Odouriferous Co-Workers

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Hi there Ask BlogTO,

I suffer from migraines and headaches which are often triggered by strong scents. There are 2 co-workers that wear too much cologne/perfume in the workplace. This can trigger a migraine or upgrade a headache to a full blown migraine. Although I have mentioned it to them directly, I don't think they understand the impact or effect it has on other people.

We also share phones and one co-worker's cologne gets all over the phone, and then all over me. It's quite intrusive, and really affects my ability to function at work.

What is the best way to solve this problem and are there any legal workplace (ie. MOL) steps that can be taken?

Sincerely,
Nauseous and not likin' it!

Hey Nauseous,

In a workplace situation, a smelly co-worker is a Human Resources issue. They should be able to speak to the co-workers in question from a more official standpoint, which may make a bigger impact. It would be a route to take, especially if you have already spoken to them directly and saw no change.

After reviewing the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Employment Standards Act, Human Rights Code and Canadian Human Rights Act, there seems to be nothing specific about this particular issue. Any actions to be taken within the workplace appears to be the responsibility of the individual organization itself.

Having said that, it can create a tense situation in a workplace to have HR step in. Most people, whether they over-use perfume or cologne, or have otherwise questionable odour, do not know that they are having a negative effect on the people around them. And as you mentioned, even once they are told, they may not realize to what extent it is affecting people.

Before taking the step of going to HR, I would approach them again privately because it is entirely possible that they forgot about it the first time around by saying something like, "I know we spoke about it before, but I'm finding your perfume/cologne to be very strong today." I don't think there are a lot of people who intentionally would cause discomfort to people. So explaining again about your headaches and migraines might be necessary. It might be necessary to do so a few times. Sometimes repetition is the only way to get through especially if they really don't know that it is a legitimate issue. Unfortunately, in these situations the onus is on those that are affected, not the ones that are responsible for causing them.

I think there can be a lot to be said for being able to settle situations through cooperatively working it out - even if it might involve a little discomfort (migraines would actually count for more than a little...) and patience.