Workplace Statistics Regarding Body Odour
October 22, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Personal Hygiene
We’ve done an extensive amount of posts regarding body odour and how to get rid of it - but the one thing that we’ve not really talked about is how to deal with it in the workplace, especially if you have someone that has body odour and it appears that they are not doing anything to resolve the issue.
First off – there are no statistics on just how bad body odour is in the workplace. I don’t keep any stats on it where I work, nor do I think any organization does. I’m also not aware of any statistics being kept about body odour in the workplace.
As I was researching to prepare this post, I did come across an interesting series of posts from a site called Workplace Law Network – the site was geared towards the UK but presumably the legal and ethical questions this brings up would apply wherever you are. I’m NOT A LAWYER nor am I an expert in HR so the information provided here is for educational purposes only. Ideally if you have someone in your workplace with body odour problem you need to speak to your manager or HR department — they may be better equipped to help resolve these issues.
Source: http://www.workplacelaw.net/forums/listComments/thread_id/446
PRACTICAL ADVICE
Excessive body odour is caused by bacteria.
In order to combat this, body hair such as that under armpits should be trimmed. Obviously showering daily is helpful as is using deoderant on freshly washed skin. Using a deoderant with a 24 hr anti-perspirent is essential. In addition b.o may be controlled by applying antiseptic cream such as sudocreme to the affected areas.
The initial question that was raised:
Does anyone have any suggestions of how to approach a fairly new member of staff regarding his body odour problem?
One good response was:
Although this is not a performance or discipline matter, it is a problem that can cause irritation (and therefore poor performance) among other employees.
Before you address this particular problem, you should consider drawing up a plan of the route you a prepared to take in such cases, preferably in consultation with interested parties (health and safety manager, HR, union rep, etc.).
For example, you may wish to start with a private conversation where you inform the employee of the problem, and try, where possible, to address the cause (e.g. medical problems). You can then move to your formal disciplinary route if the employee fails to act.
You should record all conversations and keep a record on file.
It goes without saying that a high level of tact will be required to avoid causing offence and potentially ending up in front of a tribunal. The employee will appreciate the matter being kept private.
Another response:
I have had experience of having to deal with this problem with an employee. I had a private conversation with the him where I raised the issue of his odour. Despite it being quite strong he was unaware of it and was at a loss as to it’s cause, that was the first question he asked me. His odour did improve and both his confidence at the workplace and his relations with other employess benefited.
I agree with Ciaron that you should try and address the cause, and be prepared to do so. These could range from inneffective laundry, through to diet or a more serious medical problem. You should also act promptly, it may harm the employees relationship with other staff if the problem is not dealt with.
You may also be able to get some guidance from EMAS.
As to Simons comments, I can find little but fault! As I said the employee I dealt with was unaware of the problem. A card and a smile probably won’t do much to manage stress, and the cure is probably best left to the employee personally (unless he requests help) or his medical practicioner.
The series of posts is excellent, and well worth the read and it will give you some great information on how to approach someone in the workplace that has body odour issues.
Steps To A Clean Body – Personal Hygiene
October 9, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Personal Hygiene, Self Image
If you take a look at my featured posts, I’ve talked about Personal Hygiene in several posts – here is one of them: http://www.lose-weight-feel-great.com/2009/06/10/7-steps-to-personal-hygiene/.
First off these suggestions are NOT limited to adult. Children (yes, children) should also practice personal hygiene — it’s up to parents to help them and teach them. I can’t tell you how often I’ve stood in line at a grocery store to see kids covered in dirt or picking their noses or other parts of their body. PARENTS – WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?! Show some responsibility and leadership and tell your kids what’s acceptable and not acceptable in public.
OK. That aside you can teach hygiene to your kids.
Are you guilty of this:
- Kids come from the pool and their clothes are thrown in with all the others?
- They’ve gone out to play, and you decide to keep the clothes for another day.
- Gone shopping and you figure they are clean enough to be kept with all the other clothes.
Bad, bad, bad. Kids touch everything. Then they wipe their grimy little hands on their clothes. I speak from experience as I have a 6-year old boy and while he’s probably a little sick of us encouraging proper hygiene it pays off: he’s hardly ever sick and he’s learned from a young age what is and is not acceptable.
Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve come from the pool.
Answer – have you seen the floors in the pool? Do you know whether a kid has urinated there or not? The floors are disgusting and lets face it it’s not easy to change a kid in a pool without them having to touch the ground (or their clothes touching the ground). Yuuck. When we come back from swimming, the kids clothes go in the wash AND he gets another bath.
Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve come in from outside.
Answer – it’s dirty outside. Plain and simple. Buy extra shorts/shirts. Once they’re done playing, the clothes should go in the wash - no excuses.
Why is it WRONG to “re-use” kids clothes when they’ve gone shopping.
Answer – it’s dirty outside. Plain and simple. If they sit in the cart – do you know who (or what) was in the cart before them? The carts generally stay outside. You can have all types of bugs or even birds on them. My son is quite tall, so can’t fit into the carts anymore but that doesn’t stop him from touching everything and anything when we go shopping. His clothes go in the wash regardless.
You may think that we’re a little overboard when it comes to cleanliness – and maybe we are but you know what, my kid rarely gets sick and when he does it’s usually something he’s caught from someone at school. He’s got it in his head that he doesn’t want to look or smell so even at 6 takes pride in ensuring that his clothes are clean and when he goes out that he looks “smart” and “handsome”.
You don’t have to go to the extremes that perhaps my wife and I have gone to – but if you start teaching your kids at a young age the steps needed to keep a clean body it will become a habit and they will keep it with them forever.
