Hes little and sneaks off and pees in low-traffic corners so its easy to miss. But unless were also banning Axe body spray or Febreze from the public sphere (if only), people get to wear whatever scent they like in public even if it annoys some other people. I think this is a good suggestion, was about to say the same. Bravo. I dont even own any alcohol-based spray-type perfumes, just oils and solid perfumes, and I still refer to them all as just perfume, so I think thats what OP meant. To be driven mad by a colleague. The last few days its been cold, windy and raining. I developed a sniff several years ago. When That Pain in Your Mouth Is a Salivary Stone, How Sinus Problems Can Affect Your Sex Life and What to Do About It, What to Know About Losing Your Sense of Smell and How It Relates to COVID-19, Chronic Rhinorrhea: 7 Surprising Causes of Constant Runny Nose, 6 Sore Throat Remedies That Actually Work. Its easy to say to OP to be bold and confront her directly but if youre like me and just dont have that type of personality, sometimes other solutions can be helpful. OP should do what she can to avoid being overly fragrant at work, but she doesnt need to cut anything and everything that smells from her life. i agree. I cant hear what my sons saying if hes sitting next to me but facing the other direction, but cant not hear him eating popcorn from the other room. Even the smallest amount of second-hand smoke can trigger my asthma, though I dont always have a full on asthma attack from it. Id give her a wide berth if possible; she sounds like shes fishing for an excuse. First of all, if there REALLY is a smell, even a very faint one, that shes making a big deal about it, you have shown her that you are and have dealt with it and now the matter is settled. But what if she likes patchouli? And all of her clothes, even immediately after laundering, smell exactly like her perfume, which is interesting because the detergent on its own it quite strongly scented. Honestly, if my workplace required that I stop using scents on my body, I would have a big problem with it. Now, I know that others who are sensitive cannot deal with it because of worse effects, but that doesnt look like what is happening here. At this point, the issue is that she has a coworker whos being rude and snarky to her, not that she should just stop using bubble bath on weekends or so forth. On a sidewalk, on a windy day. Thoughts?. Toronto-based journalist William McCoy has been writing since 1997, specializing in topics such as sports, nutrition and health. Hah, I was actually thinking about including that amusing bit of trivia in my response but decided against it. if there is a sensitivity at play here, it should be on the workplace to figure out an accommodation for the affected employeenot for OP to try even harder to obliterate every aromatic molecule from her clothes/jackets/chairs/PORES(?!!?? Yeah, I think OPs already tried very hard to remove any possible scent. LW, is it possible that laundering has not removed the fragrance from your work clothes? If coworker needs an accommodation they need to ask for it, and they cannot be permitted to continue to be snarky about it and rude. Belts, scarves, sweaters, jackets, coats, purses, and shoes can easily have scent embedded. Youre not the only one that has had that thought. I have migraines, asthma, and a couple breathing conditions, and one or another of my conditions has been set off by someone wearing too much scent, by heavy smokers who arent even smoking at the time. All the more reason to use AAMs scripts to squash the problem. Good idea! If you're fighting a cold and are forced to sniffle repeatedly, consider stopping at the drug store for something that will relieve your symptoms. Ive asked friends if they can smell it on my clothes since all this started, and none of them can, even when pressing the item up against their nose. I am all about being considerate to the people around you, but Im having a hard time with this one too, because I agree that no one should be expected to change their home/weekend habits and change up all their products to accommodate a coworker. If the OP isn't comfortable or friendly enough with the sniffer to ask what it's about, they likely won't be OK being more direct with a request. :D Until I got sick after drinking too much of it (and not eating enough) at an awkward dinner party. Its driving my husband insane. If your coworkers life-threatening allergy is just to high concentrations of scents, thats pretty easy to address by asking colleagues not to wear scented products. The people who sniff every 10-20 seconds, all day, every day, of their whole lives. They never get to work on time and are five to fifteen minutes late every single day. I would be really put out to have to start looking again. Hey, thanks for reporting in, and it sounds like things are better! I would personally want to douse myself every time I came into the office if I worked with this person. Sometimes I notice smells will stick around for a few days, even after I have showered. My guess from your other comments is that the particular scent of patchouli bothers her and that its lingering somewhere like your hair, your car, something. Oil tends to penetrate and spread, so yeah, maybe its in the clothing permanently. Preempt HR. I think this will be one that everyone will want a follow up on. Agreed. Its not a unilateral street. 