picky Coworker is one of those types who will demand more and more concessions from LW until she has LW thoroughly buffaloed and walking on eggshells. This happened a couple more times over the next few months, at which point I went to my manager to let her know this was impacting my health and work and to see if it would be possible to find a resolution. Its actually one of the reasons I left. Im a smoker, and I have been for several decades now. If its that severe, then the person who has that reaction needs to be figuring out their own way to avoid things, not putting the entire burden of it on their coworkers. Your symptoms are very common for people who have a form of acid reflux called laryngopharyngeal reflux - also known as "silent reflux" because many people with LPR don't have the traditional symptoms of heartburn. If exposed long enough, the migraine wont go away after exposure and can last for 4 days, so its absolutely no joke. Apparently the original product (in R&D) was scent-free, but focus group people didnt associate lack of scent with clean, so they added in scent to make it marketable. It would be awful to hear that you smell everyday. I was definitely guilty off that when Obsession first came out: people used to complain to me and Id just laugh because they just didnt know a good smell when they encountered one. For what its worth, my mothers wardrobe is almost 100% polyester and that fabric, and other non-natural fabrics, seem to really hold onto smells. 1 They always take a lunch break with you. My office chair has cloth arms, and my thought process is that maybe some of the oils are lingering on these items, and when the OP is sitting in the chair, or putting her arms on the desk, her body warmth could cause the scents to be noticeable? It makes me wonder if theres a bigger issue going on with Coworkers opinion of OP. The coworkers rudeness is the problem. She sounds truly awful. I have to use unscented shampoo due to a skin allergy. If its patchouli in particular that your co-worker is commenting on, is there ANYTHING patchouli-scented in your house or your car that might be getting picked up by your clothes? I have coworkers who occasionally wear scents, but we work in different areas, and I only have to endure the smell during the elevator ride, etc. Youve made many changes to try to accommodate her and theyve been unsuccessful. Id also be thanking Boss for talking to you. If it is a power trip/mean girl thing, as several commenters have suggested (and I agree) it might just set her off again, and I would lose my bargaining piece of No, seriously, Im not wearing anything, shes just being a jerk.. We ended up deciding to go scent free office because both of them was sensitive to different things. Telecommuting, or disability, at that point. I cant pinpoint the source, but they have a very distinct smell. I have no idea what patchouli actually smells like, but I recognize it through its pop culture association with a negative stereotype of unwashed pot-smoking hippie types. There has to be a boundary of reasonable action, and I think that the OP has done pretty much everything reasonable. I have awful memories of the time my luggage was lost by an airline. Meanwhile I agree that its time to tell Coworker to stop. Then at one point NASA got involved and made the equivalent of a kid sized space suit that could let the kid go out into the world for short periods of time and at least interact in the same space as other people. My coworker sniffles ALL DAY LONG. should I tell the truth in my exit interview? Or heck, if OP stores the oils on or in her dresser, it may be that some of the clothing items have picked up a hint of the scent. Health issue, and dishwasher detergents are all easier to find than unscented shampoo wonder! 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