body odor complaint by my employer

reply to post by nobodysavedme


If you bath every day and use deodorant................then your office workers are bullying you.

They are trying to find any excuse they can to discredit you.

Do not use bleach, there is enough in our water system. Do not add more!!!!!!!!!!! (Cancer)

Maybe try using a different deodorant?

Also, if you wear polyester shirts and pants............polyester maintains body odors, even after washing.

Try to wear clothes that have more cotton as cotton "breathes".

You might also bring a extra can of deodorant and pamper diaper wipes with you in your purse if you are a female and at noon, freshen up in the bathroom stall.

People are so nasty now.

One last thing. If you eat a lot of Indian cursine the spices leak out of your skin and can smell.?

Hope this is helpful.

I had the opposite problem where I worked, I was called into the office for being too "perfumed".

They always try to make us workers feel like "bad dogs".

If this is the biggest offense they can complain about you must be pretty good at your job and a threat to the others.................it's all a game. A vicious game.

But do you have body odor? maybe not.

First i am a EMT and have smelled many types of medical body odors. from drunks to diabetes.

You may not have a body odor problem. The complainer may have a medical condition that causes them to perceive odors strangely.
www.wrongdiagnosis.com...
Or something they eat, drink, or medication they are taking may be mixing with your normal body odor making them believe you have a offensive body order.
Also i have had cases where people with mental health problems that ether hallucinated strange odors. or because of there disorder there brain would completely misinterpret odors.

Medication you are taking can also cause body odors. statin drugs for high cholesterol are known for this.
and there are other medications that will cause odors.

I had the same thing happen to me. one company i worked for we rode a van into the work site, about a 30 min drive.
Someone complained to the boss that I had a strong body odor. Now this was in a van full of construction workers.
Yes there were strong body odors of alcohol sweat that i smelled. As some of the crew drank heavy after work.
and the next morning you could smell the strong alcohol sweat.
And i could not have been me because i did not drink.
The boss checked with a couple other members of the crew and they confirmed what i said..

After long hours on hot days working as a EMT i found that Chlorophyll tablets that you can buy at any drug store is the only thing that will stop body odor.
Chlorophyll will treat internal and external body odors.

Chlorophyll tablets are used by people with Ostomy bags and people that are urinary incontinent to hide the odors from those conditions.

Perfumes, deodorants, and some antiperspirants, can cause complaints from people that have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome.(MCS)
www.acupunctureinbellingham.com...
www.americanchronicle.com...
The person that complained about you may have MCS and think its body odor and not know they have the disorder.

Sounds like a lot of good suggestions made so far. Have you tried using stick deodorant, I know the spray stuff hardly works for me personally. Worse comes to worse find a hippy store and buy some of that patchouli oil stuff. I swear once you smell that stuff it stays in the nose all day long!!! Then your coworkers can call you a pothead either way have some fun with it, life's too short to get yourself down over it.

BO is natural, if it smells bad your diet is bad.

Pretty rough of the people you work with tho.

Don't let them get you down.

I say you take all these negative emotions, and vent it out on paper directed at whoever complained to your boss, .... call them out as the cowards they are. Print it out on your computer, and hang it in every break room or social gathering place you can.

dont be specific enough to trace it back to you, but just enough so only they will know who it's for.

I hate RATS.

Could it be your clothes?
Every so often, I run a washer with a few cups of white vinegar in it. Then I put some vinegar on a towel and put that in the dryer.

Sometimes washers can get rank, and make clothes smell.
Vinegar is great for odor, I'd try that in a bath before I would bleach.
Just a cup or two in a bath.

Also your shoes - nothing's worse than stinky shoes. If it is your shoes, just throw them away and get new ones. I'm serious. Crocs has antibacterial and antifungal soles. My 15 year old son won't wear socks and he was KILLING us all with foot odor. Now I only buy him Crocs- they have some that look very much like regular shoes now- they've really come a long way since the garden clogs they started with. My son has some that look like oxfords.

reply to post by nobodysavedme

nobodysavedme,

(In the category TMI)

I know what you are going through because I have been there. It took me quite some time and visits to a doctor to come to the conclusion that they could not help me.

You see, my problem started when I was having one of those colds that just wouldn't go away. I had a six months during nasal congestion. Because of this I could not smell anything. So I started questioning myself that if I had body odor, I could not smell myself.

