A smell of a problem

Someone at work stinks.

This is not a metaphorical description of their character or the quality of their efforts. No, no. He actually stinks.

The B.O. wafts about him like a noxious invisible cloud that lingers long after he has gone. I've routinely smelled him coming a good ten second-stretch before he walks into my line of vision. This is not the personal opinion of an overly-sensitive soul, either. This walking stink bomb can clear a packed computer lab or a conference room inside of half a minute.

Even on the street, the offensive odor is not diminished. Vancouver's endless supply of homeless meander by begging for change. One realizes immediately that this particular person gives off a worse smell than those who defecate in back alleys without the benefit of toilet paper.

The obvious solution is to tell smelly man what's up. But for a week, the entire staff and our clientele have suffered in silence. Politeness has trumped our need to not want to vomit.

Now that the unlucky delegate has been chosen to relay our feelings on this matter, B.O. boy will no doubt wonder why we have let this go on so long.

Will it be a relief, or a further humiliation, to discover that his inability to fit in is not because of a defective personality, but out of control sweat glands?

In a sense, this is not such a light topic. The recent incident in Montreal showed us the extreme consequences of ignoring a misfit. Of course, I'm not implying in any way that Smelly Man will resort to violence. But little incidents like this that seem stupid and funny to most people have a way of seeming far more consequential in retrospect.

Hopefully, the truth will set us free and we will all soon breath a little easier.

Tags: body odor, sweat glands, funky aroma, pungent stench, workplace ethics