Men also use this gesture to stake their territory or to show other men that they're not afraid. That is a very specific smell that many associate with granola hippie types. (Especially since you cant actually smell it unless you are sniffing my head, and no one at work has any business sniffing my head. I dont think this is a race thing. But long workdays also give a snitch the chance to witness all other workers' comings, goings, and other activities. Love the Smelly LW title! I would be saying you have a problem with the smell of soap and water? A lot of times they put them on 12 hours ago for a night out and arent planning on taking a shower until after work the next day. Therefore, I only bring it up to people if I cant avoid the person and just deal with it because I feel that I shouldnt dictate how others live their own lives. Its tough to describe. Used only a little, but it took four washes to get most of the scent out of my clothing. Heres an analogy I came up with: Imagine you are in a burning building and if you dont get out immediately, you will pass out from the smoke and/or get burned. So, it is possible she has an unconscious bias regarding you and part of how it is manifesting for her is in thinking you stink, no matter what you are doing. Im not allergic, but it just has such a terrible chemical smell that just lingers forever if my coworker wanted to get rid of me, spraying my stuff with Febreeze would do it! Enlarged turbinates, structures in the nose that clean and humidify the air you breathe handy when theyre working well, not so much when they take up too much nasal real estate. Either way, your coworker is being a jerk. Ive eaten Moes only once since that year. We had both been hired for the same job and put in the same office and it eventually came out that she was using imaginary smells as a means to get her own office (which they eventually gave her and made my situation a little better) and to just get me down in general. 10% off Management Today's Leadership Learning programme. :). This accomplishes TWO things. Blowing is fine--sniffling is a killer. Lets figure out something you can do to make yourself more comfortable.. But whenever I smell patchouli, I think of my mom many years ago, and its comforting. * Diets heavy in certain foods like onions and garlic (yum) may give strong body scents. On a sidewalk, on a windy day. But youre not alone and I for one believe youre probably not the problem. Instead, shes making an ass of herself. I was offering it up as a suggestions just because if it were me Id be curious. Toxic coworkers are, first and foremost, predominantly selfish individuals. I believe this poster also used vinegar rinses on her hair and it was a regular thing, so the aggregate of trace smells was probably passing the tipping point. and if tissues don't work for someone there are medications and netty pots and SO MANY alternatives to sniffling forever and ever. I cannot imagine going to work everyday without perfume on. as others mentioned, is not fine. It usually is, but theres no guarantee. Im chemically sensitive to cheap perfumes, something in the inexpensive stuff triggers asthma and migraines. I was thinking something similar it could be an issue developing with the coworker that they dont even realize is happening yet. Agreed. Im a grown-up, so I wouldnt do that, but oh, Lord, would I want to. I would switch laundry detergent, perfume, etc. In high school I had a job at a chain pizza place. I was thinking that too. I understand that some people are extra-sensitive to smell and truly need to be accommodated, but its possible to be extra-sensitive and yet not act like the Perfume Police to ones coworkers, particularly a coworker who has already gone to significant lengths to mitigate any ill effects. it also helps with static electricity AND acts as a fabric softener and is much cheaper than store bought fabric softener. She pounced on that and tried to make it seem like using soap was somehow inconsiderate. So yeah. Just dont feel bad anymore, because short of quitting, you can only do so much to accommodate your co-worker. I totally agree I know the OP is trying to do her best, and is frustrated about where this could be coming from. Often I come across as rude, and I sincerely dont mean it. I so rarely tell anyone if their perfume or whatever bothers me (especially since it is often some other product that it scentedpeople who use scented detergents can smell really strongly to me) because it seems so loaded. So Im pretty inclined to read the comments as coworker being a jerk instead of actually having difficulty working with a smelly coworker. Using Chat for Office Communication. lol Im inclined to think shes just a jerk. Im sorry, no. Your dog may follow the ill dog around more than usual and may spend a lot of time . Guess what? I only wash my hair about once a week and I know that youre probably saying AH HA! She sounds truly awful. Next day had the worst hangover of my life. At this point, it seems to me that her behavior is/is verging on (whichever seems most appropriate to you) workplace bullying, and I am concerned. Then see what Boss says, and go from there. Our nine-year-old son has trouble remembering to chew with his mouth closed. I work closely with her, so I immediately apologized and washed it off, and havent worn any of my perfume since. +100 my workplace has those cans of Febreze in the bathroom and while I get the need for them, I do get that, its still awful and