Insecurity set in and everywhere there was a crowd, I would feel uncomfortable because I might smell. Ridiculous as it may seem but my body started to go into panic mode every time I was close to other people. I even started to pickup on other people's conversations if the had certain keywords in it like "smell" or "stink", and would automatically assume they were referring to me.

It kinda grew in my head but the result was that every time I was around people, I would get cold sweat. You now, the kind of sweat you get when you fear something. Cold sweat smells way more than any other sweat....

You see, I was fulfilling my own prophecy. Because I feared that I smelled bad, I started to smell bad!!

It could be that this story has absolutely nothing to do with your dilemma but it will save you years of frustration and pointless visits to a doctor.

Peace

Originally posted by xEphon
Okay, I guess I'll be the first to ask.
But do you have body odor? If not, then I believe this may be a form of harassment. I would talk to your HR department about it.
If you DO have body odor, then there are obviously steps that you can take to correct the issue. I'm not sure taking a bath with bleach is the correct way to deal with this problem nor is using an entire can of deodorant in addition to the above. Go to your doctor and get their advice.

I may be wrong, but a person having body odor is yes, annoying, but by no means something to lose a job over. If the talks continue, body odor or not, I think that it IS harassment and you need to put your foot down, OP! I would also agree and please ask that you stop with the bleach. There is no sense in harming yourself. Have you had other mentions of the odor at any other time in your life or is the the first time? I also agree that if this is new, that you could have a medical issue and should get checked out ASAP!

reply to post by nobodysavedme


Nobodysavedme.....

If you get bleach in your eyes, you're going to be in a great deal of trouble.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by ANNED


ANNED.....

do you have body odor? maybe not

No.....I don't.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

don't use bleach!

cotton shirts, head bands and shave the pits.

get rid of the hair.

beard etc.

Originally posted by onehuman
Did the person give a idea of just What the odor smelled like? That could be one clue. For example, something not mentioned yet, do you have cats? I know of a friend of mine no matter how clean She was, the odor of her cat boxes followed her.

You may have just reached a point of "Nervous" odor now too. People are known to create a different odor when they are scared or nervous which isnt very pleasant either.

The bleach just cant be good and may be adding more to the problem then helping it. Perhaps just a nice shower and no chemicals added like the colognes and anti perspraint sprays. You may be having a reaction to them as well.

And last point... yes, see your human resource person if you have that option. See if you can get to the bottom of it from another direction

Almost exactly what I was going to say. It's one thing telling someone they 'smell' but it's another knowing WHAT the smell is.

My friends the otehr day said I stink... I immediatley started to sniff my pitts [as you do] and he laughed and said "No it smells like rotting forrests" ... He's ONLY JUST noticed that I wear Patchouli Oil as a perfume! For some reason this last week it has started to offend him... lmao..

Anyway, I had one dear friend who stunk awful due to her diet, her family diet gave them all a very high pitched, back of the throat killing smell.... Once she left home and started to eat a varied diet her odour went...

There are so many things a person can smell of, I feel physically sick when my hubby comes in from having a smoke.... the mixture of that and coffee breath make me gag... it has nothing to do with his hygene as he bathes daily and uses smellies.

I think the people at work are mean, it's good to be honest but if you are going to tell someone something potentially insulting at least back it up with information... ie: You tend to smell of coffee and bad breath or you smell of tuna fish every Friday etc etc...... Something you can WORK on not just a "You stink do something about it"

The bleach... that will eventually gice you ulcers, these will get infected and THEN you will stink like a corpse.... Stop with the bleach already there is enough chlorine in our water!

reply to post by nobodysavedme


I am sorry to hear of your problem, I'm sure it is quite embarrassing. You say you have been to the doctors, however you don't say if the doctor said you have body odour. Perhaps you should see him again and ask him/her if in fact you do. I am also sure you have friends at work who, though it will be embarrassing for you and them, you can ask if you have this problem.

Let them know how much courage it has taken to ask the question and that you want them to be completely honest. If they reply in the negative then you should confront your boss with the information and ask him/her that you consider this to be some form of harrassment and what steps you/he/she can take against the person involved.

reply to post by nobodysavedme


First of all, stop worrying about that.
Don't you find it odd that nobody complained before? I mean, if your body odor was that bad you would have heard complaints or seen people avoiding you much, much earlier, don't you think?
It's possible that person has an olfactory problem. Or maybe he or she is just mean. Who knows.

