How to solve staff hygiene problems.

[Dansouthwales]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum. I'm a locum pharmacist in South Wales mainly in Cardiff and Caerphilly at the moment. I have come to ask a bit of an awkward question as I am unsure how to go about solving it.

For the last 3 years I have worked as a second pharmacist in a busy pharmacy from Fri-Sun. Everything was great, but two months ago the regular pharmacist quit her job and the store employed a new pharmacist and that's where the problem begins; basically he has very bad body odour.

I noticed it when I first worked with him but it was a hot day so I let it go, but as the months have gone on it has just got worse and worse. At first the girls in the pharmacy tried leaving deodrant in the toilet for him to get a hint but it didn't help. The girls have said it's worse in the week so one saturday last month I took him aside and just mentioned to him about body odour. He replied quite cooly that he had just been in a rush this morning and had forgot to shower, I told him that he could borrow some of my deodrant if he needed it but he said he didn't use it as he has a bad reaction to it and then walked off. I was a bit gobsmacked so didn't say any more (Obviously I'm only the second pharmacist and the other pharmacist is about 15 years older than me)

In the hot weather a couple of weeks ago the smell in the shop was digusting, even customers were complaining. So with no other alternative I contacted the Branch Manager to see if she could have a word with him. She was very embarressed and didn't know how to address the problem but she said she would get back to me. Last week she rang to say she had spoken to him and he was very embarressed and would take more care. However this week I was back in work again and nothing has changed, the girls said Mon-Wed he smelled okay but by Thursday he was smelling again.

I don't know how to solve the problem now; I know it may sound trivial but when you have to put up with the smell for nearly 9 hours a day it really gets to you; when I come home I can actually taste his smell in the back of my throat! Does anyone have any suggestions for a way to solve this? Shoud I try and bring it up again or go back to the branch manager maybe?

[Pharmanaut]

I noticed it when I first worked with him but it was a hot day so I let it go, but as the months have gone on it has just got worse and worse. At first the girls in the pharmacy tried leaving deodrant in the toilet for him to get a hint but it didn't help. The girls have said it's worse in the week so one saturday last month I took him aside and just mentioned to him about body odour. He replied quite cooly that he had just been in a rush this morning and had forgot to shower, I told him that he could borrow some of my deodrant if he needed it but he said he didn't use it as he has a bad reaction to it and then walked off. I was a bit gobsmacked so didn't say any more (Obviously I'm only the second pharmacist and the other pharmacist is about 15 years older than me)

In the hot weather a couple of weeks ago the smell in the shop was digusting, even customers were complaining. So with no other alternative I contacted the Branch Manager to see if she could have a word with him. She was very embarressed and didn't know how to address the problem but she said she would get back to me. Last week she rang to say she had spoken to him and he was very embarressed and would take more care. However this week I was back in work again and nothing has changed, the girls said Mon-Wed he smelled okay but by Thursday he was smelling again.
?

Surprised that he hasn't noticed it?
As one who reacts to Gillette series AP/Deo (had to use HC cream for a while) I tried Mrs Pharmanaut's Dove Roll On.
Have used that brand ever since with no problems.
And no, I haven't volunteered for the adverts yet.

[Fleegle]

Drop him an anonymous email, and include this link..

Karcher UK

Fleeg.

[Pharmanaut]

Drop him an anonymous email, and include this link..

Karcher UK

Fleeg.

Buy him some lynx then shake your outsize maraccas at him?

[Defblade]

Another vote for Dove tho I use the cream version. Not been able to use sprays since they took the CFCs out

In the meantime, he's clearly not taken the hint, or the pleasant approaches. I would just be blunt. Every time*. Explain that washing both body and clothes, preferably at least every other day, will sort it. In fact, no need to use de-od or anti-persp at all if you wash daily; fresh sweat doesn't smell bad. If they turn up stinking, offer to cover their workload while they go home, shower and change. Take a can of air freshener and spray it every 10 minutes.



*how to win friends and influence people and lose work

[howe928]

could it be clothes he wears?

- get hold of a lot of dead insects and sprinkle them around where he stands
- release body gas while near him and let him start the question
- always position yourself near the ground level so you only get the oxygen rich air
seriously
-buy a secret santa deodorant for him
-squirt strong perfume on you or a plant or anythign near him
-charcoal?
-keep sneezing and let him ask the question
-talk about something else and then wickedly shift the topic towards body odour

[Rafael]

you just made me laugh unexpected discussion! this is one of the reasons i hate going to london and using the underground! summers comes and all the smelly people are on the tubes, argggg
now living in a small town, no smelly people and no undergrounds