headache-inducing for me when someone sprays it. I wonder if you can narrow it down to a certain article of clothing that really has held onto the smell. That said, I havent seen a lot of patchouli-scented hair products (I mean, maybe 1-2 from the natural shampoo section? Someone like me would obviously be a real problem for OPs coworker. In the case of sniffing, offer your colleague a box of tissues or suggest that she should stay home until she feels better. I love shoe sniffing stories, especially when it involves hot girls with stinky shoes. Even I cant wear those. The runny nose, persistent stuffiness, and postnasal drip of the sniffles are often self-diagnosed as a cold. Grandboss there actually had a candle burning that was majorly causing issues, and heis version of being accommodating was to ask what candles I burn at homeNone, I have asthma. Even the most lightly-scented of shampoos can leave a smell. Be clear that you took her complaints seriously & youve done all you can reasonably do, then suggest that she look for other causes that arent you. The last time she used baby powder on a babys bum was approximately 31 years ago. Still cant eat red velvet after a stomach bug. I actually had a coworker use this as a bullying tactic about 7 years ago. Yeah she can look for more scent sources, but none of this makes any sense. Thats right up there with You think its cold in here? It would suck for OP if it is her entire wardrobe and she just cant smell it. And its one of the most powerful triggers available. Almost everyone I know who wears that kind of scent is white, and I really hope that OP is, too. Please cut it out.). Never in my life did I think I'd see Gordon Ramsay quoted positively in an etiquette forum, but there it is, and he did well. I also think that the OP should go to HR and let them know what has been going on. If she tries cornering you and directly accusing you, you just shrug your shoulders confused and say you dont know how you can help her solve her problem of the phantom scent. 1 They always take a lunch break with you. In other words, I tried steps 1-4 above, but was on my own to deal with this nut and couldnt get anything to work. No. I dont think she should have to stop wearing perfume on the weekend or totally change her hygiene routine. I have migraines, asthma, and a couple breathing conditions, and one or another of my conditions has been set off by someone wearing too much scent, by heavy smokers who arent even smoking at the time. If you let mgmt/HR know you want to do what you can to address your co-workers sensitivities, youll be seen as proactive and sympathetic. I would go to HR myself and complain that I am being harassed by a co-worker who in spite of your having ended wearing the perfume that bothered her is waging a campaign of harassment against you. I havent used anything patchouli-scented in weeks/months/whatever! Scent is the one sense that bypasses the frontal part of the brain and hits directly into the limbic system of the brain. We still see each other fairly regularly Because Kids and its extremely jarring that he looks the same but smells wrong. I think at this point, management needs to be involved. I cant handle it at all! Im thinking the co-worker is using the term patchouli as an insult, catch-all term to encompass all hippie-ish smells (patchouli, sandalwood, desert sage, etc) of the type that might be sold at with other natural oils. What It Means: A sneaking nose touch is a hidden way someone might touch their nose. Oh gosh, nothing makes you paranoid like cat pee. You are kind co-worker. I feel like Id want to get to the root of the problem. If the coworker has a legit fragrance sensitivity than she needs to inform her manager and HR. I was a dingaling. I find scents in my own home to very relaxing I would do what I can not to bring them into work, but I cannot control for another person never coming into contact with a fragrance molecule to this degree. Its almost impossible to smell like nothing at all throughout the day. (LW, you have been so funny in the comments) We embarked on a months-long quest to find soaps and laundry soap that he liked and that I could tolerate, but you know hes my significant other! Never blows his nose, or uses a tissue Its very distracting, and personally I find it disgusting. Scent-free initiatives always seem so invasive to me. Im not trying to like, lecture you, but I really think more people should be made aware of just HOW BAD Febreeze is. Decrease the authority you have in the workplace, over a team or within a project group. Are they the only three people in the workplace? ), just so she can say shes done everything she can. I was like its okay to wear it, but you CANNOT keep spraying that stuff in a common work area (it was an answering service and the supervisor desk was on a raised platform so you could see the whole room,) and she was totally immersing herself in stuff. Particularly as my wash bag was also missing and I discovered the hard way that the brand of deoderant I use has a slightly different recipe in Spain to the oe it has in the UK. When my problem first started, I steadfastly blamed the people around me for being inconsiderate and expected them to fix it. Maybe he was just made to wear it. Use a VPN or SSH Proxy (BEST OPTION): A VPN or SSH tunnel will act as the middleman between your computer and the dubiously secure servers on the internet so that everything sent between your . 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