I'm looking for a bit of advice with an issue at work, there's a colleague who seems to have adopted cigarettes as their personal air freshener. They're probably going for a smoke 5 times a day and you can smell them from 10m away. What's the best course of action?
What to Do about a Smelly Person at Work?
ginormousgiraffe on 07/04/2024 - 11:10
Poll Options
- 31Suck in the smoke
- 56Chat to them kindly
- 8Chat to them angrily
- 247Report them
- 22Drop hints subtly around the office
Comments
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You'd probably get sued these days.
"I need you to stop bringing unbearable cigarette smell back into the office multiple times a day. We all need you to stop. Thank me later if you found this helpful."
Turn around, and walk away. Hope they don't throw something at your head.
Hold your breath, still something up your nose to block the passages.
wear mask.
Make a WHS report about smelling cigarette smoke in your working environment.
Let the WHS person/group make the discovery about the smoker.
If they quiz you about who it might be just say you aren’t sure but it is definitely affecting your working environment.
I had this where my manager was the one who smelled like cigs every single day and once he walked in everyone could smell it. Nothing was done. lol
A chat with your manager as first step, framed as "there's a residual smoke/smell that's impacting the workspace", take the person out of it.
Regarding confronting them directly, people are.. people. They bring a bunch of their own shit to work. If you confront them directly and they get offended or embarassed, they can escalate and twist it into a bullying claim or petty tit for tat behaviour.
Let your manager handle it, they get paid to have those conversations.
SHAME THEM, loudly, with a bell
.
.
.
seriously, politely report them to the supervisorAs soon as they return from a smoke break, wander around behind them spraying a can of air freshener. It might give them a hint.
And hang a little scented green cardboard tree around their neck.
routine spraying of glen 20
.Obviously getting paid too much if they can afford to smoke so much?! How much are a pack of cigarettes in Australia these days??
About tree fiddy
Pack of 20 is about 35. I know a couple of people who smoke.
Wowzers, what a high roller! $15 dollars a day on cigs, outrageous! We should start paying these wage peasants $2 an hour so they can't afford it anymore.
I'm sure they've been rolling their own or using vapes to help cut cost.
They are an adult working in an office, not a 16 year old getting paid $10 an hour at maccas.
You can’t usually smell yourself, it’s just one of those things. I mean sure sometimes if I really stink from slogging away and I’m sweaty I can smell my own stinky-ness. It’s just one of those things.
The other side of this is that someone could be eating a Tuna lunch and then they come back with Tuna smell or breath.
I think point is this person might be really embarrassed, or ashamed that they can’t break their habit and it smells.. who knows. Best bet and I agree with all the other commenters who’ve suggested talking with a superior, and being understanding about it.
Report them (which has over 100 votes)?
For what?
What a sad, petty World we live in.
Reporting a cigarette smoke working environment is fine, surely?
Reporting the person is problematical.
And so I agree, over 100 people say 'report them', seems mean to me.
If someone is smoking in the office/workshop/facility that's is illegal and should definitely be reported.
Reporting someone who is smoking outside - which is perfectly legal - would be pathetic and childish. The fact that so many on here would support reporting is deeply worrying.
Smearing shit all over your chest before you go to work is also legal, but I'd doubt that would fly.
@ginormousgiraffe: Here is your problem:
1: Smearing yourself with shit and going public might be legal but, once in public, would come under public nuisance laws and maybe even result in psychiatric assessment as its just not normal behaviour
2: Nothing at all will happen if you smear yourself with tobacco and/or tobacco smell in public as the end result is not in any was shape or form illegal in relation to public nuisance
@Clambabula: What about a person that never washes themselves? Perfectly legal but creates a hostile work environment for anyone in the suburb.
@ginormousgiraffe: So you think that someone smoking outside 5 times a day should be reported because they smell?
Err, okay. Whatever floats your boat.
But wow. Just f**king wow.
@R4: Them and about 200 others, I think the ratio has spoken. Smokers that don't care that they stink are the worst types of people.
If someone is making your working environment unsuitable then there is a problem.
It is up to the employer (mostly) to make a safe working environment.
Like I said I wouldn’t report the person I would report the unsafe working condition.
Write a report on them, which OP has done here
Reporting them here. lol.
I would walk past their workstation and drop a few silent but deadlies, every now and then. If you have to smell his filth then he can smell yours. Fair is fair! I do this all the time when someone lights up in front of me while walking. I walk fast to get in front of them, let them rip and then walk off l as if nothing happened.
Stealth bomber!
yes - the Monty Python attack - "fart in their general direction"
OMG i used to do that too!!!!
When i was 5 and in kindyDon't do it anymore though , I grew up.
Now you just stew in silence.
No.
Now i still do not try to control what others legally do simply because i do not like it and I don't do childish stupid things like farting near them to make a point.
People should try it rather than acting like a 5 year old in kindy.