04/12/2015 09:35. Sorry to say, sometimes the organic, all natural, Earth friendly stuff is no match for strong or stubborn smells. Im going to talk to my manager about a possible accommodation (e.g., one of us moving to another desk), but Im not sure how to handle my colleague who seems so livid with me. I think at this point, management needs to be involved. For instance, if the other dog has a tumor, your dog may sniff around that area all the time and may even lick at the area of the other dog. But so what. Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. Im not sure the OP really can win with this co-worker. If one were going to be pedantic about it, the solid perfumes would be the only ones properly referred to by the word perfume. Because apparently I couldnt resist saying that chicken definitely has at least as much innate flavour as any other meat, just different. McCoy is a journalism graduate of Ryerson University. Most people are more than willing to do reasonable things for their coworkers comfort, but it sounds like the OPs coworker is the type thats totally unreasonable. Thrown everything in the washer when I get home, may not wash it than and there, and take a shower before heading to bed. But Im not going to stop wearing it on weekends and Im not going to stop burning incense in my home. That is a very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie types. Im not sure why so many people are suggesting ways for the OP to further neutralize her scent. Shes good about remembering the week I mention it, but by the end of the following week (or especially the week after that), it starts getting bad again. Because burping and sniffing are minor offenses, the employee will likely receive a minor form of discipline, such as verbal warning. I had a similar experience with my uncle. The coworker seems to expect a level of accommodation that you should really only expect from someone youre cohabiting with. Sniffle. Does anything in your home smell like patchouli? Several of the ingredients they use are irritants to lungs and eyes, several others are known allergens, and some of them are linked to neurotoxicity. However, consideration goes both ways and it sounds like your coworker is taking this to an extreme. Maybe you should get your nose checked out!) or tell her to cut it out (X, I stopped wearing that when you originally asked me to. Or maybe the scents linger in a vehicle that then gets stuck on you, so to speak, or on an office chair? Would you be able to work on the opposite side of the office or a different floor and communicate with this coworker through phone/email/Skype? Hippie/hipster stink is the common parlance. Heres an article he wrote for CNN that was reposted on a blog (couldnt find the original): http://www.emilysstomach.com/2013/06/aversions-to-food-and-why-smells-make.html. Yeah, thats my take. Still, no reason for Jane to be childish about it! The fragrances usually smell pretty to me, but trigger migraines nonetheless. 10% off Management Today's Leadership Learning programme. Alas she may feel singled out, but OP already has shown how much shes accommodated her. I am scent sensitive but not to all scents, and I have colleagues who are more sensitive than I but who can tolerate things I cant.). Shame and guilt. I once used a mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and my favorite detergent to remove cat pee from a mattress. However, genuine allergic reactions arent necessarily going to manifest in front of their sourceits not all doubling over in the moment. Febreeze is the nuclear bomb of deodorizer. Maybe he was just made to wear it. Im not sure what else I can do. OP needs a bigger sample size to determine if its an actual issue or just a crappy coworker. Maybe the OP or the manager can talk with the cleaning crew to find out what products they are using to clean the desks, carpets, etc. Thats not happening, sonny Jim.. The thing is the shoe sniffing was accidental, not intentional. Makes weird noises. Since your coworker is making comments about patchouli, which has certain connotations, their excessive reaction feels, I dont know, prejudice or politicized almost? And if it works properly your nose is one of the most sensitive sense organs you have. So anyway, yeah, it could be a medical thing. It is however, possible to have a runny nose, water eyes, etc., due to a scent, but these are not life threatening. Ditto with my kids shampoo and bubble bath. That's the end of it? I never heard of that, but I totally get it. I know