How to deal with a boss who smells bad

Dear WW: My boss smells really bad. When he comes into my office I can barely breathe. Recently I bought a fan and whenever he comes in I try to point it in his direction, but it’s the middle of the winter and he’s starting to ask a lot of questions. Any advice? OLFACTORALLY CHALLENGED

Dear OLFACTORALLY,

I know a lot of people struggle for breathing room with their bosses, but in your case it sounds like things have really hit the fan. And I’m not surprised. Think about the air in your office. If it’s like most offices (with those delightful suicide thwarting windows) 90% of it is recirculated and the other 10% is “fresh.” Fresh what? Fresh smog. Add a little essence de boss and no wonder you need a fan!

Incidentally, you’re not alone. According to a Working Wounded survey (conducted by GMA Research and KOMO-TV News) 31% of respondents reported that they have worked for a boss who smelled bad. But your question touches on an even larger issue: is it possible to raise such an embarrassing issue with your boss and live to tell the tale?

We turned to author and management consultant Paul Tomlinson who has dealt with this most scents-itive issue several times. He claims it is possible to raise the topic and still come up smelling like roses. Here are the questions he suggests you consider:

Can you raise the issue with your boss directly? (This is not a strategy for the new kid on the block or for the faint of heart.) Do it in private at a time when he’s likely to be most responsive to your message. And even if you have a collegial relationship, leave the skunk jokes at home.

Can you send a message indirectly? Here’s where your friends in HR come in handy. Most Human Resources departments have at least one diplomat on staff who’s good at relaying difficult information. If your company doesn’t have an HR department, then ask someone your boss respects to do the deed for you.

Can you learn to hold your breath during meetings? What can I say? There are some things in life that just aren’t worth bending your nose out of joint over, and if the two previous strategies don’t cut it, this may be one of them.

But here’s a little tip that may make taking action easier. Our survey discovered an interesting fact: only 27% of those surveyed said they’d something directly to their boss. But when we asked if they were the boss what they’d want their employees to do, 61% said they’d like their employees to say something directly to them. So hard as it may be to believe, your boss probably wants to know. I’ll leave it up to you to sniff out your best option.

Working Wounded poll:

How would you deal with a boss who smells bad?

• Would send a message to them indirectly, 25%
• Would tell ‘em directly to their face, 29%
• Would learn to hold their breath during meetings, 46%.

Working Wounded strategy:

As the poll results show, most of you wouldn’t bend your nose out of joint. Pam from Renton spoke for the majority, “If no one else has told the boss it’s probably because the results would be too unpleasant for the messenger. I’ll keep my paycheck, rather than lose it over a too-personal remark.”

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.