Shirtfront them and tell them they’re a smelly mongrel
Then fart in their face and laugh
Smokers deserve all the negativity and derision they get the idiots
Buy a cheap bottle of deodorant and put it on their table when they are not there with a small message
Not that I'm the clock police, but five ciggie breaks seems excessive. Let's say they spend ten minutes having a smoko five times a day; that's 50 minutes of company time at least, on top of lunch breaks and whatever else.
There are two issues here: they smell like an ashtray (you should talk to them) and that they burn up time in smoke
It's up to their manager to police this, though, and if they're happy with the output from the said employee, so be it, but smoking is probably the biggest productivity thief outside smartphone use, IMO.I don't care how much time they waste, if they weren't down there they would just be chatting at another desk or browsing ozbargain with their time.
if smoko is open to pleasant conversation, a simple 'the smell coming from you after smoking irritates my nose' may work
if not, a word to their supervisor may work
if not, "I wouldn't want to have to sue for second-hand smoke" may light a fire - which may get the result you want, and may or may not include you keeping your job …
Take a second to think about the freedom you enjoy to do things without having to worry about ensuring you dont upset anyone including overly sensitive people, the cost is tolerating the freedom of others, you can't have both.
This is going to sound crazy but you could just tell them "hey, I really don't like the smell of cigarettes and I'd appreciate if you washed your hands and face quickly after a cigarette to reduce the smell".
If you do wish to trade that freedom for security just remember it will be interpreted and applied by the exact person who should not be doing so that loves rules, arguments and the feeling of importance.
You say that like most of us don't already live in a nanny state
Get one of those automatic air freshners that spray every couple of minutes and attach it to his desk
I think there is a spray or something you can use to get rid of the smell. A friend of mine was using it to hide the fact that she smoked and it worked very well, I only found out when she came clean. Or maybe I had Covid the entire time.
You're lucky, imagine living with a person that stinks
Another reason to work from home. (Mostly) control your environment; no noisy people, vulgar people, melodious people. No shared toilets and bathrooms. You still have to deal with neighbours though (and aircraft noise, woodchippers, vacuum blowers, occasional parties) unless you are fortunate enough to live on a large block of land in the outback.
"Good fences make good neighbors"
"A fence between keeps friendship green". So much for the assertion that homo sapiens are sociable animals.
start smoking
Firstly you should treat them with the respect they deserve, and as a brain dead smoker, that's not much.
Seriously. I've had colleagues in the past who smoke and I would remind them every single day that 1) they stink and 2) when are they quitting.
That's thirdhand-smoke you're breathing in.
The chemicals found in thirdhand smoke are no joke – we’re talking about known carcinogens like benzene and formaldehyde that can increase the risk of cancer development, even in non-smokers, the more and longer you’re exposed.
From:
https://smokefreeclinic.com.au/articles/thirdhand-smoke/I'm sure stepping outside on a busy street for 5 minutes exposes you to more carcinogens than being around this guy for a whole year.
Which is why they should ban cigarettes and non-EV cars, keep the air clean.
There is literally nothing you can do to make this better. If you report them it will leak it was you and there goes the relationship. If you confront them, there goes the relationship. If you ignore, you will continue suffering. It's a lose-lose OP, try to avoid the situation.
Spray a can of Detol air freshener around when you see him coming - then put a mask on.
Love the people and the poll saying report him like we don’t live in a democracy where it’s your choice to smoke or not.
How about wear a mask and when people ask if you have the Spanish flu, you tell them it’s because of the stinky smoker a few cubicles away from you?
It's almost my choice to fill my pockets with rotten eggs (keeps the mosquitos away), would you mind me as a co-worker?
I would adore you as a coworker because if you were employed with me, I’d know we were working in a country that doesn’t enforce a social credit score which could lead to us being penalised and shamed for our actions just because others with a higher score deemed it so.
Thanks for playing!
Wait until you are the last one in the office and place a deodorant can on their desk. Or leave and come back after everyone has gone to reduce suspicion that it was you.
Some people like the smell of their pheromones. Bottle the smell and sell it online as Brat pitt RM Pitts. Will sell like wildfire.
I used to work with this Indian guy (pardon me if it sounds racist, but I come across this race often smellier than others). It smells a mix of sweat and curry.
Anyway, problem is this guy is also a (profanity). Very dislike able. Many people complains about his attitude and body odor to me even though he doesnt report to me. I told them to deal with it or talk to his boss, and they did.
So eventually this guy just move on and we celebrate his departure.
Idk how many hint has been dropped to his lap about his odor or attitude but this guy is so thick he thinks he is special.
In hindsight, bring a Vicks inhaler and just inhale that.
I rather have bad odor than bad attitude, the fact he has bad odor helps him move on.
Deodorant from Kris Kringle?
I'm sure that wouldn't warrant complaint to HR.
It won't help - it's ciggie smell, not BO.
Speak to your supervisor/manager and they will probably inform them.
You could also leave an anonymous note if the problem continues if you want to make sure that he's aware that he's impacting other people in the workplace.
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And watch them whinge to HR.