I work in a professional setting where we interact with people all day long. One of my collegues has incredibly bad breath some days and well, it has been a topic of discussion in the office. This person is new, sensitive and unsure of themselves and so we haven't said anything.

My suggestion is to just tell them, not in a mean way but frankly and straight no chaser, others disagree with me and say that is mean and will cause damage.

what say you?

update

this person was counseled on some other things that we weren't privy to and some of the clients complained so they were fired and escorted by the MP's off post, no one ever told them they had bad breath.

[Edited 1/18/12 12:32pm]

butterfli25 said:

I work in a professional setting where we interact with people all day long. One of my collegues has incredibly bad breath some days and well, it has been a topic of discussion in the office. This person is new, sensitive and unsure of themselves and so we haven't said anything.

My suggestion is to just tell them, not in a mean way but frankly and straight no chaser, others disagree with me and say that is mean and will cause damage.

what say you?

Your colleague will be thankful you, or someone else said something about it. A lot of people are not aware they have bad breath.

I have a colleague who had a very bad breath and it was a topic as well amongst colleagues. Although I did not look forward telling her, I took her aside and told her. She was very glad I told her and she dealt with it.

I say....

in an office setting you must present yourself in a professional manner. Excessive body odor of any kind is and will affect that image in a negative way.In any work setting, employees need to put out a professional image in order to have a comfortable experience for all involved.

I would have an HR manager (or their superior) speak to this individual . They can quietly pull this person aside and speak to them about the excessive state of their oral hygiene. It could be gingivitis caused by impacted molars or other health related issues. This person may not have dental insurance and may need help obtaining insurance. This is why speaking to someone who can help with this issue is important.

paintedlady said:

I say....

in an office setting you must present yourself in a professional manner. Excessive body odor of any kind is and will affect that image in a negative way.In any work setting, employees need to put out a professional image in order to have a comfortable experience for all involved.

I would have an HR manager (or their superior) speak to this individual . They can quietly pull this person aside and speak to them about the excessive state of their oral hygiene. It could be gingivitis caused by impacted molars or other health related issues. This person may not have dental insurance and may need help obtaining insurance. This is why speaking to someone who can help with this issue is important.

butterfli25 said:

My suggestion is to just tell them, not in a mean way but frankly and straight no chaser, others disagree with me and say that is mean and will cause damage.

I say pull them aside and say, "Some days, your breath is really strong. Is it a health issue?"

Painted lady you are so right about the the impact on the workplace.

I hesitate to have the supervisor say it, although I know they know about this issue because they interact on the daily and frankly the supervisor is probably talking about it with the other supervisors.

I think I will just mention it, maybe in the "wow I haven't found a dentist yet and I am due for a cleaning" vein and then take it from there.

People here are a trip, I would much rather you tell me, and be slightly embarrassed then, rather than have people whispering for months. We are all adult professionals, can we not handle the truth?

again.

Do you all work in offices? If so, put a brand new, sealed pack of gum in his/her mail box and on his/her desk, and hopefully he/she will get the message. No words necessary.

i wonder why people cant automatically smell their own breath...you can detect underarm odor, or feet, hair, but not your own breath.....

butterfli25 said:

I work in a professional setting where we interact with people all day long. One of my collegues has incredibly bad breath some days and well, it has been a topic of discussion in the office. This person is new, sensitive and unsure of themselves and so we haven't said anything.

My suggestion is to just tell them, not in a mean way but frankly and straight no chaser, others disagree with me and say that is mean and will cause damage.

what say you?

Yes, tell them. Do it privately and with some sensitivity. Perhaps suggest that they floss more or chew some mints throughout the day.

butterfli25 said:

Painted lady you are so right about the the impact on the workplace.

I hesitate to have the supervisor say it, although I know they know about this issue because they interact on the daily and frankly the supervisor is probably talking about it with the other supervisors.

I think I will just mention it, maybe in the "wow I haven't found a dentist yet and I am due for a cleaning" vein and then take it from there.

People here are a trip, I would much rather you tell me, and be slightly embarrassed then, rather than have people whispering for months. We are all adult professionals, can we not handle the truth?

again.

My ONLY hesitation would be if the person gets bent on being told about their funky breath and then tries to turn that into a some sort of personal issue against you.

I would have a supervisor demand they see a dentist. This way, its an issue that is adressed and taken seriously.

That person KNOWS they have azz-o-da-mouf! They know they can find their cell by following the smell they leave on it... I am telling you, most people like that just do not care or need help finding dental insurance.

You can buy the a t-shirt that says "Floss is your friend"

I wouldn't say a thing just pass them some Altoids the moment they say "HHhhhhhhhhhhi"

:cough: ...

butterfli25 said:

Painted lady you are so right about the the impact on the workplace.

I hesitate to have the supervisor say it, although I know they know about this issue because they interact on the daily and frankly the supervisor is probably talking about it with the other supervisors.

I think I will just mention it, maybe in the "wow I haven't found a dentist yet and I am due for a cleaning" vein and then take it from there.

People here are a trip, I would much rather you tell me, and be slightly embarrassed then, rather than have people whispering for months. We are all adult professionals, can we not handle the truth?

again.

I think that if you innocently offer him peppermint chewing gum 3, 4 , 5 times a day, every single day...he will get the hint.

PurpleJedi said:

butterfli25 said:

Painted lady you are so right about the the impact on the workplace.

I hesitate to have the supervisor say it, although I know they know about this issue because they interact on the daily and frankly the supervisor is probably talking about it with the other supervisors.

