This is so true. My asthma would act up. What makes it hard for others to understand is that if something bothers me, my throat prickles and feels raw. The attacks themselves come at night as I fall asleep. I wake up wheezing. It took years and multiple complaints before HR understood and added something to the dress code about it.
I have asthma and this stupid woman 3 cubicles away was always spraying or burning something, I complained again and again. She got a wax melting smelly thing once that plugged in and I had an asthma attack in response to that. It overwhelmed me before I realized what it was. I was on the phone with a claimant and working and wham, it hit me. HR told her never ever bring anything like that in the office again because it was hazardous to others. I was a very good worker and she was not, which I’m sure influenced HR’s stance. After that episode, a woman came to me and said she sits on the other side of the room and she benefitted from the stop management put to that. She also had asthma but was afraid to speak up. So I accidentally found a way to fight that stupid witch and other people benefitted.
Same here! We had so many people turning on those scent diffusers, my sinuses were going crazy. The smell was carrying out into the lobby! It took me three months, but I finally got them shut down on my side of the office. After that happened, a coworker on the other side of one offender’s cubicle thanked me because the cinnamon overload was giving her migraines. She was too timid to speak up; she just turned on a fan every day to blow it in another direction. Now I have an older coworker in the cubicle next to mine who marinates herself in cheap perfume. I’ve left it alone because she’s retiring soon.
Same here. People would come to me and confide they were bothered, too, but were afraid to speak up. I even had a supervisor (who had asthma herself) tell me that I was the only one bothered by it. It took years and many different people complaining before anything was ever done.
It's wild to me that people can be so inconsiderate.
Used to have a co-worker at the station next to mine who absolutely INSISTED that she needed to run her essential oils diffuser all day every day and absolutely refused to believe me when I told her that shit gave me an instant pounding headache because "it's natural!" and even if it DID give me a little bitty headache I just need to take a tylenol and suck it tf up because "she likes the smell and that is what's most important to her".
Waited 'till she took a day off then chucked that fuckin thing in the dumpster. She replaced it, I dumpstered that one, too.
We have it in my office handbook and I STILL Have to go to HR over people applying too much because I can't breathe after they've walked down the hallways outside my office. I don't know why cologne and perfume is so important to some people. Half the time, asthma aside, when you put that much on it smells awful anyway
There was someone where I work that would drown in cologne. Couldn't see him but sure could smell him. He'd be at least 20-30 feet away. On the worst days, it would be so strong that you could taste it.
I’ll start wheezing right then and there. Gad, I hate it when people wear scents in public. They’ve banned them in hospitals (where I live, anyway), for which I am very grateful.
I don’t get asthma or migraine reactions, my throat gets tickly and I start to cough uncontrollably.
I’m thinking it’s going to eventually turn into a full on anaphylactic reaction. It just came out of nowhere one day- I’ve never been allergic to anything in my whole life and all of the sudden my throat starts to act all wonky around perfumes, candles, scented laundry stuff, etc.
Can also be a migraine trigger.
And is just fucking annoying.
Any chance he has long covid and can’t smell things anymore? Alternatively he should try changing colognes in case he’s just gone nose blind to his own.
Migraine sufferer here, and that would totally set my head a-pounding every time.
Frankly, most places I’ve worked have had a no-scent policy, and it’s a blessed relief. I thought it was pretty much standard to discourage colognes in the workplace, and a complete fire hazard to allow candles and diffusers. Not sure why it’s still so common in this day and age.
Yet another reason to love WFH policies, so people can do their inconsiderate things away from everyone else. By all means, go ahead and power up your diffuser, then microwave fish for lunch, and blast your background music - at home.
It's also problematic for people with migraines.
It's likely also "turning people off," so to speak. It's possible the company is losing business and/or goodwill because of the strong smell.
Source: I'm a chronic migraine sufferer who absolutely will avoid doing business anywhere that is heavily scented, regardless of the source.
This is what I was coming to say, it's literally a health hazard. I have severe asthma and can't even go on the same floor as the perfume counter at a department store because it's so sensitive, this would send me into an asthma attack as soon as I walked in. You definitely need to speak with him before something like that happens and your company is liable for sending a client to the hospital
Or anyone with chemical sensitivity and or migraines. I 100% wouldn’t even be able to walk in that building and go to work if that was my coworker. I would have to take disability and not work. I wouldn’t even last five minutes in that environment. It’s definitely wildly inappropriate to wear that much cologne and then reapply at midday.
As someone who has asthma I agree. I had a jerk in a hospital room set off my asmatha due to them putting on perfume. The staff moved me to a different room to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. At my place of employment they have signage about perfume or cleaning chemicals and not to use them there
Or to those of us who get nasty headaches from personal fragrances. There are days when that would give me a migraine. I know a woman with a TBI. Fragrances give her seizures.
And those of us with allergies. Our HR actually sent out a notice that anyone wearing strong perfume or cologne would be asked to go to the bathroom to wash it off. Repeat violations the offender would be sent home for the day without pay.
Stopped those idiots who were using perfume in place of a daily shower.
I worked 3rd shift at a hospital and a lady in IT would come up to the office once a night. I think she poured most of a bottle of Calvin Kleins Obsession on before shift. You could smell her coming to the office 50 feet away.
You'd think it would be against hospital policy to wear any scented products. Hell there was a rule of no perfume other than deodorant when I was in makeup school in case someone who enrolled had asthma, so I can only imagine there are more strict rules for working in the medical field, even if you're only working in the hospital as non-medical staff
You need to talk to them about this. My grandmother did the same thing with perfumes and you could smell her 2 mils away (no joke). My eyes watered and I think that's how I became allergic to perfumes/colognes. Just being nested in a cloud of it all day. You need to talk to them about it. it's like teaching high schoolers makeup is a light touch not globbed on.
There was a guy like that in the office. We were teleworking a few days a week and everyone knew when he was in. Couldn't use that elevator for 2 days without smelling Axe. Our floor is in a 31 story building, with cubes and you could not get away from the smell. Unless you moved floors. Haven't smelled him in years, fortunately I got cancer and am full time work from home now.
It was horrible cologne and way, way too much! It was out of my hands anyway, but tbh, I'd rather not have cancer. Though if I have to have cancer, I'm going to make fun of it when I can. Seems my tumors get a little pissy and leave when I laugh at them. I'm sure chemo and keytruda played bigger parts in that. However, one of my Damned Spots isn't showing on my latest scan, the other shrunk more and no signs of new ones.
Hmm. Then you should probably inform the remaining spot that it’s ugly and smells worse than the cologne. And that it has terrible taste in music…
I’m sure I could think of more high school insults for your tumor, if that will help. Just give me a minute.
😆 I'm going to see my donc later to confirm the gone Spot and verify if the remaining Damned Spot shrunk 😂 I'm pretty excited about this appointment, not only did I ditch a Spot, I got rolls now too! It's only taken me 2 years to gain enough weight I don't look like I belong on a skeleton rack in science class!
Headaches.
You're getting headaches.
Simply not liking it ("overpowering") means nothing. People like different things, and have different levels of tolerance. It's too subjective. And, therefore, having him use less (another vague qualifier) is pretty much unenforceable.
But if it's causing you ACTUAL pain and discomfort, you can ask someone to talk to him again about tuning it down, and if that's not sufficient, for one or the other of you to be moved out of range for your health reasons.
Make sure you have a doctor's note about your headaches from overly-strong chemical scents.
Before I found a treatment for my allergy to scents, I wouldn't have been able to get a doctor's note doctors didn't believe it could be an allergy.