Celebrity Beauty Secrets
August 26, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Self Image
Reservatrol, also called resveratrol, is a substance in red wine that seems to allow mice to live up to 20-50 percent longer. Given in high doses reservatrol seems to block many of the bad effects of high-caloric diets. The fact is that the doses given to the mice was far larger than anyone can get by drinking red wine. The equivalent dose in a human would require that the person drink about 300 glasses per day, enough to destroy the liver in fairly short order.
Currently, reservatrol can be found in some dietary supplements. The major source is from a plant grown in China called the Giant Knotweed. But thoroughly documented experiments that show the actual life extending effects of reservatrol have not yet been made. However, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc, has begun testing reservatrol-based drugs on diabetes patients.
Reservatrol seems to work by mimicking a proven life extending process called calorie restriction (also known as CR). Calorie restriction involves reducing food intake by a third and has been shown (as early as the 1930s) to extend lifespan in animals by 30-40 percent. However, this type of regimen is considered too rigorous to most people.
Although there are other substances that have shown to have similar effects (metformin, for one) reservatrol is the first that has shown cross species application and also has been ingested by humans for thousands of years.
Studies at Harvard Medical School showed how Reservatrol had benefits for yeast, extending the lifespan by 70 percent. Speculation then arose that perhaps reservatrol accounted for what has become known as the “French Paradox” – the fact that the French eat high fat diets, drink a lot of wine, and have a longer than average lifespan.
Reservatrol in the amounts available in dietary supplements is considered safe according to an article in the November 2,2006 issue of the Wall Street Journal. The high doses given to mice indicated that there might be problems associated with the liver. This, however, would require a human to take hundreds of reservatrol pills daily in order to equal the doses given to mice.
Besides the anti-aging effects, reservatrol has also been shown to increase activity and endurance in aging mice. It is thought that this might be because reservatrol stimulates an enzyme called SIRT1 which helps to spur the growth of new mitochondria in cells. (Mitochondria are the organelles of a cell that convert fuel to energy).
Is this a promising new drug to help increase human longevity…only time can tell.
Source: http://www.indepthinfo.com/nutrition/reservatrol.shtml
Big Guys Dressing Well & Establishing Rapport With Your Clothier
July 30, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Clothing, Living Large, Self Image
I’ve always enjoyed dressing well – however when I was younger, it was usually jeans and t-shirt or something similar because I didn’t really know about clothes for big men. As I got older, I had to refine my clothing but always shied away from buying the latest because of cost.
However as I built rapport with the various clothiers I’ve used over the years, I’ve been given bigger and better discounts. Typically I get 10% off (as does EVERYONE) because I gave the company my e-mail address – however whenever the manager is in he’ll go one step further and see when the items I’ve purchased are set to go on sale and if it’s going to be on sale within 3 months time he’ll give me the discount then instead.
Most recently I purchased three pairs of dress pants, very good quality and priced at over $175.00 per pair. There was a 25% discount but the manager bumped that to just around 50% after adding in my 10% plus what appeared to be a “loyalty” discount – so I paid around $90.00 for $175.00 pants — and these are not end-of-season items either! It’s regular stock.
The same with shirt – I purchased 15 new shirts that would have cost me about $1,000 for around $300 – some were end-of-season and a few were meant for the cooler months but all were brand new, were heavily discounted and when they added my 10% discount — well, the deal was great.
I managed to buy pants, great dress shirts and dress shoes (the latest styles from Stacey Adams) all for under $1,000.00. This included lots of socks, plus accessories like a ties and belts.
One thing that I’ve found is that when you purchase from a clothier — whether they are independent or large national chain, they appreciate your repeat business and when you combine that with getting to know the staff that work there the shopping experience is that much better plus you get in on special deals.
When I bought the pants, there was someone in front of me that bought the same pair and he paid the sale price which was around $131.00. I managed to score an additional $25.00 discount.
I still see too many b-i-g and large-ish guys that don’t know how to dress well and the clothes that they do wear are clearly too tight…
If you are a professional – whether that means someone that sits at a cubicle all day or you’re out and about working in Sales or something similar if you are a big guy it is VERY important to dress well and look the part otherwise you will be discounted by your peers and the public.
Take care!
Mohamed
Where Can I Learn About Dressing Well As An Overweight Man?
Interesting question sent to me the other day, the answer of course is right here.
If you’ve been following the series of posts that I have made on personal hygiene, you will remember that I did post about how to dress well as an overweight man.
Here is the link to the post, that post then contains links to the individual posts that I’ve made over the last few weeks.
You should check out Casual Male XL.
They sell brand name products and great prices – these are not your typical polyester pants and gaudy shirts – but clothes that will make you look stylish and give you the image that you want.
You will find products from…
Plus many, many more!
It has never been easier to buy the right clothes and learn how to dress well as an overweight man.
A couple of items that I bought when I was in LA recently and found to fit very good and look nice:
Harbor Bay® Water-Repellent Poplin Jacket
Stand collar with hidden hood, placket hides a zipper, hidden zipper pockets, adjustable cuffs and inside pockets. Fully lined. Polyester. Machine washasble. I purchased it in the grey color. It’s listed for $55.00 on their site – but paid about half-that as it was on sale at their outlet store.
You can click on the jacket to find out the current price and look for other items on their site.
They have an excellent collection of sports coats in addition to suit separtes when priced together are comparable to what you would expect to pay for a full-suit.
They also have a clearance center where I spotted a couple of great buys, like this:
Fossil® Mason Leather Messenger Bag
Smooth glazed leather has antiqued brass hardware, an adjustable shoulder strap and multiple interior pockets that help you stay organized.
The only problem with clearance items is that you may not always find the right size or color – but it’s always worth the look.
So if you would like to dress well as an overweight man (until you lose all that excess weight) then you should definately visit Casual Male XL.
Mohamed