Tackling poor personal hygiene in the workplace

This article first appeared in People Management

As all employers know, that there are inevitably times when you have to have difficult conversations with employees. One of the most tricky situations of all is where you have to talk to an employee about the fact that they have body odour or poor personal hygiene. Usually this would be because you have had complaints from colleagues, or because they are customer-facing. We set out some practical advice about the steps employers can take to deal with an employee who has body odour or poor personal hygiene.

 Personal hygiene issues can cause significant problems in the workplace. Not only do they make the working environment unpleasant for others, they can also cause difficulties for businesses where staff are customer facing. However it is important to remember that individuals are not necessarily aware that they have a personal hygiene problem until it is brought to their attention. Also, often poor personal hygiene or body odour can be a sign of an underlying issue, such as a personal problem or a medical condition.

Speak to the employee in private

Obviously this is a situation that needs to be addressed promptly, but understandably many managers and HR professionals may feel uncomfortable about addressing this type of issue for fear of offending the person, or causing formal complaints to be made about bullying and in some cases, discrimination.

However, it is best for the situation to be dealt with professionally as soon you become aware of it. If not, you might find that colleagues take matters into their own hands, which could mean the situation isn’t handled as sensitively as it needs to be.

The first step is to have a word in private with the employee in question. It is best to get straight to the point gently, tactfully and clearly. There is little point in beating around the bush, so inform the employee what the issue is directly in a non-judgemental manner, i.e. that complaints have been received about their hygiene. However, it is also very important to be sympathetic to the feelings of the employee during the conversation, and aim to put them at ease as far as possible.

If the situation doesn’t improve, make clear what needs to happen and what the consequences could be

In many cases, a discreet conversation is all that is required. However, if the problem persists, then you may need to have a further conversation with the person, during which you need to make it clear what the expected standards are and what improvement is expected within a reasonable timeframe. If that second conversation does not bring about any response, then unfortunately it may be necessary to commence formal disciplinary action.

As always, you should keep notes of the conversations with the employee in case of any issues later on, as this will assist you if you do have to take disciplinary action further down the line. Notes should also be kept of any complaints received from colleagues (or customers etc.) about the issue.

Sometimes employees can raise health or cultural issues as an explanation for their smell, and if disciplinary action is taken against them they may claim that the employer’s actions relate to a protected characteristic (for example disability or religion) and are therefore discriminatory. To try and minimise the risk of this it is always best for employers to carefully consider the points the employee makes, and take advice if necessary.

Conclusion

Challenging conversations like this are never easy, but it is important that issues are addressed directly and as soon as possible so they don’t get out of hand. It is also important to act consistently and reasonably to avoid allegations of discrimination, so it is worth taking advice before progressing with formal action. If you are uncomfortable about having conversations like this, some external training or role-play practice with colleagues may help.