I think I will just mention it, maybe in the "wow I haven't found a dentist yet and I am due for a cleaning" vein and then take it from there.

People here are a trip, I would much rather you tell me, and be slightly embarrassed then, rather than have people whispering for months. We are all adult professionals, can we not handle the truth?

again.

I think that if you innocently offer him peppermint chewing gum 3, 4 , 5 times a day, every single day...he will get the hint.

I don't think so... the person already knows they have hot breath. They need a dentist and they need to be told.

I don't understand how people can get bad breath in this day and age, where there so many things available to help you combat it.

If someone brushes their teeth twice a day + drink a lot water, then they will always have fresh breath.

I think your co-worker has a health problem. It is prolly best if someone informed her/him. They are obviously not aware of the problem.

[Edited 1/13/12 9:00am]

Pr1nceQuik said:

I don't understand how people can get bad breath in this day and age, where there so many things available to help you combat it.

If someone brushes their teeth twice a day + drink a lot water, then they will always have fresh breath.

I think your co-worker has a health problem. It is prolly best if someone informed her/him. They are obviously not aware of the problem.

[Edited 1/13/12 9:00am]

this person recently went to the dentist, had a cleaning and a tooth pulled and still as of this morning has bad breath, like sitting across from you at a meeting and I can smell it bad breath. So I believe it may be a health problem, possibly in the gut. They probably need to eat more often or sumthing.

Garlic eater? Some folks garlic sticks with them for days on end, others not so much.

my xboss's breath peeld paint .. it was the wrankest nastiest shit ever n she did nothing about it maybe she didnt know idk .. no mints no gum nothing. Always wanted to mention it but what do you say heres a mint try one ?

[Edited 1/13/12 11:15am]

All I know is stink is stink. It don't matter which end it's flowing from. I'm just saying.

A lot of times people just need to irrigate their mouth and the back of the throat to loosen up nuggets of plaque that are like bad breath air fresheners. So just load up a water gun and shoot any offenders right in the mouth when they talk to you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...nsillolith

PurpleJedi said:

paintedlady said:

I say....

in an office setting you must present yourself in a professional manner. Excessive body odor of any kind is and will affect that image in a negative way.In any work setting, employees need to put out a professional image in order to have a comfortable experience for all involved.

I would have an HR manager (or their superior) speak to this individual . They can quietly pull this person aside and speak to them about the excessive state of their oral hygiene. It could be gingivitis caused by impacted molars or other health related issues. This person may not have dental insurance and may need help obtaining insurance. This is why speaking to someone who can help with this issue is important.

+1

If that can happen, that's about the smoothest thing you could do.

Also, if you are comfortable speaking to them I would clear it with a direct supervisor or HR representative first. If they give you the go ahead, saying something in a kind, supportive way could be a big help to them. Some people are just clueless about such things.

i take a toothbrush n toothpaste with me to work .. mints etc ..

butterfli25 said:

Pr1nceQuik said:

I don't understand how people can get bad breath in this day and age, where there so many things available to help you combat it.

If someone brushes their teeth twice a day + drink a lot water, then they will always have fresh breath.

I think your co-worker has a health problem. It is prolly best if someone informed her/him. They are obviously not aware of the problem.

[Edited 1/13/12 9:00am]

this person recently went to the dentist, had a cleaning and a tooth pulled and still as of this morning has bad breath, like sitting across from you at a meeting and I can smell it bad breath. So I believe it may be a health problem, possibly in the gut. They probably need to eat more often or sumthing.

Seriously WTH?

and they still have hot breath? Oh my... it may be a health issue.

Now if this person is sick? Maybe they skip breakfast or eat a shit sandwhich after brushing every morning?

Does the mouth smell more of rotten flesh or of bad eggs?

dead rat smell = gum disease/rotten tooth

bad eggs = eating cat food

and I guess this person does know their breath is an issue since dental work was discussed?

http://www.youtube.com/wa...detailpage

at 3.38 when the reporter puked he actually made me gag

some people think a cigarette and a black coffee is breakfast, when that is in fact a recipe for disastrously vile breath

Unless you are really cool with the person, confronting them about hygiene issues is like opening up a Pandora's box. Nothing good will very seldom come from it. Those types of issues should be left up to management to discuss with the individual.

ThisOne said:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...detailpage

An associate of mine REEKS!!! I make sure I have gum or mints with me whenever I see him. I offer him a mint or gum EVERYTIME!!! And EVERYTIME he turns them down. This has been going on for years, you think he would catch on.

Dude, hasn't got a clue and I just can't seem to tell him. I know I should, but it would make for a very awkward moment. I wonder if his girlfriend say's anything?? He's a little sensative.

What this thread has taught Cerebus, in a nutshell, is that most of y'all are much more polite and reserved in the "real world".

shit bitch, doushe ya mouth!!!

This saying brings back one of my favorite childhood memories...

Hate to be mean,

But you need Listerine,

Not a sip, nor a swallow,

But the whole damn BOTTLE!

I'm sorry but I couldn't pass that one up

But on the real as someone stated earlier, I would let management handle it. Folks are too

sue-happy these days.

i dunno, maybe send this to a co-worker's work station and when they laugh out loud the whole office should share the joke. hint, hint. (humor added to the subject can be a sarcastic yet useful tool)

link: Bad Breath

Comedian Tyler Craig talks about stinky breath.

or try this one.

link: Mike Marino - Bad Breath

or just be insensitive and post a copy of:

"stanky breath in the office is an offense, so please check your breath at the door!"

post the sign in the employees restrooms. then the foul breathed person will not take it personally.