How to Address an Employee’s Body Odor in the Workplace

How to address the issue of body odor is a real concern in the workplace. You’d be surprised how often we receive requests from our clients asking how to handle this stinky situation.  Therefore, we wanted to share some do's and don'ts for addressing body odor in the workplace.



As you know, alerting someone at work to their body odor is a delicate matter, but it’s important to address the issue to protect employees from further embarrassment, especially if you are their manager and responsible for overseeing how they present themselves.

Have a Comprehensive Dress Code Policy

Most dress code policies are vague and only state employees “exercise good judgment” regarding their appearance and clothing but often miss including grooming or “hygiene” expectations.  Adding this language helps express your expectation upfront that employees will use deodorant or antiperspirant to minimize body odor. In addition, your policy should ask employees to refrain from wearing over bearing fragrances that might offend or affect those with allergies as well.

By having expectations and standards clearly defined in your Handbook, it takes the guesswork out of many situations. Ensure your employees read and sign off on your policies and procedures on their first day, if possible, but no later than one week.  Having a Dress Code policy, makes it helpful to address the odor as a violation of company policy, rather than something personal. (Just as you would for violation of any company policy.)

Don't Jump to Conclusions

Whoever will be approaching the employee, should first investigate the circumstances to ensure that those complaining have a legitimate reason for doing so. Sometimes people are mean or petty so do not overreact until you know for certain there is an issue.

When body odor is strong, it can be very distracting and employees may not want to work directly, or even communicate with a person if they feel their odor, is a problem.

If the employee is not aware of their body odor, they will not understand why other employees may cringe when they enter a room, leaving the employee to incorrectly blame their co-workers' or manager's reactions on something else completely, like discrimination. This is one reason this issue should be addressed as soon as possible, and in private.  If issues are "allowed to linger”, that only increases the risk to the employee and your company.

Approach the Person in Private

If the complaint is legitimate, it's important to address it quickly and privately. An employee with bad hygiene can reflect poorly on a company, particularly if they interact with clients, customers or the public.

Human Resources or the employee’s Manager should have the discussion because peer-to-peer conversations about this type of matter can be less effective and can lack the gravity of a supervisor-to-subordinate conversation.

The most important thing to remember when approaching a worker is to treat him or her with dignity. This WILL BE awkward and could be very embarrassing, and you need to be empathetic.

Having difficult conversations should always take place in private. Having a conversation about body odor is a tough topic, and nobody likes to talk about it.

Think About What You Will Say

Don’t just blurt something out to the employee. It could come across as very rude and create a whole slew of other problems. (Remember the Golden Rule and think about how you would want to hear it,) then discreetly ask the person if you can speak with them in private.

Prior to meeting privately with the individual, have an idea of what you are going to say, it is helpful to write it down and practice saying it a few times until you feel confident about your communication.

The employee will automatically be on edge, so it’s important to begin your conversation with praise. 

For example:

“John, don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. You are a very valuable member of this team. I just needed to speak with you about something really quick.” 

Then communicate the concern.

You want to be authentic in your communication and depending on your relationship with the employee you may or may not feel comfortable relaying the message. Whatever you do, do NOT just read what you wrote down. KNOW what you are going to say and practice until you feel confident delivering it with empathy. Expressing empathy is the game changer when having difficult conversations.  If you come across nervous in the meeting this will make the employee nervous as well. However, if you approach it as a “mentoring” opportunity it takes the pressure off of both of you. After all, as a manager it is your responsibility to mentor your Team. Typically, this meeting should not last for more than five minutes.

A few examples of what you can say after giving praise is something along the lines of:

• “This is a bit awkward for me and I hope I don’t offend you but I noticed you have a strong odor and it goes against our Dress Code Policy.” (And hopefully you have one)
• "I don’t know if you are aware, but your cologne is very strong and lingers through the office.”
• "I don’t know if you are aware, but I want to let you know that your deodorant isn't working. You may want to try another brand.” (This way you come across as presuming the person already takes steps to deal with body odor but lets them know they need to try something else.

DON’T say vague comments to them about improving their “hygiene” in general because they might incorrectly assume that you are just asking them to brush their teeth.

DO ask: “Are you aware of this issue?  Is it something you can take care of?”

Lastly, during your private conversation, NEVER tell the employee that anyone else has brought the issue to your attention. (Even if they did.) This will only cause them further embarrassment. Remember to treat them with dignity. This is crucial! Treat an employee with dignity and you have a 99% chance that they aren’t going to turn around and sue you.

Be Sensitive to Cultural Norms and Medical Conditions

Your company policy must recognize that an employee's religious, ethical, moral beliefs or a possible medical condition may prevent them from complying with the policy as written.

Be conscientious of those whose body odors inevitably stem from a legitimate medical condition. If there is an underlying medical condition causing the odor, make sure to get your Human Resources involved.

In such circumstances, there should be "reasonable accommodations” for disabilities and religious beliefs.  For example, can the person work from home? Work in a different office or workspace? Does the workplace need better ventilation?

What to Do if They Are Clueless About Their Odor

When someone at work smells bad, they usually don’t know it. And if they don’t know it, then they likely don’t know how to correct the problem. Offer helpful comments regarding the potential cause and possible suggestions for how to deal with the problem. For instance, you might say:

• "Perhaps you just need to wash your clothes more often.”
• “Maybe you could try showering more frequently."
• “Maybe only spay your cologne once.”
• “Maybe you just need to try a different deodorant.”

If after speaking with the employee, you discover the odor is not due to a medical condition they will most likely correct it immediately. 

On the other hand, if the employee informs you that the odor is caused by a medical condition, it’s important to notify your Human Resources Department right away to begin the ADA Interactive Process with the employee to determine if any accommodations can be made.

If you would like to receive a complimentary Dress Code Policy that is compliant with the EEOC and ADA, please request one at info@dsahrsolutions.com