Second, always keep a package of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with you. That way you'll be protected from *any* bad odor at all times. Every few hours, if necessary, go to the bathroom, moisten your armpits and rub them with a little baking soda. Then rinse it off.
If you use it very often, it *may* cause reddish patches to appear, but they are harmless and don't hurt. To prevent them moisturize your skin at home.

Sodium bicarbonate is probably the best deodorant there is and it kills bacteria on contact, so it's also very useful for rinsing the mouth, not to mention as a cleaning household aid.



Good luck. And don't worry!

You truly do smell awful! It's so powerful and pungent that i can smell you through my monitor
I would recommend hiding yourself away and never leave your home !!















Only joking of course.
Trying a bit of sleuthing and if you find out who's complaining you make get lucky yourself that they may be smokers.
Do you smoke ? If not and they do, complain that you can smell THEM and they might just leave you alone !!!

reply to post by nobodysavedme


You might see a doctor to ensure that you don't have a glandular problem or something like that, but what you for certain should do is to talk to your supervisor and let him/her know that you are seeing a Dr.. If you are actively following up on your "problem" then your employer will have no right to discipline you in any way and you will be protected from unfair discipline.

tamale

reply to post by nobodysavedme


hmmm. maybe the first complain was just someone being an a-hole. body oder is one of those really awkward topics that might lead a boss to drag you in and yell at you without really checking out the problem him/herself. the second complaint might be either more a-holery or the extreme amount of deoderant you're wearing. either this or you have one of those chronic body oder diseases, in which case i think there's some kind of medical antipersperent and possibly medication.

if this is a medical problem and you're just now becoming aware they really have no right to fire you.

Originally posted by nobodysavedme
i have been hauled into the boss's office after somebody complained i had body odor.

i work in a office which has a temperature at least 18 degrees and goes up to 25 during the day.

i bath and wash everyday.

i feel very depressed now and avoid people and even after this i got another got another complaint about odor again.

i don't know what to do and feel very depressed and apprehensive about going to work every day and terrified somebody walking will complain again.

i am at least 12 to 18 foot from the nearest person as i moved desks.

the boss refused to name the complainer.

i am terrified i will lose my job and i have a mortgage and family.

going to work is becoming a ordeal...a kind of torture waiting for the next complaint.

it is so embarrassing.i can hardly sleep nowadays and terrified of going near anyone at work and don't socialize at all.

i have now started bathing with household bleach and put so much anti antiperspirant on that i use a whole can in 3 days... and the wife says she can't come near me because of the smell of bleach and antiperspirant.

i am also afraid i might get cancer from the bleach and antiperspirants and feel very depressed and lonely.

edit on 1-10-2010 by nobodysavedme because: (no reason given)

Here is a sincere question for you:

Do you have cavities or an abcess in your mouth?
If you wash every day and you wear body spray or what have you then look at other sources for the odor.

If you haven't been to the dentist in a couple of years and you have a cavity or 2 then that may be the problem. I was hanging out with some friends once and there was a new person in the mix. Everytime we got in the car it was this alarming smell. Like death. I says to my other friend what is that smell? She says its because the girl had a open hole in her tooth and that was what was causing it. And most of the time, when it is your breath you won't really be able to smell it.
So do try to see a dentist...or a doctor because thats why the employer offers you benefits.

reply to post by spikey


Thanks for all your support.

When i was at school i was told people sweat because the body needs to lose heat and it is a normal bodily function otherwise you would suffer heat stroke.

I only have a cup of tea with a dash of milk in the morning.Nothing else.I don't smoke ,drink,don't have burgers or take any other drugs.

The doctor said i was normal and everyone smells or gives of a odor ,even plastics and metal.

Some people are more sensitive to some smells he said.

Reason i use bleach it it kills all known germs.It does sting now over the last few weeks and i have red patches and skin irritation on underarms.I have become very sensitive to the word smell and think they are referring to me.I was wondering if soaking clothes in bleach and allowing to dry it helps.

I avoid going near anyone now and never go out now and just watch tv as i have lost my self confidence.

The wife says i am fine but maybe she is used to the smell?

I can smell other people but it never occurred to me to report them to the boss as i recognize that everyone is different and must smell differently.

Aww, don't let this get you down. You got a problem? Solve it. See a doctor to find the source. If it's true that you do, he won't lie to you, and will make recommendations for you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, just solve the problem!

I've noticed many body odors are really from dirty hair. Be sure and wash it before work with a nice smelling shampoo.



Just noticed you have seen a doctor, and he said you are fine. Wife says you are fine. So you are!
Maybe they are just smelling their upper lip!