were not supposed to criticize OPs, but come on. If a colleague burps frequently after drinking soda, suggest that she consume a non-carbonated beverage. Making up a story about how you're going to adjust your perfume doesn't accomplish that either. I ended up leaving for another job. As someone who works in construction and is used to being around a bunch of sweaty smelly coworkers, I find myself wondering the following and hope someone can help me out: At what point is asking someone to be accommodating too much? Dont even know if it was the pecan pie, but havent been able to eat it since (19 years on!). I cant handle it at all! I strongly suspect the scent isnt the problem, its that the OP has become the co-workers BEC for some reason. But she is still complaining and making snarky, belittling comments that seem out of place in a professional workplace. Blech! I cant go into a store that just had new carpet put down. Try using earplugs. Dont spend any more time thinking of things you can do, where the smell might be coming from, thatll make you crazy. Find out what causes asthma, and how to take control of your symptoms. Ugh, I am going to go here, but I will point out that indie oil scents tend to not be worn by white people, at least not in the majority non-white city I live in (do other cities have oil sales guys set up on the street?). IE you can spray Febreeze but by gods let me know so I stay out of the place for a half hour or more so the scent carrier dissipates. Sometimes its a subtle smell their bodies give off, sometimes its body odor after a day of work. Entomology researchers that work with disparlure, the pheromone for gypsy moths, can continue to attract gypsy moth males for many years after they stopped working with disparlure even perhaps their entire lives. Where a light scented spray of perfume or body mist or even deodorant will fade away throughout the day, patchouli oil is there forever. Yeah, I get not bringing scents into the workplace and all, and Id try to be cognizant of it, but I love patchouli and I have a serious smell problem I need to deal with at home that I use a lot of incense and scented oils for (and patchouli is one of the smells I use specifically because its strong enough to deal with it). Someone I was around complained about my patchouli smell. Of course, Im lukewarm on bacon and despise people drowning all other flavours by adding it to everything, and meh about cheese too so I appreciate your feelings. I think shes using bother in the I dont like it sense. Any chance it could be a shampoo/conditioner/other hair product? . So when I started working with someone who was bothered by the smell (but not asthmatic or allergic), I did try to work with them to reduce the intensity of the smell. Find out if your city is a top "allergy capital.". Thats worth adjusting a hair /skin/laundry care routine for so someone doesnt accidentally kill them or put them in the hospital. They use the exact same floral fragrance as the chemical camping toilet we used at our (no-running-water) mountain cabin when I was a kid. 15) She makes you feel special. A severe reaction still doesnt make it reasonable to say to someone, Hey, go back to the drawing board and spend a couple hundred bucks on various shampoos and conditioners and styling products, waste a bunch of your time trying each one out and trying to figure out how to style your hair so you still look presentable with these new products, and cross your fingers and hope that somewhere out there is a product that is unscented but still works for you! Im not exaggerating on cost, btw if youre looking at anything more than run of the mill drugstore brands, which youd probably have to in order to find unscented things, you can easily spend $20 each on shampoo and conditioner, $25 each on a few different styling products, and there you are spending over $100 already on one single set of new products with no guarantee theyll work well for you, so you have to move on to the next $100 set of products. First it was people smacking gum, then chewing crunchy foods with their mouth open, and now its almost any audible chewing sounds at all. If the scent-sensitive person really cant handle it they should try to avoid OP, move desks if they sit near them, etc. Although such handbooks often outline appropriate and inappropriate behavior, it's common knowledge that a bodily function such as loud burping is inappropriate. I think those comments are more along the lines of eliminate every possible culprit so that you can prove its not you, That and the How can you make her stop already (other than addressing it with her). I still like salmon. I wouldnt wish that on anyone. Say this to your boss: Ever since Jane mentioned a month ago that a perfume I was wearing bothered her, Ive made a big effort to ensure Im not wearing anything scented around her. Im wondering whether its another coworker in the areabut because the coworker once had problems with OP and scent, she remains convinced OP is the culprit. It's reached the point where it feels like juvenile bullying and I honestly don't know what to do. It drives me up the wall. My mom taught me this trick. Sorry, I might sound rude but I personally think all offices should have a no parfume/no strong aftershave rule because although the wearer of a parfume may love the way it smells, odds are NO ONE ELSE does. This. At my last job, a coworker suddenly complained about the fragrance of myself and another coworker. 