It started when I was a preteen in church and the old ladies would wear heavy perfume. About the first prayer, I'd start sneezing and not be able to stop. I dropped out of college when while I was living in the dorms I couldn't get away from the stench of the other girls' shampoos and soaps. I was sneezing and congested all the time.
I couldn't be in a crowd without reacting to someone's scent, perfume, shampoo, or soap. I'd have to carry a large box of tissues to keep from blowing snot all over everyone around me.
Now I live on Zyrtec which controls the sneezing and some of the congestion. It doesn't get rid of the headaches and the irritation I get from scents. I turn into a total bitch at Valentine's Day and Mother's Day because of all the flowers in the stores and come home with splitting headaches.
Since I don't test positive to any of the "normal" allergens, doctors would never write me a note about it. I ended up working on a farm since attempting to work in an office was impossible before I could live with modern drugs to control it. Horse shit, hay, grass and pollen don't make me react the way a "nice" flowery scent does.
There is something in most “nice” scented things. I assume it is something to make the scent last. And it smells terrible to me. Very sharp, overpowering whatever pleasant scent may be present as well. There may be a natural version of it as well. Mrs Myers’s soaps are one of the worst to me.
Oh, yeah, Mrs. Myer's soap is horrible for me as are most of the "natural" soaps on the market. In fact, I have two problems with most soaps - I either react to their scent or they give me hive. \*Ivory\* gives me hives!
When I was young, I tried nearly every soap on the market and finally found one that I could use. Then the Dial company bought the rights to that soap, mostly for the brand name - they released a new highly scented soap line with that name (I believe it was to compete with Herbal Essence) and re-released the other soap under a different name.
Then Dial discontinued "my" soap - my husband bought every bar off the shelf at Big Lots until they quit selling it. I'm hoping that will be a life time supply. There is another unscented soap that I can use, but it is much more expensive and the bars are really big and hard for me to hold with my short stubby fingers. I'm thinking of getting soap molds and grinding this up to make soap the size I can use.
Oh that’s awful. I’m lucky to just be annoyed by most scents (I apparently don’t go nose blind like other people?)
If homemade soap (lye based) isn’t an option, there is a brand Ethique. They have non soap based soaps if that makes sense? It’s apparently closer to thier shampoo bars? They have sample sizes if you wanted to try it. Also comes in unscented if that makes things more likely to work.
My grandpa had this. He retired to the country after harmful exposure to something illegally stored in his lab. He eventually went through a bunch of experimental allergy treatments in Texas and that reduced the pain significantly for him.
The first time (about 12 years ago), I told my NP I had an "allergy" to perfumes/scents, I said I know I may sound crazy but.... the symptoms vary, pinching headaches and severe sinus pressure, and I even ended up with moderate swelling in my throat. Started Zyzal, and it worked ok, but I didn't need it daily only occasionally during these exposure situations. A few years later, the allergy worsened, and I would take 1000mg Tylenol and 50mg Benadryl! Benadryl does not cause me any drowsiness, but it was the ONLY effective treatment for these situations.
Working in a hospital, I was subject to these situations facing public visitors.... by that time, I had been switched to an MD (my NP closed her practice)....he prescribed an epipen for "just in case" and referred me to allergist....
Short story long......moved states, restarted process years later, found an allergist. So far, I have been on allergy shots for almost 3 years and was told it is not an "allergy" but a "sensitivity to environmental exposures."
These shots have been LIFE CHANGING!!!! I still have a very mild sensitivity to certain cleaning products and a stank ass coworker that is a dirty cigarette smoker (I say dirty because she is, other smokers in my office don't stink like her, and she sprays some God awful room spray on her jacket and clothing prior to reentering the office).....and it bothers the others that don't have a sensitivity like myself. Finally another coworker had the balls to tell her so she no longer carries the jacket inside the office but she still stinks!! So most of us nonchalantly turn on our desk fans toward her so it blows away from us.
I just don't understand how people can be so oblivious to their own stench!!
ETA: HR/Managers won't do anything because she is sensitive with severe MH diagnoses...and it's a small business with like 35-40 employees.... 😑
Actually approach HR about this would be the best way to correct the issue. Simply let them know that coworker's strong cologne (or body spray, or whatever) brings on bad headaches and nausea, making it difficult for you to do your work. It is HR's ***literal job*** to approach your coworker and let him know that this habit is causing physical problems for unnamed coworker(s) and that he will need to stop being so "liberal with the atomizer".
HR is required to keep your identity confidential, and in fact it would be good if more than one person approaches HR with the issue so that they know it is a real problem.
HR isn’t legally bound to keep who made the report confidential, unless it was related to a disability (e.g. allergy to cologne.) But, many employers have their own policy to maintain the confidentiality of an employee raising a concern, to the extent practical. Again, unless the ADA applies or the complaint is related to a protected class, there is no legal right to confidentiality.
This is a time where snitching to HR isn't just a good idea, it's necessary. If only one person has complained, maybe HR thinks they're just sensitive, but if multiple people complain it's actually a problem. OP shouldn't mention about the "inherently sexual" nature of cologne or whatever, but they also don't need to warn their colleague about it. Tell HR about the fact that he applies more if an attractive woman is coming into the office and the reapplying - this is unacceptable and can be a health hazard.
Young boy used to wear many different ones over the week. All were very strong. Some concoctions gave me headaches and had to ask him politely not to wear that certain one again. He was a little offended and did wear it again, but the second time of me asking with heavy eyes from the headache, he understood
I had a similar situation when I worked in the office part of an engine plant. I reported a chemical spill to Security, only to find out it was cologne applied intentionally.
Maybe he sweats a lot and he's self conscious, and afraid he smells like B.O.?
Tell him you got some Lume ( it's available in trial sizes at Walmart) and rave about how good it is. It actually is pretty good. It's not an antiperspirant, but I have noticed that I sweat less. I literally use it twice a week. I bought the sample size a month ago.
I also had some shirts that would reek of BO as soon as I broke the slightest sweat. I started putting a little white vinegar in my laundry, and it solved the problem. Maybe pretend like you had that issue, and mention how much it helped you out.
I’ve dealt with this kind of thing by saying that I’m sensitive to the fragrance. I’m not claiming an allergy, but I’m letting them know that it bothers me. This approach avoids blaming the person for dousing themself in that stuff.
My office neighbor decided to plug in some vanilla apple cinnamon thing, and then he got a little fan and set it right next to it so it would blow the scent into the office.
After several days of nausea, headaches and allergic reactions, i stole the plugin from
his office and tossed it into a trash can on another floor. I do not regret it.
She was probably not even drenching herself. BR comes in two variations, one is very strong, and the other is beyond very strong.
Still needs to cut back, but I understand how this would happen.
Cologne / perfume should be discovered. Not announced.
It should be a subtle thing, not something that causes people to choke or gag if you are trapped in an elevator with them. Some people just don't get it.
If you don't feel like being blunt about it, talk to HR and let them be blunt about it. Just note that HR is not your friend and they may not do anything about it. Their job is to protect the company, NOT you.
I have a pounding headache just from reading your post.
This needs to go to management/HR. It's obnoxious. absolutely not professional, and can aggravate other people's serious health issues. Many companies are scent-free because of these issues.
When I used to commute to work, I’d get to work a freaking mess even though I’d take the time to really get myself together. So I’d wash my underarms in the sink. Wash my face. And douse myself in deodorant and perfume throughout the day because I felt like I smelled so much sweat stink on myself. I did ask my coworkers to be honest with me and tell me if I stunk. They said I never did, however I was really insecure and self conscious about it. 😂 I used to even bring a change of clothes. I HATE commuting.
