Employee sues over co-worker's perfume
-
Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
John Cardinal wrote:
Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it.
Perhapses I should have but I didn't possess the diplomatic skills at the time.
John Cardinal wrote:
Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way.
I didn't need to spread it around, people were already talking about it.
John Cardinal wrote:
I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly.
It was a long time ago but if I remember correctly people had mentioned it to her and she took offense.
John Cardinal wrote:
Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation.
It was either that or quit my job.
John Cardinal wrote:
No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
Gave me dirty looks. This is in the distant past. I think the issue was brought to her attention by others and she didn't respond favorably. I don't remember all the details because it was so long ago but I can still picture her coming into my office and my eyes watering. It was an intolerable situation which I had to address.
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering. On the flip side, I've been around people whose body odor is so strong and rancid, I almost wretch. (I'm lucky, even if I don't use antiperspirant, I have very low body odor.) Then there was the guy with the stinky cigar....
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering.
I haven't used deodorant in at least 30 years. I used to get terrible rashes from antiperspirants and once I gave them up the rashes went away. I have a hard time with laundry detergents also. I use soap sparingly instead of detergent. When I tell people I don't use deodorant, usually when they are complaining that their arm pits are sore from using antiperspirants they are always surprised and say things like I never knew because you don't smell bad. To block sweat -- a natural body function -- can't be healthy. I put powder on my armpits and that seems to be all that is needed.
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
"This employee not only wore a strong scent, but also plugged in a scented room deodorizer," the lawsuit states. We visited friends who had SEVEN of these devices in their house. At the time, my wife was suffering from asthma (she no longer does, but that's another story...). She had an immediate attack, the effects of which lasted long after we unplugged them all. It was so bad that it even made me queasy. The lady of the house was a music instructor, who then made a connection between the air "freshener" and an asthmatic student who nearly always suffered an attack when she visited. Coincidence?:confused: Yes, I know it's only anecdotal evidence, but... I grew up on a dairy farm: its smell was much preferable to this stench.
-
"An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working." I can sympathize with her because I am also severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. I once had to endure a lady in the office who used a very strong perfume. Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze. :sigh: I didn't go as far as litigation but I did discuss it with my manager. :^) She didn't come near me any more but I could tell from the glaring looks she gave me from a distance she had taken my comments the wrong way. :~ That was unfortunate because I really thought that she was a good person but the overwhelming fumes were too much for me. X|
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopesJimmyRopes wrote:
Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze.
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero
-
Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
They are called VOC's - volatile Organic Compounds. The reaction can be anything from sneezing to ashmatic reaction to neurotoxicic to death. In Nova Scotia you will find the sign "No Scents makes Good sense" everywhere. The reason? they had a major sick building incedent in a big hospital and when your medical chiefs all come down with environmental illness it is amazing how fast it gets acknowledged as a problem. The worst happening for me was when the "the Body shop" decided to do some pre-christmas packaging a few doors down from the company I worked for. The scents, spread through the air conditioning system, knocked out my boss, and 3 of us programmers. X| Besides sneezing and wheezing it seemed to act like some kind of drug with us totally confused and my boss freaking out. The owner came down like a ton of bricks on the building management, meanwhile untill they moved them, we telecommuted with the one modem shared between the four of us. It really made a mess of the deadlines. Lena
-
Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
Sorry to disagree but going to the manager was the right move,at least in the US where the person you confront for their maleficence could sue you for harassment. Work is not a social event, leave the smelly stuff at home along with the fancy dress, and the social climbing games.
David Lane One World One People.
-
Why on earth didn't you just say to her as you were near her and your eyes were running etc "sorry if I sneeze but I'm really sensitive to your perfume" and smile in a nice way when you say it. Spread it around the office at lunchtime in a subtle and non offensive way. I bet within a day or two she would have cut back on it gladly. Going to the manager seems like the worst possible way of resolving it short of litigation. No wonder she gives you dirty looks.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
mmmm.... Choices Should she put up with a smell that was causing trouble to her work performance and to her health? (not permanent damage, but annoying at least) Or she should talk to her... after other people has already talked to her and she reacted feeling offended? (obviously she felt that her perfume was good for her, thus it must be good for everybody else... how dare they to question it) Or she should think that is her job, (the one that pays the bills) and if it is making her under perform then let her boss know? (consider also that she already reached the point of rather quit than stay around and smell that perfume)... at the high cost of receiving "dirty looks". C'mon, it is a work place not high school . If the perfume lady were mature enough to understand that the rest of the world does not have to put up with her tastes in perfume, then she should apologize for making other people uncomfortable. But reacting with a "you are a mean to me, I have to tone down my perfume because of you, I don't like you anymore" it is just flat out childish
-
JimmyRopes wrote:
Whenever I was in close proximity my eyes would water and I would start to sneeze.
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero
brahmma wrote:
Why did you go *that* close to her?
Not by choice. :-D
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
Steve McLenithan wrote:
Even relatively mild perfumes and scented deodorants make my eyes water and itch. It's a real pain in the ass sometimes.
You have eyes in your ass? :omg:
Sunrise Wallpaper Project | The StartPage Randomizer | A Random Web Page
-
Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'm not very sensitive to perfumes, but I once tried a new antiperspirant/deodorant that was so strong I had to take a shower to get the smell off. My son sometimes gets so carried away with his Axe spray it leaves my eyes watering.
I haven't used deodorant in at least 30 years. I used to get terrible rashes from antiperspirants and once I gave them up the rashes went away. I have a hard time with laundry detergents also. I use soap sparingly instead of detergent. When I tell people I don't use deodorant, usually when they are complaining that their arm pits are sore from using antiperspirants they are always surprised and say things like I never knew because you don't smell bad. To block sweat -- a natural body function -- can't be healthy. I put powder on my armpits and that seems to be all that is needed.
