Someone on my staff has poor hygiene, and the smell is causing a stir among the staff. Is it too personal for me to address? If not, how do I have this conversation — or should I let HR handle it?
Sure, you want to be a manager for the money and glory, but when it comes to the tough stuff, you run to HR! Actually, that’s not a bad call. It could be less embarrassing for the individual if their boss isn’t the one to have the conversation with him or her. And this is a delicate situation many managers are ill-prepared to deal with, particularly because sometimes it isn’t a hygiene issue but a medical or cultural issue. Whoever has the task, that person should have the conversation in private, at the end of the day. Otherwise it will make for a very awkward workday if you speak to the staff member at 9 a.m. Don’t inquire as to what could be the cause, just tactfully state that there is an odor that is causing a distraction, and hear what the person has to say. Regardless of the cause, usually the person isn’t surprised, and there is a remedy that can mitigate the odor or eliminate it completely.
My boss keeps the TVs in the office tuned in to CNN, so all we see all day is political commentary and tragedies in the world. It’s depressing and a distraction. Is it appropriate to ask him to change the station?
Absolutely — if I had to watch CNN all day, I’d be depressed, too! In offices it’s called “environmental noise,” and studies have shown that such distractions can cause stress and a loss of productivity, given the nonstop political coverage and occasional terror alerts. I’m assuming that if you have television monitors all over the work space and can’t escape it, you must work for a media company. So unless keeping the news on is a job requirement — and even then there are stations that aren’t wall-to-wall election-and-tragedy coverage — there is no harm in discussing this with your boss. Maybe certain times of the day can be the news fix and other times reruns of “The Brady Bunch.” Just no fighting over the remote.