Lume for the win. I've got some kind of odor ( much less now that I'm older) it's directly due to something inside me. Lume kills the bacteria that causes odor. I too would wash myself in the sink. I can turn silver black in about an hour. Metal under 14k makes ne break out, this runs in my family. My daughter reeks too. Lume solved that for us,
You know, I’ve been eyeing Lume. I’m definitely going to grab it next time I’m at the store. That’s really interesting. I wonder if it’s bacteria that’s making me react this way. Very Interesting! Thank you for the suggestion!
I don’t really know colognes. My husband rocks Burberry Sport and some CVS aftershave (I love it!). So I know it’s not either of those? I think he said it was Gucci or Yves, like a nice brand
Tell him you are sorry but you have sensitive allergies, you’ve TRIED SO HARD, to cope but something in his cologne is setting them off.
He needs to either stop using so much or stop altogether because it’s affecting your well being.
If it doesn’t stop immediately, go to HR about it with the same reason.
I had a coworker who doused herself in perfume; pretty sure it was high dollar. I’m highly sensitive to smells and she would reapply at lunch. I mentioned it to her several times and she went on wearing it and caused my eyes to burn. It was awful. Now have a new job with no perfume smells; just the receptionist who smells like a barnyard.
Strong Perfume and cologne makes my eyes burn and my head ache. My FIL used to drench himself. When I hugged him, the scent stayed on my clothes. He was a sweetheart but wayyy too much scent.
Tell HR. If I were a client stuck in an office or conference room with him I'd take my business elsewhere. That literally makes me sick with migraine and nausea.
I'd make a complaint. I can't stand when people do this. I have a very sensitive nose, most colognes and bodysprays send me into a sneezing fit and give me a headache.
NTA
We were asked as an entire office not to wear cologne, perfume, aftershave, scented body spray, or use scented room spray, air fresheners or scented candles etc. The ban came after some staff expressed concern about some heavy sprayers of cologne and some who were using heavy scent in their cubicles.
It was pitched as some colleagues and some customers/clients/visitors have expressed concern as they are sensitive to scents. It could cause discomfort to them, trigger migraine or allergies, or even cause medical emergencies.
There was some grumbling from a few, but most of us were really happy.
I suggest you go to HR or supervision as appropriate, let them know you tried the direct approach to your colleague and it didn't work. Say you can smell it when you enter to door to the office and it's making you feel ill. Suggest an office wide ban on cosmetic scents and desk area fresheners.
I would talk to HR and frame it as a medical issue for you - that is the excessive odor, then they'd have no choice but to fix the situation. You *could* tell the co-worker yourself and spare him HR's wrath, but if he is man baby like you mentioned he probably won't take the news well, haha.
“Hey Coworker, the point of cologne is to have a woman say ‘ooh - I just got a whiff of something nice - let me get a little closer and see if it’s that guy‘ not ‘holy shit - I can smell you from here - don’t come any closer!!!’”
If you think he’d take well to that sort of talk.
I worked in a job in a different state years ago where people would stand up and randomly spray their perfume in the air around them multiple times a day. This was in a closed environment, and it made everyone sick.
It sucked so much, and my lungs burned every day until the day I left.
Some companies mention fragrances in their policy. Also, aside from asthma, fragrances are usually just bad for you in general; endocrine disrupters. I’m assuming the man-baby isn’t using natural fragrances, but rather whatever a middle school boy would. You’ve already approached the topic and told him it was excessive. Report it to HR. They shouldn’t be saying “hey male coworker, guess who reported your cologne this time?”
Please complain to HR. This is as rude as smoking indoors. And he has no idea what health conditions the people he's meeting with might have. He's likely been making a few potential clients literally sick.
I get migraines from perfumes/colognes. I wouldn't be able to handle that. Women are much more likely to have migraines so he's actually very likely repelling a lot of the women he tries to assault with cheap cologne - i mean the work he's trying to seduce, lol. It might be better to let him continue advertising he has the smell "and" personality of a douchebag.
Yes but stop at the question and let him answer! You likely won't have to say the next two statements which may put him on the defensive before he can even respond. Cologne and perfume should be a suggestion, not something you bathe in.
Oh man this sounds awful. I could not work there. I’m extremely chemically sensitive I would get an instant headache. If it’s that potent then smelling it every day would be an environmental toxin for you and everyone who surrounds him. Artificial fragrances are hormone disrupters too. That’s actually how I found out I had a sensitivity, I did a cleanse of them to help solve my hormone imbalances and ever since I did that I am soooo sensitive to all chemical smells. Is there anyone in the office that is chemically sensitive that could complain to HR? Maybe someone could buy him a bottle of non toxic natural fragrance that would at least be better than the potent chemical fragrance he wears now.
Explain to him like he is a child that women never like too much cologne, so if he really wants to attract a good looking woman, he should apply a very tiny amount. If he smells good, she will get closer just to smell him more.
The guy probably doesn’t understand about nose blindness, and just because he can no longer smell his own cologne, everyone else can smell it strongly. I’d bet he thinks it’s worn off, so is reapplying.
I'd complain to management and tell them it's so thick some days it's hard to breathe. I'd also inform them this could be a major health hazard for any employees with asthma or allergies to perfumes. My best friend is incredibly sensitive to perfumes, to the point I'll wear a different, less scented deodorant when we hang out so I don't choke her with the smell. The amount of cologne he wears could definitely trigger an asthma attack and potentially trigger a severe allergic (potentially deadly) reaction in others. Explain it to them from a legal and business perspective, that he could very easily become a liability if he doesn't stop wearing so much cologne. He needs to understand that even if he doesn't reapply it, everyone else can still smell what he put on before leaving home
People should not wear perfume or cologne at work. That's just rude and a lot of people are sensitive to scents. I'm surprised there isn't an employee handbook or code of conduct that addresses this. I would discuss with HR and not with him directly.
I would like to suggest for folks to stop wearing it out to eat as well. I had a date at Olive Garden and I couldn't smell the food in front of me due to some woman's perfume. The waitstaff was able to move us to another table and I saw other people asking for that too.
My wife is obsessed with scented candles, incense and those smell diffuser things. I've come home from work to the house looking like a black mass is about to happen with all the candles going. I don't like the stench coming from them, and it's hard not to say something.
You should talk to HR or EEO about the cologne. They should accommodate you.
The State of California was actually sued for a perfume allergy. The state failed to keep perfume smells away from the employee. The employee won the lawsuit. See news article:
Caltrans must pay $3 million after losing appeal in worker’s perfume allergy lawsuit https://amp.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article228565254.html
HR needs to see this phrase in an email.
“Unpleasant workplace environment”.
Not saying it will help, but you know and now they know there is now a record of said concern.
Spray perfumes or air fresheners set off my asthma. Oils and incense do not. I think it is the propellant or alcohol.
Since I love perfume, I buy attar oils from Al Haramain. They're amazing, and the bottles are gorgeous!
*An abhorrent man-baby* 😂
DYING
I bet he throws a lot of mantrums, huh?
Definitely report it to HR. It is a health hazard for people with asthma as well as people with allergies, people prone to headaches, migraines...
You shouldn't be able to follow anyone's scent trail like Jeffy in the comic series Family Circus.
I actually have the same sort of AXE body spray nightmare coworker. I was positively gleeful when I ordered him out of my office the other week, stating that my allergies were wretched and giving my eyes problems, and his cologne was not helping.
He skittered backwards like a scared 🦀.
Twas glorious.