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes -
Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
-
Sorry to disagree but going to the manager was the right move,at least in the US where the person you confront for their maleficence could sue you for harassment. Work is not a social event, leave the smelly stuff at home along with the fancy dress, and the social climbing games.
David Lane One World One People.
No need to apologize for disagreeing. :) Work is easily 50% to 90% a social event. Everything in life is a social event unless you live in a cave by yourself. Those who understand this and are good at it will excel at any task they put their mind to. People who are well liked by their work mates, fit in well, know how to inspire confidence in others, are decisive and calm when everything is going to shit are people who do very well, get promoted; in short get whatever they want in life. I guess it depends on the person and the social skills they have, but if it was an issue for me I would go to the person and discuss it with them in a non-threatening, non-confrontational, pleasant and fun way, perhaps in front of one or more other people being present just to ensure there was no misunderstanding. I would stress that it's my own issue not theirs and they are not at fault because they simply didn't know the affect it was having. In short I would convince them to ease up on the perfume and leave them with the opinion that they were being very magnanimous and an all around good person with no bad feelings of any kind. Of course I could talk the hair off a dog :), but I think it's one of the most important skills in life that you can posess. If the person reacted badly or refused to change then I would explain to them in the same manner that it was really an important issue to me and that I would be going to the manager to see what could be done to mitigate it. With the manager I would take the same tone and suggest several courses of action helpfully that would all be of benefit to me like a better location, private office etc so that no matter what happened it would be a positive outcome from my point of view without ruffling feathers. To my way of thinking, going to the manager first is about the worst possible way of resolving the situation because it leads to emnity and anger and an ongoing uncomfortable work place. Getting along type social skills are critical in any workplace and it's easy to accomplish if you maintain a humble and non egotistic attitude when dealing with others and take the time to think through what you want to really accomplish and what's most important before you speak to anyone. Any situation, literally any situation, is best resolved in the most subtle and least interfering way possible because it gets the intended result and doesn't lead to unintended consequences.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
-
No need to apologize for disagreeing. :) Work is easily 50% to 90% a social event. Everything in life is a social event unless you live in a cave by yourself. Those who understand this and are good at it will excel at any task they put their mind to. People who are well liked by their work mates, fit in well, know how to inspire confidence in others, are decisive and calm when everything is going to shit are people who do very well, get promoted; in short get whatever they want in life. I guess it depends on the person and the social skills they have, but if it was an issue for me I would go to the person and discuss it with them in a non-threatening, non-confrontational, pleasant and fun way, perhaps in front of one or more other people being present just to ensure there was no misunderstanding. I would stress that it's my own issue not theirs and they are not at fault because they simply didn't know the affect it was having. In short I would convince them to ease up on the perfume and leave them with the opinion that they were being very magnanimous and an all around good person with no bad feelings of any kind. Of course I could talk the hair off a dog :), but I think it's one of the most important skills in life that you can posess. If the person reacted badly or refused to change then I would explain to them in the same manner that it was really an important issue to me and that I would be going to the manager to see what could be done to mitigate it. With the manager I would take the same tone and suggest several courses of action helpfully that would all be of benefit to me like a better location, private office etc so that no matter what happened it would be a positive outcome from my point of view without ruffling feathers. To my way of thinking, going to the manager first is about the worst possible way of resolving the situation because it leads to emnity and anger and an ongoing uncomfortable work place. Getting along type social skills are critical in any workplace and it's easy to accomplish if you maintain a humble and non egotistic attitude when dealing with others and take the time to think through what you want to really accomplish and what's most important before you speak to anyone. Any situation, literally any situation, is best resolved in the most subtle and least interfering way possible because it gets the intended result and doesn't lead to unintended consequences.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
Well said . If everyone had your sense and abilities the there would be no need for 'Supervisors' of wich you will be if you are not already.
David Lane One World One People.
-
Well said . If everyone had your sense and abilities the there would be no need for 'Supervisors' of wich you will be if you are not already.
David Lane One World One People.
What people probably don't realize is that they are only harming themselves running to the manager / supervisor. There are few things less appealing to any manager than having to mediate between two co-workers for some personal issue. Frankly I'd rather get rid of the person coming to me with the problem more than anything else, it certainly would annoy me that they haven't even attempted to settle it on their own first and put them on a mental black list.
"I don't want more choice. I just want better things!" - Edina Monsoon
-
Hold it, I'm turned off by human body odor and I will sue if I have to smell it.[^] :rolleyes: Homer: In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the women. Nothing do it with that, just came to me as I was typing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." - George Bernard Shaw Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
I can really relate to this as well... A slightly elderly coworker that I sit next to wears a perfume that smells like my grandmother's basement - best described as kind of a moldy, very potent smell... like old musty clothes that have been stored away in a place that would get damp from time to time. I told the woman next to me about how her perfume affects me and she immediately got extremely offended that I didn't like the smell of it, stating: "my ex-husband used to tell me it's 'intoxicating'". I use the same exact description of the scent, but she seems to think that it's meant as a compliment and not it's true meaning. She doesn't wear it as much now, but every once in a while she'll still wear it. I've been apprehensive to bring the issue up with management because I get the feeling they will think I'm just whining about something they could care less about. :(( To top it off, others in the office randomly use air fresheners and desk cleaners that quickly fill the air with very stong, chemicalistic odors that makes it hard for me to breath sometimes. I have asthma but the people using these things don't seem to care at all about how it may affect those around them. I think many people in these environments are selfish to the extent that if you complain to them about it, they hold a grudge against you and may possibly use the item even more or worse may do something covertly that might affect your health. -- modified at 13:52 Monday 9th July, 2007
-
Hopefully, this will send a message to those who use perfume as a "quick fix" for a lack of showering.