As practice manager tasks go, telling a staff member that they smell is probably one we’d rather not take on. But one unlucky member of Practice Index posted recently that this was indeed a piece of feedback they needed to give, and they quite reasonably asked for some advice about it. The forum responded with a wise and inspiring selection of tips and stories about this issue. In this blog, I’m going to summarise many of them, and also add a few thoughts of my own.

So, what SHOULD you do if an employee smells?

Establish the facts

When giving feedback as sensitive as this, it’s extra important to ensure you have all your facts straight. Don’t be relying on anonymous hearsay or perception if you can possibly help it. Have you smelt an odour lingering around the employee yourself? When and where was this, and what did you smell? How do you know it was them? Has anyone else reported something similar?

If relying on stories from other colleagues, be careful! There may be more to the tale than initially assumed, including misunderstandings, personal animosity, or even discrimination at work. Make sure you’re confident this isn’t the case before delivering feedback.

Remember what you don’t know

As the forum thread showed, there are many reasons why an individual might have a noticeable smell at work. These include medical conditions, exercise habits, personal hygiene routines, changes in hormones, foods consumed, access to hot water at home, and various others. Never make assumptions at the start.

Plan the conversation

Any sensitive conversation should be planned appropriately. For example, imagine being told that you smell by a manager at the start of the day, but not being allowed to go home to wash/change until 5pm? It would be hideous! So, think about who should hold the conversation (usually the person’s line manager), where it should take place, and at what time.

Also, it may be best to plan the way in which you will deliver the feedback. Choosing the right words and phrases is important. You don’t want to cause any more upset and embarrassment than necessary, and you want to ensure that the information provided is clear.

What to say

As mentioned earlier, try to stick to the facts rather than perception or hearsay. Be kind, but direct and specific. Remember that as human beings we tend to filter information and can often misunderstand or misinterpret messages if they’re delivered vaguely. For example, “I need to tell you that one of your, um, colleagues, says you smell a bit – maybe after you’ve been eating onions?” could easily be interpreted as bullying and (discriminatory?) harassment. By contrast, clear and factual communication will reduce the chances of this happening.

“When we had our 1:1 on Thursday last week, I noticed a smell in the room, which I think could be body odour mixed with a food or cooking smell. I smelt it again yesterday afternoon when we spoke in the reception area around 2pm. I didn’t say anything about this to anyone, but Alison mentioned to me privately that she smelt something when working with you on reception yesterday afternoon as well. From her description, I believe it’s probably the same smell. I’m really sorry and understand it may be embarrassing, but I believe the smell was coming from you. Can we discuss this?”

It’s also important to ask how they’re feeling as a result of this feedback, and if there’s anything you can do to help. In some cases, if the employee doesn’t seem to understand, you may also need to spell out the impact that their smell might have on patient confidence and comfort when visiting the practice.

Next steps

Often enough clear feedback is all that’s needed. The employee will leave the room and take whatever steps are needed to resolve the problem. If the smell is perhaps being caused by a medical condition, then an Occupational Health referral could help you to understand things better.

A few Practice Index members also suggested some practical next steps like encouraging employees to use workplace showers, and/or having baskets of free hygiene products available in staff toilets.

If and when the smell does disappear, it might be wise to briefly let the staff member know this, for their own peace of mind.

In rare cases, you might need to pursue an employee’s continuing odour as a potential capability issue, but this is unlikely. Most individuals will be highly motivated to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Final words

The Practice Index forums are a fabulous mixture of information, insight and support. Responses to this member’s thread really do demonstrate this. Thanks again to all those who initially contributed. If I’ve missed out any of your wisdom in this blog, do feel free to add it in the comments below!