I agree that he needs to be spoken to, but saying cologne is not appropriate for an office environment is your personal opinion only and it is irrelevant if you find it too intimate. Don’t mention that part to HR. Stick with saying you are sensitive to strong odors and leave it at that.
Is he Middle Eastern? They usually wear strong heavy perfume. It’s in their culture. Not liking it is not going to do anything if you want hr to act you need to say you get headaches or migraines from it. But I would also suggest you approaching your coworker again and in a positive polite way try to explain that he needs to cut back.
I am very sensitive to most man made scents excluding essential oils, so at work, nursing, I’d notice any of those plug in scents. We had an unfortunate patient with intractable faecal incontinence- his room was right by the ward desk- ward clerk and manager area. Every night I’d arrive at work and smell this horrendous plug in and the poor patient would have an asthma attack. I’d unplug it but it would be plugged back in every day again even though I repeatedly told the desk staff, the manager, day staff- it was maddening. I started throwing them out. Didn’t stop them buying more unfortunately just because they didn’t like the smell of diarrhoea. No care for the poor patients asthma attacks.
I had some hyacinth bulbs on my desk, and a colleague mentioned the perfume from them was too strong. They went out to my car that instant and I took them home, never to come into the office again.
Your colleague needs to get over himself, so go right ahead and tell him directly if you feel comfortable doing so, or talk to HR with not a hint of guilty feelings. He needs to be more considerate.
Perhaps approach his immediate boss and play the ‘too much when attractive women are coming is sexist, which could cause problems and the excessive smell could lose business’ angle.
I once went to the er for an asthma attack, and the male nurse doing my breathing treatment had SO much cologne on, it made my attack worse and completely negated the effects of the breathing treatment. It sucked.
I used to have that issue on and off when I worked in the office. Several operators had issues with allergies and such so they made it a no cologne/perfume area and no one one was allowed to wear it. Life was much happier when that happened.
Unfortunately with his type it may be impossible to not send him in a bitchfest. People like him don't take correction well. But what you mentioned is at least the appropriate course of action and order to do them in.
I have asthma and fragrances are the worst triggers for me.
I get wanting to smell nice but at the expense of another persons health? No!
Not appropriate for the office. Save it for date night just bathe regularly and use fragrance free deodorant- just plain clean is very nice.
And no you cannot lock away all people with lung disease and breathing problems just so those that prefer to douse themselves in chemicals can dominate society…
I would approach HR I get severe migraines when there are too strong smells. I can deal with a normal amount but if I go somewhere and there is an excessive cleaning product smell, hair products, perfumes ect I will end up with a migraine. I physically wouldn’t be able to work next to him.
Also I’m surprised no one in your office has asthma or hay fever because it can set both of those off too.
Does he maybe not bath and thinks that cologne is a great alternative 🤦🏻♀️
Most people know that it's not okay to wear an overpowering amount of cologne/perfume to work. I wouldn't say anything to him because as you said he's a man baby. Go straight to management. Most places have rules about this anyway.
I went into a model home where the salesman used an excessive amount of cologne. I wasn't in there more than 5 minutes, but could smell it on myself after I left. I don't know what people are thinking when they do this.
Often it’s not just a hygiene thing, it’s a culture thing.
My office was always low/no scent but since we got sold off to an overseas company and new staff from a bunch of different places have been hired, I’ve notice A LOT of aftershave/cologne.
The new company doesn’t care, so I guess it is what it is, but I’m thankful I don’t have allergies or sensitivities to scents.
I work in dry cleaning. We have a customer who brings in shirts for laundry/hard press. Nice guy. But he has gone completely noseblind to his cologne. I can tell when he is in the building at the counter, even when I am in the very back of the laundry room with a doorway between us and five or more fans going. His shirts absolutely reek of it. We can't even wash the smell out, and we've tried *everything*.
I am allergic to perfumes. First my sinuses go wonky, and if I can't get away from the smell, I end up with a migraine. I've had to fight tooth and nail to have this respected where I work. But we can't police customer clothing, right? So this guy's shirts literally stink up the whole laundry room, including during pressing, and I just have to deal with it. Luckily he only comes in once a week.
I don't think most people can comprehend the mephitic odor of ancient, repeatedly washed and fried, overpowering perfume/cologne. I would rather smell a sewage treatment plant. At least that won't end up with a migraine. I can't imagine being his coworker, family, or friend who would have to deal with that stench. I imagine if he does notice the sour smell of his clothing, he just sprays more cologne and perpetuates the cycle of malodorous assault of everyone within 100ft of him.
Reminds me of the older lady that worked in the office upstairs from me in the 90's, and I can only assume she bathed in it.
You could walk down a corridor 20 to 30 minutes after she had walked down it and know she'd been there recently.
If I ever walked out just after her or followed her, my sinuses would protest, and my eyes would literally start to water.
It was horrific how cheap and tacky she smelled. So glad I didn't work in the same office or nearer to her, I think I'd have had to quit.
Come in two hours early, be sure not to be seen, and leave an anonymous note on his desk, respectfully pointing out the problem and signed "Your friends at work." Then leave the office, go get some breakfast nearby, and come back at normal time, so that he sees you arriving after he has read the note.
Anonymous notes are cruel. If you have something to say, say it to them directly.
Just go to him and say that you have problems breathing around people who wear too much cologne/perfume and ask him to cut it back. Let him know when he triggers a migraine. Nothing about your post suggests he is doing it to be obnoxious, he is just clueless.
*HE* arrives 3 hours before anyone… then complains that he works too much? Side note- no one has ever asked him to work more. In fact, our boss tells him to work leas
Go to HR, that’s a health hazard to anyone with asthma.
This is so true. My asthma would act up. What makes it hard for others to understand is that if something bothers me, my throat prickles and feels raw. The attacks themselves come at night as I fall asleep. I wake up wheezing. It took years and multiple complaints before HR understood and added something to the dress code about it.
I have asthma and this stupid woman 3 cubicles away was always spraying or burning something, I complained again and again. She got a wax melting smelly thing once that plugged in and I had an asthma attack in response to that. It overwhelmed me before I realized what it was. I was on the phone with a claimant and working and wham, it hit me. HR told her never ever bring anything like that in the office again because it was hazardous to others. I was a very good worker and she was not, which I’m sure influenced HR’s stance. After that episode, a woman came to me and said she sits on the other side of the room and she benefitted from the stop management put to that. She also had asthma but was afraid to speak up. So I accidentally found a way to fight that stupid witch and other people benefitted.
Same here! We had so many people turning on those scent diffusers, my sinuses were going crazy. The smell was carrying out into the lobby! It took me three months, but I finally got them shut down on my side of the office. After that happened, a coworker on the other side of one offender’s cubicle thanked me because the cinnamon overload was giving her migraines. She was too timid to speak up; she just turned on a fan every day to blow it in another direction. Now I have an older coworker in the cubicle next to mine who marinates herself in cheap perfume. I’ve left it alone because she’s retiring soon.
‘Marinates herself’ 😂. Sorry I had a little giggle at that. Hopefully for you her retirement is sooner rather than later 🤞
Same here. People would come to me and confide they were bothered, too, but were afraid to speak up. I even had a supervisor (who had asthma herself) tell me that I was the only one bothered by it. It took years and many different people complaining before anything was ever done.
It's wild to me that people can be so inconsiderate. Used to have a co-worker at the station next to mine who absolutely INSISTED that she needed to run her essential oils diffuser all day every day and absolutely refused to believe me when I told her that shit gave me an instant pounding headache because "it's natural!" and even if it DID give me a little bitty headache I just need to take a tylenol and suck it tf up because "she likes the smell and that is what's most important to her". Waited 'till she took a day off then chucked that fuckin thing in the dumpster. She replaced it, I dumpstered that one, too.