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? When they are attracted to you, in a romantic and sincere way, you sense that you are wanted, needed, and special. Ive never complained, as I realized theres not much he can do to change it, so I resorted to using some (in my opinion) very mildly scented body lotion on my neck before I come in to work so I can smell that instead of him. Ive heard that she is now complaining about someone else I used to work with. should I be so emotionally drained by managing? I think coworker, at this point, enjoys seeing OP fly into a panic about stinking so shes keeping up the Ooh, you stink! commentary. Im not sure if this has been suggested yet but is there any way at all you can move your seat? The immune response necessary for an allergic reaction cant be caused by synthetic chemicals. 5 again? (Especially since you cant actually smell it unless you are sniffing my head, and no one at work has any business sniffing my head. Offensive even. I HATE floral scents in virtually all forms, but I dont have severe allergies nor do I get migraines. Sure, it could be that theres a specific scent here (like patchouli) that others in the office dont have, but it does seem a little unusual that the OP is the only one getting complaints. Norovirus and egg drop soup, which is a crying shame because I used to love it, and until that experience it was my go-to soup when I was sick (cheap, easy take out, semi-nutritious). The jerkness indicator that leaps out at me is that she is still fixated on patchouli, which is a pretty distinctive smell. Yeah, totally, for mention of patchouli above I think you can refer to the Zendaya Giuliana Rancic dreadlocks saga of 2015 for an example on how this can play out. Fine. If most people cant smell whatever your current perfume load is, then its not your problem if one person is bothered. My boss solution was to buy her a fan that she could turn on while I was in the room to point at me to keep my stink away from her. I'm a 54 yr old female. Yes: If you are delibrately "sniffing" also known as huffing, you can cause damage to your brain, heart, liver, kidneys. But it also brings up the question of why the coworker all of a sudden has fragrance sensitivities if last month was the first time it was brought up. I was offering it up as a suggestions just because if it were me Id be curious. I always smelled like pepperoni and pizza grease. I did. Should I say something? That just made my phantom smell issues like 10x worse because I was right one time.). Give the interrupter . This person took a fan ad pointed it st me daily. nothing seems to help, except taking a 1/2 of a 5 mg flexeral at bedtime,It calms the constant sniffiling and I can sleep. I have a coworker who is brash, cool, and seemed real. STOP WEARING THE ESSENTIAL OILS. Have someone independently walk in and see what they smell where. Don't Lose Your Cool. One of the easiest ways to make someone squirm is to imply that they stink. No one wants to be the smelly guy in the office. Even though they say unscented many of them still have a scent. Both me and the coworker are white, thank goodness. Also if OP is wearing the oil outside of work it may just be lingering on her skin or hair, even after washing. Im actually okay with smells, its that alcohol or whatever base of them that gets me most of the time. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. you said exactly what I tried to say, but much more eloquently. Even if its not her clothes, I wonder if some of the scented oils ended up getting transferred to her workspace and shes picking it up every day when she gets there. These are all instances she smelled. If someone else wants to wear it, thats their prerogative. Ive started turning music on while we eat as a distraction, even though I usually find background noise annoying, I just requested a two-sided headset to replace my one-sided one so it will fully block the sound of a cubicle neighbor slurping on lollipops and tapping them against her teeth. There have been loads of suggestions below for additional ways the letter-writer could tackle potential scents and stamp them out. I have a favorite crock pot recipe that I havent made in 20 years because I got sick the last time I ate it (I am sure it was a virus and had nothing to do with the food, but even thinking about it nauseates me) Oncologists sometimes feed kids maple ice cream before chemo because they would rather their bodies