A reader writes... and please keep the problems coming).
“The trainee who I share an office with has really bad BO. How do I address this issue?”
It’s not simple…..blah blah blah…. could be a sign of stress….blah blah blah….. may be a sign of them having problems at home…….maybe they have accommodation problems…..blah blah blah……no matter how many times people wash some still have odour problems…..call HR ……after a training day when the trainee will have been near many people…… ask it to be anonymous…..blah blah blah…. HR will call them and they will speak to them and see if they need help….blah blah blah….if “HR” is not listed in the phone directory try “Human Capital Management” as law is a people business (like yeah….). You are doing the decent thing - the trainee would be mortified to know and they will appreciate being helped in a sensitive way.
"It's standard for new Trainees - your armpit please"
Or you post a can of BO basher to them in the internal mail and suggest they use it. Signed “a well wisher”.
"To the Trainee - from XX"
Or you start a water polo team and insist you train every day. First thing. With team shower gel. I recommend “Insignia” - it’s all over.
Or you learn to love it, valuing it as the musky scent of raw humanity (although to be fair the phrase “really bad BO” does make it sound hard to love).
Or you move job - and when on interview the question “why are you moving?” comes up - tell them this sorry tale (and don’t mention those allegations of misbehaviour at the Christmas party or the forwarding of an email regarding the flavoursome properties of your intimate fluids to the whole world). It may be drastic but then really bad BO is serious as well. Enjoy!