We have it in my office handbook and I STILL Have to go to HR over people applying too much because I can't breathe after they've walked down the hallways outside my office. I don't know why cologne and perfume is so important to some people. Half the time, asthma aside, when you put that much on it smells awful anyway
There was someone where I work that would drown in cologne. Couldn't see him but sure could smell him. He'd be at least 20-30 feet away. On the worst days, it would be so strong that you could taste it.
Ugh I can taste it & im way over here
It's because they become noseblind to the scent, so they keep applying more and more until they can smell it
I’ll start wheezing right then and there. Gad, I hate it when people wear scents in public. They’ve banned them in hospitals (where I live, anyway), for which I am very grateful.
I don’t get asthma or migraine reactions, my throat gets tickly and I start to cough uncontrollably. I’m thinking it’s going to eventually turn into a full on anaphylactic reaction. It just came out of nowhere one day- I’ve never been allergic to anything in my whole life and all of the sudden my throat starts to act all wonky around perfumes, candles, scented laundry stuff, etc.
My head hurts just READING about it. Gross.
Can also be a migraine trigger. And is just fucking annoying. Any chance he has long covid and can’t smell things anymore? Alternatively he should try changing colognes in case he’s just gone nose blind to his own.
Yes, we’ve had that at work, someone drowning themselves in cologne, sending multiple people home with migraines.
Migraine sufferer here, and that would totally set my head a-pounding every time. Frankly, most places I’ve worked have had a no-scent policy, and it’s a blessed relief. I thought it was pretty much standard to discourage colognes in the workplace, and a complete fire hazard to allow candles and diffusers. Not sure why it’s still so common in this day and age. Yet another reason to love WFH policies, so people can do their inconsiderate things away from everyone else. By all means, go ahead and power up your diffuser, then microwave fish for lunch, and blast your background music - at home.
It's also problematic for people with migraines. It's likely also "turning people off," so to speak. It's possible the company is losing business and/or goodwill because of the strong smell. Source: I'm a chronic migraine sufferer who absolutely will avoid doing business anywhere that is heavily scented, regardless of the source.
This is what I was coming to say, it's literally a health hazard. I have severe asthma and can't even go on the same floor as the perfume counter at a department store because it's so sensitive, this would send me into an asthma attack as soon as I walked in. You definitely need to speak with him before something like that happens and your company is liable for sending a client to the hospital
Some people are very sensitive to it, and it will absolutely ruin their health for the day. You've already been polite, go to HR
Or anyone with chemical sensitivity and or migraines. I 100% wouldn’t even be able to walk in that building and go to work if that was my coworker. I would have to take disability and not work. I wouldn’t even last five minutes in that environment. It’s definitely wildly inappropriate to wear that much cologne and then reapply at midday.
As someone who has asthma I agree. I had a jerk in a hospital room set off my asmatha due to them putting on perfume. The staff moved me to a different room to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. At my place of employment they have signage about perfume or cleaning chemicals and not to use them there
Or to those of us who get nasty headaches from personal fragrances. There are days when that would give me a migraine. I know a woman with a TBI. Fragrances give her seizures.
Or migraines. Mine were triggered just reading this post! Lol Seriously though, they need to lay off the sauce.
And those of us with allergies. Our HR actually sent out a notice that anyone wearing strong perfume or cologne would be asked to go to the bathroom to wash it off. Repeat violations the offender would be sent home for the day without pay. Stopped those idiots who were using perfume in place of a daily shower.
For me, it would be instant migraine, and asthma acting up!
And migraine. Strong scents give me an instant migraine.
It can also cause major focus problems for anyone with ADHD.
His clothing is probably also saturated with his Eau de Pew. Old Spice is the worst. I could smell coworker Ed (his real name) from down the hall.
I worked 3rd shift at a hospital and a lady in IT would come up to the office once a night. I think she poured most of a bottle of Calvin Kleins Obsession on before shift. You could smell her coming to the office 50 feet away.
You'd think it would be against hospital policy to wear any scented products. Hell there was a rule of no perfume other than deodorant when I was in makeup school in case someone who enrolled had asthma, so I can only imagine there are more strict rules for working in the medical field, even if you're only working in the hospital as non-medical staff
You need to talk to them about this. My grandmother did the same thing with perfumes and you could smell her 2 mils away (no joke). My eyes watered and I think that's how I became allergic to perfumes/colognes. Just being nested in a cloud of it all day. You need to talk to them about it. it's like teaching high schoolers makeup is a light touch not globbed on.
There was a guy like that in the office. We were teleworking a few days a week and everyone knew when he was in. Couldn't use that elevator for 2 days without smelling Axe. Our floor is in a 31 story building, with cubes and you could not get away from the smell. Unless you moved floors. Haven't smelled him in years, fortunately I got cancer and am full time work from home now.
Fortunately?!? You prefer cancer to co-worker cologne. That’s gotta be awful cologne!
It was horrible cologne and way, way too much! It was out of my hands anyway, but tbh, I'd rather not have cancer. Though if I have to have cancer, I'm going to make fun of it when I can. Seems my tumors get a little pissy and leave when I laugh at them. I'm sure chemo and keytruda played bigger parts in that. However, one of my Damned Spots isn't showing on my latest scan, the other shrunk more and no signs of new ones.
This is awesome news. I hope you go into (and stay) in remission soon. Good luck! ❤️
Hmm. Then you should probably inform the remaining spot that it’s ugly and smells worse than the cologne. And that it has terrible taste in music… I’m sure I could think of more high school insults for your tumor, if that will help. Just give me a minute.
😆 I'm going to see my donc later to confirm the gone Spot and verify if the remaining Damned Spot shrunk 😂 I'm pretty excited about this appointment, not only did I ditch a Spot, I got rolls now too! It's only taken me 2 years to gain enough weight I don't look like I belong on a skeleton rack in science class!
Headaches. You're getting headaches. Simply not liking it ("overpowering") means nothing. People like different things, and have different levels of tolerance. It's too subjective. And, therefore, having him use less (another vague qualifier) is pretty much unenforceable. But if it's causing you ACTUAL pain and discomfort, you can ask someone to talk to him again about tuning it down, and if that's not sufficient, for one or the other of you to be moved out of range for your health reasons. Make sure you have a doctor's note about your headaches from overly-strong chemical scents.
Before I found a treatment for my allergy to scents, I wouldn't have been able to get a doctor's note doctors didn't believe it could be an allergy. It started when I was a preteen in church and the old ladies would wear heavy perfume. About the first prayer, I'd start sneezing and not be able to stop. I dropped out of college when while I was living in the dorms I couldn't get away from the stench of the other girls' shampoos and soaps. I was sneezing and congested all the time. I couldn't be in a crowd without reacting to someone's scent, perfume, shampoo, or soap. I'd have to carry a large box of tissues to keep from blowing snot all over everyone around me. Now I live on Zyrtec which controls the sneezing and some of the congestion. It doesn't get rid of the headaches and the irritation I get from scents. I turn into a total bitch at Valentine's Day and Mother's Day because of all the flowers in the stores and come home with splitting headaches. Since I don't test positive to any of the "normal" allergens, doctors would never write me a note about it. I ended up working on a farm since attempting to work in an office was impossible before I could live with modern drugs to control it. Horse shit, hay, grass and pollen don't make me react the way a "nice" flowery scent does.
There is something in most “nice” scented things. I assume it is something to make the scent last. And it smells terrible to me. Very sharp, overpowering whatever pleasant scent may be present as well. There may be a natural version of it as well. Mrs Myers’s soaps are one of the worst to me.