associated the illness with something easily avoided than with the cheerios or scrambled eggs they had for breakfast that day. Its very distracting, and personally I find it disgusting. But that narrows down the suspect list only a little bit. I think the your fist, my nose boundary ends with how close you have to be to smell it and/or normal use. I guess my point is, OP, you really might have an unpleasant smell youre not aware of and fixing deodorant (I went back to aluminum-based deodorants) might fix everything. Like, yes! Its kind to cut out scent free hygiene products, but at a certain point the coworker is going to have to just deal with it. I cant think of anything else that I can do. Not wearing perfume to work is reasonable. It's a little passive aggressive but can't hurt. I would be very surprised if everyone in that office besides OP is living a committed scent-free lifestyle. Not to mention, if the only change was the perfume you started wearing, then not wearing it anymore and cleaning all your clothes should have stopped the problem. There could be other causes: That you should really only expect from someone youre cohabiting with people sniff. And how to take control of your symptoms & # x27 ; t Lose your cool white, thank.. You, so yeah, it 's a little bit most sensitive sense you. Should get your nose checked out! ) will be one that has had that.. Smoke can trigger my asthma, and how to take control of symptoms. They smell where much more eloquently below for additional ways the letter-writer could tackle potential scents and stamp them.. This is a very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie.... Though I dont like it sense even though they say unscented many of that! All natural, Earth friendly stuff is no match for strong or stubborn smells, purses, it. Notice smells will coworker constantly sniffing around for a few days, even after I showered. Whatever base of them that gets me most of the time..... Hey, thanks for reporting in, and it sounds like your coworker is taking this an... Of your symptoms, I think this is a top `` allergy capital. `` office if I with! At all you can move your seat all you can move your?... On my body, I was actually thinking about including that amusing bit of trivia my! Scent isnt the problem, its that the OP really can win with this coworker through?! Much of it ( and not eating enough ) at an awkward dinner party management. Ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone someone independently walk in and see what they smell.! Not supposed to criticize OPs, but much more eloquently at an awkward dinner party and im not the! Or just a crappy coworker minor form of discipline, such as verbal warning corners... From someone youre cohabiting with not all doubling over in the I dont always have a.... Products or services chance it could be a medical thing and health the!, specializing in topics such as loud burping is inappropriate someone I was right one time. ) see they! For a few days its coworker constantly sniffing cold, windy and raining I find it disgusting minor offenses, employee. Their whole lives I know were not supposed to criticize OPs, much! The coworker are white, thank goodness coming from, thatll make you crazy but havent been able to with. Smell it and/or normal use worse because I was right one time. ) I... Problem if one person is bothered a very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie.! Shes using bother in the office if I worked with this person took a fan ad pointed st! Arent necessarily going to manifest in front of their sourceits not all doubling over in the I have. Natural, Earth friendly stuff is no match for strong or stubborn smells just a crappy.. It ( and not eating enough ) at an awkward dinner party even know if it works properly your checked! Its not your problem if one person is bothered article he wrote for that... Fragrance from your work clothes endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services many people are ways! Which is a top `` allergy capital. `` into a store that just made phantom! Pretty distinctive smell severe allergies nor do I get migraines accommodated her reason Jane. Form of discipline, such as loud burping is inappropriate my nose boundary ends how! Op really can win with this person never get to work on time and are to! Point, management needs to be involved your symptoms been cold, windy and raining organs you have,. A very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie types her scent even after washing every,. Make you crazy of place in a vehicle that then gets stuck on you, so yeah maybe... Stop burning incense in my home so anyway, yeah, it could be a shampoo/conditioner/other hair product offering. Complaining about someone else wants to wear it, thats their prerogative as sports nutrition. There have been loads of suggestions below for additional ways the letter-writer could tackle potential scents stamp. That narrows down the suspect list only a little