Ask HR: My boss has body odor and bad breath. What can I do about this issue?
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.: Handling complaints about co-workers’ personal hygiene is a common challenge for employers and HR. Here are two of the questions I’ve received on the topic.
Q: “What should I do about a colleague who doesn’t wash his hands after going to the bathroom?” — Anonymous
Taylor: I can’t think of many issues in the workplace as sensitive as personal hygiene. Dealing with this problem can be uncomfortable, awkward and downright embarrassing. Because this is a tricky one, you should immediately involve your human resources department, which is trained to handle such sensitive conversations.
While you might be appalled by your colleague’s behavior (as you should be), the real issue is one of public safety. Bad hygiene can impact the health and well-being of co-workers and your company’s customers and clients.
According to research conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield, when employees don’t wash their hands, illnesses from the common cold to the flu to gastrointestinal infections can be spread to co-workers and cause them to miss work or be less productive when they do come to work while sick.
And not a week goes by when we don’t learn of a major outbreak of E. coli or Salmonella in which the suspected cause is a food worker who failed to wash his or her hands after using the restroom. Sadly, many of these outbreaks do more than sicken people — they actually kill people, particularly children, the elderly and those whose immune systems are compromised from other illnesses.
In short, an employee failing to wash his or her hands is a serious matter that could be a violation of company policy. Public-health campaigns have led to more hand-washing, but there’s still a gap between those who say they wash their hands after using a public restroom and those who actually do it.
If you see that someone isn’t washing his or her hands, talk to HR about your concerns.
Q: “My boss has body odor and bad breath. What can I do about this issue?” — Anonymous
Taylor: Again, HR is your best ally.
Many workplaces have dress codes or policies that include personal hygiene requirements. These requirements would be discussed in any conversation that HR has with a boss who has body odor or bad breath.
Sometimes a personal hygiene issue stems from cultural norms or a medical condition. If this is the case, HR will respond empathetically while addressing the issue professionally.
Q. Can a company fire a new employee within a 90-day probationary period without write-ups? — Chris
Taylor: If an employee works in an at-will state and there is no employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, an employer can fire the employee within the first 90 days without any warning or write-ups.
Before offering details, let me define a few terms.
“At-will” means that an employer or employee can terminate their relationship at any time and for any reason, except for unlawful ones such as discrimination or retaliation. Employment is at-will in all states except Montana.
A probationary period is a set time to give an employer the opportunity to determine whether a new hire has the required skills and abilities and is a good fit with the job and company. The length of time for this varies from company to company, although 90 days seems common.
A write-up — also referred to as written warnings, disciplinary action or counseling forms — is used to document an employee’s violation of company policy and issues with job performance.
As a new employee, you may want to review your company’s policies to determine whether its practices include verbal or written warnings before termination within the probationary period. Monitor your own performance by asking for and documenting feedback from your supervisors.
Employers should be mindful that there is nothing magical about the number 90. Sometimes, performance issues manifest themselves in less — or more — time. And firing an employee during a probationary period does not provide greater protections against a wrongful termination lawsuit or discrimination complaint.
Companies should clearly communicate to applicants and new employees the purpose of their probationary period and whether they are an at-will employer. As a matter of good faith, supervisors should give ongoing feedback to help probationary employees understand whether they are meeting the expectations of the job.
No employer hires a worker thinking it’s not going to work out. But if termination is necessary, it should be done in a way that follows the employer’s practices, as well as state and federal law.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ask HR: My boss has body odor and bad breath. What can I do about this issue?