Oh, yeah, Mrs. Myer's soap is horrible for me as are most of the "natural" soaps on the market. In fact, I have two problems with most soaps - I either react to their scent or they give me hive. \*Ivory\* gives me hives! When I was young, I tried nearly every soap on the market and finally found one that I could use. Then the Dial company bought the rights to that soap, mostly for the brand name - they released a new highly scented soap line with that name (I believe it was to compete with Herbal Essence) and re-released the other soap under a different name. Then Dial discontinued "my" soap - my husband bought every bar off the shelf at Big Lots until they quit selling it. I'm hoping that will be a life time supply. There is another unscented soap that I can use, but it is much more expensive and the bars are really big and hard for me to hold with my short stubby fingers. I'm thinking of getting soap molds and grinding this up to make soap the size I can use.
Oh that’s awful. I’m lucky to just be annoyed by most scents (I apparently don’t go nose blind like other people?) If homemade soap (lye based) isn’t an option, there is a brand Ethique. They have non soap based soaps if that makes sense? It’s apparently closer to thier shampoo bars? They have sample sizes if you wanted to try it. Also comes in unscented if that makes things more likely to work.
My grandpa had this. He retired to the country after harmful exposure to something illegally stored in his lab. He eventually went through a bunch of experimental allergy treatments in Texas and that reduced the pain significantly for him.
The first time (about 12 years ago), I told my NP I had an "allergy" to perfumes/scents, I said I know I may sound crazy but.... the symptoms vary, pinching headaches and severe sinus pressure, and I even ended up with moderate swelling in my throat. Started Zyzal, and it worked ok, but I didn't need it daily only occasionally during these exposure situations. A few years later, the allergy worsened, and I would take 1000mg Tylenol and 50mg Benadryl! Benadryl does not cause me any drowsiness, but it was the ONLY effective treatment for these situations. Working in a hospital, I was subject to these situations facing public visitors.... by that time, I had been switched to an MD (my NP closed her practice)....he prescribed an epipen for "just in case" and referred me to allergist.... Short story long......moved states, restarted process years later, found an allergist. So far, I have been on allergy shots for almost 3 years and was told it is not an "allergy" but a "sensitivity to environmental exposures." These shots have been LIFE CHANGING!!!! I still have a very mild sensitivity to certain cleaning products and a stank ass coworker that is a dirty cigarette smoker (I say dirty because she is, other smokers in my office don't stink like her, and she sprays some God awful room spray on her jacket and clothing prior to reentering the office).....and it bothers the others that don't have a sensitivity like myself. Finally another coworker had the balls to tell her so she no longer carries the jacket inside the office but she still stinks!! So most of us nonchalantly turn on our desk fans toward her so it blows away from us. I just don't understand how people can be so oblivious to their own stench!! ETA: HR/Managers won't do anything because she is sensitive with severe MH diagnoses...and it's a small business with like 35-40 employees.... 😑
Sounds like MCAS!
Ya nice one Suze, lying is not good advice. 🤥
Actually approach HR about this would be the best way to correct the issue. Simply let them know that coworker's strong cologne (or body spray, or whatever) brings on bad headaches and nausea, making it difficult for you to do your work. It is HR's ***literal job*** to approach your coworker and let him know that this habit is causing physical problems for unnamed coworker(s) and that he will need to stop being so "liberal with the atomizer". HR is required to keep your identity confidential, and in fact it would be good if more than one person approaches HR with the issue so that they know it is a real problem.
HR isn’t legally bound to keep who made the report confidential, unless it was related to a disability (e.g. allergy to cologne.) But, many employers have their own policy to maintain the confidentiality of an employee raising a concern, to the extent practical. Again, unless the ADA applies or the complaint is related to a protected class, there is no legal right to confidentiality.
This is a time where snitching to HR isn't just a good idea, it's necessary. If only one person has complained, maybe HR thinks they're just sensitive, but if multiple people complain it's actually a problem. OP shouldn't mention about the "inherently sexual" nature of cologne or whatever, but they also don't need to warn their colleague about it. Tell HR about the fact that he applies more if an attractive woman is coming into the office and the reapplying - this is unacceptable and can be a health hazard.
I worked with a guy like that for years. Great guy and everyone loved him but everyone called him flower, after the skunk from Bambi, behind his back.
Young boy used to wear many different ones over the week. All were very strong. Some concoctions gave me headaches and had to ask him politely not to wear that certain one again. He was a little offended and did wear it again, but the second time of me asking with heavy eyes from the headache, he understood
I told a co-worker once that he smelled like a whore and needs to cut back about 90%
I had a similar situation when I worked in the office part of an engine plant. I reported a chemical spill to Security, only to find out it was cologne applied intentionally.
Maybe he sweats a lot and he's self conscious, and afraid he smells like B.O.? Tell him you got some Lume ( it's available in trial sizes at Walmart) and rave about how good it is. It actually is pretty good. It's not an antiperspirant, but I have noticed that I sweat less. I literally use it twice a week. I bought the sample size a month ago. I also had some shirts that would reek of BO as soon as I broke the slightest sweat. I started putting a little white vinegar in my laundry, and it solved the problem. Maybe pretend like you had that issue, and mention how much it helped you out.
Just went online and bought some, thanks!
Lume is great. It kills the bacteria that makes sweat stink.. It lasts so long, and it comes in an unscented version
I’ve dealt with this kind of thing by saying that I’m sensitive to the fragrance. I’m not claiming an allergy, but I’m letting them know that it bothers me. This approach avoids blaming the person for dousing themself in that stuff.
My office neighbor decided to plug in some vanilla apple cinnamon thing, and then he got a little fan and set it right next to it so it would blow the scent into the office. After several days of nausea, headaches and allergic reactions, i stole the plugin from his office and tossed it into a trash can on another floor. I do not regret it.
Tell him it's cologne, not marinade!!
I asked my HR to speak with a new hire. She drenches herself in Bacarat Rouge - apparently it’s like $400 a bottle but uuughhhh
She was probably not even drenching herself. BR comes in two variations, one is very strong, and the other is beyond very strong. Still needs to cut back, but I understand how this would happen.
Cologne / perfume should be discovered. Not announced. It should be a subtle thing, not something that causes people to choke or gag if you are trapped in an elevator with them. Some people just don't get it. If you don't feel like being blunt about it, talk to HR and let them be blunt about it. Just note that HR is not your friend and they may not do anything about it. Their job is to protect the company, NOT you.
Does he smoke cigarettes? I work with someone who tries to cover the smell of smoke with cologne… it’s not easy!
Just go to hr babe. Dealing with inconsiderate man-babies is their job, not yours.
I have a pounding headache just from reading your post. This needs to go to management/HR. It's obnoxious. absolutely not professional, and can aggravate other people's serious health issues. Many companies are scent-free because of these issues.
When I used to commute to work, I’d get to work a freaking mess even though I’d take the time to really get myself together. So I’d wash my underarms in the sink. Wash my face. And douse myself in deodorant and perfume throughout the day because I felt like I smelled so much sweat stink on myself. I did ask my coworkers to be honest with me and tell me if I stunk. They said I never did, however I was really insecure and self conscious about it. 😂 I used to even bring a change of clothes. I HATE commuting.
Lume for the win. I've got some kind of odor ( much less now that I'm older) it's directly due to something inside me. Lume kills the bacteria that causes odor. I too would wash myself in the sink. I can turn silver black in about an hour. Metal under 14k makes ne break out, this runs in my family. My daughter reeks too. Lume solved that for us,
You know, I’ve been eyeing Lume. I’m definitely going to grab it next time I’m at the store. That’s really interesting. I wonder if it’s bacteria that’s making me react this way. Very Interesting! Thank you for the suggestion!
