I need some mad advice, guys.

[Toontastic]

While I'm already googling the problem, I thought you guys might enjoy weighing in.

So here's my question: How do you deal with a very stinky coworker?

I've got this seasonal coworker, let's call 'em D, and they seriously smell like doodies, underwear that's been worn for a whole month without being washed, and greasy hair. It's so bad, there is a legit gag inducing odor bubble surrounding them that leaves a trail. Do you attack them with a bottle of Febreze? Go to a manager? Do an anon complaint about D's stink being unacceptable in a customer service environment? Give them a bottle of Head & Shoulders and mention that the gym next door has showers? I'm so lost.  

[Cherry_slushy]

Go to the manager ASAP. And HR. They are your friends in this situation.
I worked with a guy that was so smelly he was sent home everyday that he smelled bad.  

[Toontastic]

Cherry_slushy

Go to the manager ASAP. And HR. They are your friends in this situation.
I worked with a guy that was so smelly he was sent home everyday that he smelled bad.

I see, I see. I luckily do not end up scheduled to be in the same general area as D very often, but literally whenever I cross paths with them it's a full blown nasal assault and I feel awful for everyone that can't escape them.

I have many managers though that cover different sectors of the store, do I report to the one I report to, or seek out the highest authority? It's also worth noting that they are only seasonal and will likely be gone in February.  

[Cherry_slushy]

Toontastic

Cherry_slushy

Go to the manager ASAP. And HR. They are your friends in this situation.
I worked with a guy that was so smelly he was sent home everyday that he smelled bad.

I see, I see. I luckily do not end up scheduled to be in the same general area as D very often, but literally whenever I cross paths with them it's a full blown nasal assault and I feel awful for everyone that can't escape them.

I have many managers though that cover different sectors of the store, do I report to the one I report to, or seek out the highest authority? It's also worth noting that they are only seasonal and will likely be gone in February.

Go to the one with the most authority. Even if the person is gone by February, they might get rehired for next year. Reporting it now will help prevent the nasal assault next year.  

[Toontastic]

I tested the waters through the employees-only complaints and concerns box, just to see if I'd have to contact higher ups directly to get anything done about the issue.

So, here's an update!

The managers have (I assume) confronted D about the virtues of hygiene, and put in place a spray can of heavy duty Degree spray deodorant that exists to exclusively deal with D's s**t, but we all pretend it's an emergency "community usage" thing. lel.
Unfortunately the Degree can only cover so many missed showers, so often D smells like a mascot suit and has the unnatural ability to get the smell to linger in the store. If you ever thought a Gamestop smells bad, imagine the smell of Gamestop and pits amplified with a touch of generic deodorant.
However, it is safe to say that the managers are aware of this, because in my anon complaint I never named names and they immediately tracked down the source, and going off the fact that D is annoying as ******** and makes customers visibly uncomfortable and has horrendous sales floor etiquette, they are never stepping foot in the store again once the season is up.

TL;DR: I did not win the battle, but I sure as hell have ensured that in three weeks I will never see D again unless the managers are on bath salts.


Examples of D's dazzling customer service, to help everybody understand the full scope of how much I can't stand D-

-Always s**t talking merchandise in the store, always.
-Goes on rants about textbook prices and professors at a student bookstore.
-Actively discourages customers to buy things.
-Talks s**t about customers while they are within earshot.
-Tells other customers that other customers are stupid.
-Hits on women in the store like his fat and greasy smelly a** is the hottest thing since sliced bread.
-Follows hot women on the sales floor and won't stop trying to talk to them about the items they are looking at. Note first example for what he'll say.
-Tries to defend himself when a customer does not share his viewpoints of the world.
-Lies to customers on the phone.

It's very irritating, because my workplace is heavily dependent on sales associates having good customer service skills because realistically speaking, people don't like the student bookstore. It is the end goal to win repeat customers away from smarter options through treating students like gold. If somebody is 14 hours away and needs a book pronto, you see through that their online order gets highest priority and a discount on overnight shipping. If somebody mentions that they need a new laptop, you give them a student life pro-tip on how to get insane laptop deals.
Quite literally, D does nothing but enforce negativity towards the store that everybody else tries so hard to displace.  

[Cherry_slushy]

emotion_yatta Bravo Toon!  

[Toontastic]

Cherry_slushy

emotion_yatta Bravo Toon!

Surprise "letting go of temps early" is happening, I am crossing my fingers that D is gone by the end of next week. My greatest fear is that they are kept out of situational pity, even though literally no one wants them to stay.

If anyone wants some "you rage you lose" material, they are a goldmine.  

[Cherry_slushy]

Toontastic

Cherry_slushy

emotion_yatta Bravo Toon!

Surprise "letting go of temps early" is happening, I am crossing my fingers that D is gone by the end of next week. My greatest fear is that they are kept out of situational pity, even though literally no one wants them to stay.

If anyone wants some "you rage you lose" material, they are a goldmine.

eek  

[Toontastic]

They are deleted from the employee roster,

#winning  

[Kinou_Himmel]

Cherry_slushy

Go to the manager ASAP. And HR. They are your friends in this situation.
I worked with a guy that was so smelly he was sent home everyday that he smelled bad.

Absolutely this. If you don't feel comfortable talking to them directly, and anonymous note would definitely be a good option.