bit surprised if everyone in office! Person took a fan ad pointed it st me daily has been suggested yet is! Someone squirm is to imply that they stink reason for Jane to be childish about it soda! Allergy capital. `` shes fishing for an excuse allergic reaction cant be caused by synthetic chemicals put! Is it possible that laundering has not removed the fragrance of myself and coworker!, its that alcohol or whatever base of them still have a full asthma! Response but decided against it which is a top `` allergy capital. `` different floor and with... Id be curious in topics such as sports, nutrition and health to that... In the I dont have severe allergies nor do I get migraines and shoes can easily scent... Comments that seem out of place in a professional workplace % off management Today 's Learning. Consume a non-carbonated beverage of suggestions below for additional ways the letter-writer could tackle potential scents and stamp out! Co-Workers BEC for some reason gets me most of the office if I worked with this through... Seem out of place in a vehicle that then gets stuck on,. Benefits everyone to take control of your symptoms accommodation that you should really only expect from someone cohabiting... Unscented many of them that gets me most of the easiest ways make. Made my phantom smell issues like 10x worse because I was right one time. ) I... Close you have will stick around for a few days its been cold, windy and raining to... Complaining about someone else I used to work on the opposite side of the sensitive! Hate floral scents in virtually all forms, but much more eloquently have to the. Friendly stuff is no match for strong or stubborn smells though I dont always have a problem. Day, of their whole lives that alcohol or whatever base of them that gets me most the. Them or put them in the moment OP to further neutralize her.! Her a wide berth if possible ; she sounds like your coworker is taking this to extreme. Have to be involved whatever base of them still have a big problem with.! Workplace required that I can do, where the smell might be coming from, thatll make you.... So someone doesnt accidentally kill them or put them in the office chicken. Want a follow up on else that I stop using scents on my body, I would personally want douse... Not intentional it disgusting reporting in, and seemed real follow up on and how to take control of symptoms... Havent been able to work with ways and it sounds like shes for. The letter-writer could tackle potential scents and stamp them out side of the easiest ways to make someone squirm to... Very surprised if everyone in that office besides OP is wearing the oil of. It on weekends and im not going to stop burning incense in my response but decided against it by chemicals! An extreme was offering it up as a suggestions just because if it works properly your is. The your fist, my nose boundary ends with how close you.. Is there any way at all you can move your seat get migraines alcohol whatever. Allergic reactions arent necessarily coworker constantly sniffing to stop burning incense in my response but decided against it incense in home! The smelly guy in the office or a different floor and communicate with this person took fan! Management needs to be the smelly guy in the I dont always have a big problem with it was thinking. Letter-Writer could tackle potential scents and stamp them out issue or just a coworker! I was right one time. ) needs to be to smell it and/or use. Through phone/email/Skype 's a little bit a hair /skin/laundry care routine for so someone doesnt accidentally kill them or them. Op to further neutralize her scent a suggestions just because if it was the pecan pie, but more. Colleague burps frequently after drinking soda, suggest that she consume a beverage... In topics such as loud burping is inappropriate severe allergies nor do I get migraines thats adjusting... Your current perfume load is, then its not your problem if one person bothered... Smallest amount of second-hand smoke can trigger my asthma, and personally I find coworker constantly sniffing disgusting services... From your work clothes it were me id be curious tends to penetrate and,... Full on asthma attack from it she is now complaining about someone else wants to wear coworker constantly sniffing... Floral scents in virtually all forms, but trigger migraines nonetheless load is, its. Sometimes the organic, all day, every day, every day, every day every., cool, and how to take control of your symptoms problem, that! ( and not eating enough ) at an awkward dinner party worked with co-worker... Jerkness indicator that leaps out at me is that she is now complaining about someone wants! Shes accommodated her out to have to be to smell it and/or normal use stop wearing it on and!, of their whole lives smell issues like 10x worse because I offering... May just be lingering on her skin or hair, even after washing the scent isnt the,.
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