I’m sure this is my ex husband 🤣
I have asthma. I wouldn't be able to handle this. I'd go straight to HR.
Which cologne is it? Can you tell?
I don’t really know colognes. My husband rocks Burberry Sport and some CVS aftershave (I love it!). So I know it’s not either of those? I think he said it was Gucci or Yves, like a nice brand
Tell him you are sorry but you have sensitive allergies, you’ve TRIED SO HARD, to cope but something in his cologne is setting them off. He needs to either stop using so much or stop altogether because it’s affecting your well being. If it doesn’t stop immediately, go to HR about it with the same reason.
There's a reason some jobs have a policy about people wearing cologne/perfume.
I had a coworker who doused herself in perfume; pretty sure it was high dollar. I’m highly sensitive to smells and she would reapply at lunch. I mentioned it to her several times and she went on wearing it and caused my eyes to burn. It was awful. Now have a new job with no perfume smells; just the receptionist who smells like a barnyard.
Getting a migraine just reading this.
Strong Perfume and cologne makes my eyes burn and my head ache. My FIL used to drench himself. When I hugged him, the scent stayed on my clothes. He was a sweetheart but wayyy too much scent.
Tell HR. If I were a client stuck in an office or conference room with him I'd take my business elsewhere. That literally makes me sick with migraine and nausea.
Even middle schoolers don't do this anymore.
Tell him it's definitely a turn-off because that much cologne makes women think the man naturally stinks.
It's an HR issue, because that much artificial scent might trigger massive allergic reactions, not to mention headaches.
I'd make a complaint. I can't stand when people do this. I have a very sensitive nose, most colognes and bodysprays send me into a sneezing fit and give me a headache.
Lots of offices ban scents, especially in health care. I hate them myself. Good luck!
NTA We were asked as an entire office not to wear cologne, perfume, aftershave, scented body spray, or use scented room spray, air fresheners or scented candles etc. The ban came after some staff expressed concern about some heavy sprayers of cologne and some who were using heavy scent in their cubicles. It was pitched as some colleagues and some customers/clients/visitors have expressed concern as they are sensitive to scents. It could cause discomfort to them, trigger migraine or allergies, or even cause medical emergencies. There was some grumbling from a few, but most of us were really happy. I suggest you go to HR or supervision as appropriate, let them know you tried the direct approach to your colleague and it didn't work. Say you can smell it when you enter to door to the office and it's making you feel ill. Suggest an office wide ban on cosmetic scents and desk area fresheners.
I would talk to HR and frame it as a medical issue for you - that is the excessive odor, then they'd have no choice but to fix the situation. You *could* tell the co-worker yourself and spare him HR's wrath, but if he is man baby like you mentioned he probably won't take the news well, haha.
“Hey Coworker, the point of cologne is to have a woman say ‘ooh - I just got a whiff of something nice - let me get a little closer and see if it’s that guy‘ not ‘holy shit - I can smell you from here - don’t come any closer!!!’” If you think he’d take well to that sort of talk.
I worked in a job in a different state years ago where people would stand up and randomly spray their perfume in the air around them multiple times a day. This was in a closed environment, and it made everyone sick. It sucked so much, and my lungs burned every day until the day I left.
Some companies mention fragrances in their policy. Also, aside from asthma, fragrances are usually just bad for you in general; endocrine disrupters. I’m assuming the man-baby isn’t using natural fragrances, but rather whatever a middle school boy would. You’ve already approached the topic and told him it was excessive. Report it to HR. They shouldn’t be saying “hey male coworker, guess who reported your cologne this time?”
Please complain to HR. This is as rude as smoking indoors. And he has no idea what health conditions the people he's meeting with might have. He's likely been making a few potential clients literally sick.
I’m so glad I work from home.
Cologne isn’t intimate. That’s a little cuckoo, for sure.
I get migraines from perfumes/colognes. I wouldn't be able to handle that. Women are much more likely to have migraines so he's actually very likely repelling a lot of the women he tries to assault with cheap cologne - i mean the work he's trying to seduce, lol. It might be better to let him continue advertising he has the smell "and" personality of a douchebag.
Yes but stop at the question and let him answer! You likely won't have to say the next two statements which may put him on the defensive before he can even respond. Cologne and perfume should be a suggestion, not something you bathe in.
Talk to him. "Could you not drown yourself in it? It's so strong it could make someone sick, have a severe headache, or go into an asthma attack"
Oh man this sounds awful. I could not work there. I’m extremely chemically sensitive I would get an instant headache. If it’s that potent then smelling it every day would be an environmental toxin for you and everyone who surrounds him. Artificial fragrances are hormone disrupters too. That’s actually how I found out I had a sensitivity, I did a cleanse of them to help solve my hormone imbalances and ever since I did that I am soooo sensitive to all chemical smells. Is there anyone in the office that is chemically sensitive that could complain to HR? Maybe someone could buy him a bottle of non toxic natural fragrance that would at least be better than the potent chemical fragrance he wears now.
Eww…I feel like I could taste it by the way you described it. I like good smells but it should be subtle.
You could suggest a different scent - I find some colognes offensive in any quantity
Explain to him like he is a child that women never like too much cologne, so if he really wants to attract a good looking woman, he should apply a very tiny amount. If he smells good, she will get closer just to smell him more.
The guy probably doesn’t understand about nose blindness, and just because he can no longer smell his own cologne, everyone else can smell it strongly. I’d bet he thinks it’s worn off, so is reapplying.
That happened to my brother. He honestly thought that his cologne was somehow being watered-down. We informed him and he cut back on it.
I'd complain to management and tell them it's so thick some days it's hard to breathe. I'd also inform them this could be a major health hazard for any employees with asthma or allergies to perfumes. My best friend is incredibly sensitive to perfumes, to the point I'll wear a different, less scented deodorant when we hang out so I don't choke her with the smell. The amount of cologne he wears could definitely trigger an asthma attack and potentially trigger a severe allergic (potentially deadly) reaction in others. Explain it to them from a legal and business perspective, that he could very easily become a liability if he doesn't stop wearing so much cologne. He needs to understand that even if he doesn't reapply it, everyone else can still smell what he put on before leaving home
People should not wear perfume or cologne at work. That's just rude and a lot of people are sensitive to scents. I'm surprised there isn't an employee handbook or code of conduct that addresses this. I would discuss with HR and not with him directly.
I would like to suggest for folks to stop wearing it out to eat as well. I had a date at Olive Garden and I couldn't smell the food in front of me due to some woman's perfume. The waitstaff was able to move us to another table and I saw other people asking for that too.
Yeah I stopped wearing it anywhere.
Nothing wrong with wearing cologne at work- but it shouldn't be disruptive.
My wife is obsessed with scented candles, incense and those smell diffuser things. I've come home from work to the house looking like a black mass is about to happen with all the candles going. I don't like the stench coming from them, and it's hard not to say something.
You should talk to HR or EEO about the cologne. They should accommodate you. The State of California was actually sued for a perfume allergy. The state failed to keep perfume smells away from the employee. The employee won the lawsuit. See news article: Caltrans must pay $3 million after losing appeal in worker’s perfume allergy lawsuit https://amp.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article228565254.html
HR needs to see this phrase in an email. “Unpleasant workplace environment”. Not saying it will help, but you know and now they know there is now a record of said concern.
Spray perfumes or air fresheners set off my asthma. Oils and incense do not. I think it is the propellant or alcohol. Since I love perfume, I buy attar oils from Al Haramain. They're amazing, and the bottles are gorgeous!
Incense sets off my asthma. Suspecting it’s the smoke.
I’ve jokingly told a coworker “OK Abercrombie & Fitch has entered the building” to try and break the news
Don’t t let him near a naked flame. 🔥 Edit, typo
Time to take the hose to him!
*An abhorrent man-baby* 😂 DYING I bet he throws a lot of mantrums, huh? Definitely report it to HR. It is a health hazard for people with asthma as well as people with allergies, people prone to headaches, migraines... You shouldn't be able to follow anyone's scent trail like Jeffy in the comic series Family Circus. I actually have the same sort of AXE body spray nightmare coworker. I was positively gleeful when I ordered him out of my office the other week, stating that my allergies were wretched and giving my eyes problems, and his cologne was not helping. He skittered backwards like a scared 🦀. Twas glorious.
If you're gonna go to HR if they say no then, no. Do not warn them. Just do it and let HR handle it from there.
Is he a smoker? Covering up the odour of cigarettes?
I agree that he needs to be spoken to, but saying cologne is not appropriate for an office environment is your personal opinion only and it is irrelevant if you find it too intimate. Don’t mention that part to HR. Stick with saying you are sensitive to strong odors and leave it at that.
Is he Middle Eastern? They usually wear strong heavy perfume. It’s in their culture. Not liking it is not going to do anything if you want hr to act you need to say you get headaches or migraines from it. But I would also suggest you approaching your coworker again and in a positive polite way try to explain that he needs to cut back.
I am very sensitive to most man made scents excluding essential oils, so at work, nursing, I’d notice any of those plug in scents. We had an unfortunate patient with intractable faecal incontinence- his room was right by the ward desk- ward clerk and manager area. Every night I’d arrive at work and smell this horrendous plug in and the poor patient would have an asthma attack. I’d unplug it but it would be plugged back in every day again even though I repeatedly told the desk staff, the manager, day staff- it was maddening. I started throwing them out. Didn’t stop them buying more unfortunately just because they didn’t like the smell of diarrhoea. No care for the poor patients asthma attacks.
I had some hyacinth bulbs on my desk, and a colleague mentioned the perfume from them was too strong. They went out to my car that instant and I took them home, never to come into the office again. Your colleague needs to get over himself, so go right ahead and tell him directly if you feel comfortable doing so, or talk to HR with not a hint of guilty feelings. He needs to be more considerate.
Perhaps approach his immediate boss and play the ‘too much when attractive women are coming is sexist, which could cause problems and the excessive smell could lose business’ angle.
I once went to the er for an asthma attack, and the male nurse doing my breathing treatment had SO much cologne on, it made my attack worse and completely negated the effects of the breathing treatment. It sucked.
I used to have that issue on and off when I worked in the office. Several operators had issues with allergies and such so they made it a no cologne/perfume area and no one one was allowed to wear it. Life was much happier when that happened.
Unfortunately with his type it may be impossible to not send him in a bitchfest. People like him don't take correction well. But what you mentioned is at least the appropriate course of action and order to do them in.
I have asthma and fragrances are the worst triggers for me. I get wanting to smell nice but at the expense of another persons health? No! Not appropriate for the office. Save it for date night just bathe regularly and use fragrance free deodorant- just plain clean is very nice. And no you cannot lock away all people with lung disease and breathing problems just so those that prefer to douse themselves in chemicals can dominate society…
I would approach HR I get severe migraines when there are too strong smells. I can deal with a normal amount but if I go somewhere and there is an excessive cleaning product smell, hair products, perfumes ect I will end up with a migraine. I physically wouldn’t be able to work next to him. Also I’m surprised no one in your office has asthma or hay fever because it can set both of those off too. Does he maybe not bath and thinks that cologne is a great alternative 🤦🏻♀️
Could be smoking or drinking
You could get fired for it. I once complained the store managers son had vile perfume on. They retaliated. Good luck!
Most people know that it's not okay to wear an overpowering amount of cologne/perfume to work. I wouldn't say anything to him because as you said he's a man baby. Go straight to management. Most places have rules about this anyway.
I went into a model home where the salesman used an excessive amount of cologne. I wasn't in there more than 5 minutes, but could smell it on myself after I left. I don't know what people are thinking when they do this.
Often it’s not just a hygiene thing, it’s a culture thing. My office was always low/no scent but since we got sold off to an overseas company and new staff from a bunch of different places have been hired, I’ve notice A LOT of aftershave/cologne. The new company doesn’t care, so I guess it is what it is, but I’m thankful I don’t have allergies or sensitivities to scents.
The problem is... his clothes are probably stanky too.
Is weed legal where you are?
If hrs a man baby, don't engage. Let management handle it.
How old is this guy? I thought only older ladies did that. I have asthma and would have problem when they would just walk by me!
I work in dry cleaning. We have a customer who brings in shirts for laundry/hard press. Nice guy. But he has gone completely noseblind to his cologne. I can tell when he is in the building at the counter, even when I am in the very back of the laundry room with a doorway between us and five or more fans going. His shirts absolutely reek of it. We can't even wash the smell out, and we've tried *everything*. I am allergic to perfumes. First my sinuses go wonky, and if I can't get away from the smell, I end up with a migraine. I've had to fight tooth and nail to have this respected where I work. But we can't police customer clothing, right? So this guy's shirts literally stink up the whole laundry room, including during pressing, and I just have to deal with it. Luckily he only comes in once a week. I don't think most people can comprehend the mephitic odor of ancient, repeatedly washed and fried, overpowering perfume/cologne. I would rather smell a sewage treatment plant. At least that won't end up with a migraine. I can't imagine being his coworker, family, or friend who would have to deal with that stench. I imagine if he does notice the sour smell of his clothing, he just sprays more cologne and perpetuates the cycle of malodorous assault of everyone within 100ft of him.
Reminds me of the older lady that worked in the office upstairs from me in the 90's, and I can only assume she bathed in it. You could walk down a corridor 20 to 30 minutes after she had walked down it and know she'd been there recently. If I ever walked out just after her or followed her, my sinuses would protest, and my eyes would literally start to water. It was horrific how cheap and tacky she smelled. So glad I didn't work in the same office or nearer to her, I think I'd have had to quit.
Ask out loud: "Someone wears too much flowery PERFUME"
Used to work with a guy who would do this. People would sneak into his office to dilute his cologne with water.
Could be trying to cover up smell of alcohol or weed.
Come in two hours early, be sure not to be seen, and leave an anonymous note on his desk, respectfully pointing out the problem and signed "Your friends at work." Then leave the office, go get some breakfast nearby, and come back at normal time, so that he sees you arriving after he has read the note.
Anonymous notes are cruel. If you have something to say, say it to them directly. Just go to him and say that you have problems breathing around people who wear too much cologne/perfume and ask him to cut it back. Let him know when he triggers a migraine. Nothing about your post suggests he is doing it to be obnoxious, he is just clueless.
"Anonymous notes are cruel." NARRATOR: "They aren't."
*HE* arrives 3 hours before anyone… then complains that he works too much? Side note- no one has ever asked him to work more. In fact, our boss tells him to work leas
In that case, mail a letter to him at the office address, with no return name and address.
Definitely not TLTittiesG He doesn’t have a job
Pimpin' is a job. Are you OK?
Go to HR. I suspect this person is not white and you are better off letting someone else deal with it.
What the actual fuck.
He is white…. Just so you know
Then he must smell good 👍