So my manager weighs about 500 lbs (226.8 kg). As a result, she is unable to shower properly and therefore she smells extremely bad.
Last night when she went outside for a minute, a customer made a huge scene screaming at me repeatedly for being a terrible person for not telling her she smells. It was awful!
I didn’t know how to respond.
Anyway, I don’t feel like it’s my place to pull my manager aside and tell her she needs better hygiene.
What would you do?
I’d try to keep my cool and try to convince the customer that it’s not the stores fault and we will try to help you with your shopping experience idk it’s a tough situation
It wouldn’t be easy to confront your manager. If you were the manager then you could but difficult as it is
I’d make a note of it to myself but wouldn’t mention it to her.
IDK, maybe start an innocent conversation about hygiene, just a general conversation without mentioning her. Maybe she’ll get the idea. On one hand it’s embarrassing to call someone out on their hygiene but on the other hand it’s embarrassing for her if she doesn’t know she smells and people are making comments about it. If you were in her shoes would you want someone telling you? It would be a bad situation if she knew she smelled but she couldn’t do anything about it.
I’m the type of person that would put up with it.
For how long, I don’t know, but possibly not long.
What CAN U do in this situation ?
I wouldnt do anything. Shes the manager she could fire you
Call in a tier above and ask for an “in person” review of uniform or dress code.
The people in there will probably clue in on some hidden intent. Especially if there is not a visible problem.
However they will have nothing to say about YOU directly or indirectly insulting the manager on their smell. It will be 100% their job to review how they’re lacking, and evaluating the problem. They have far less to lose making a comment.
They can and will have the mental framework and fortitude to do this without it being a big deal. Likely this is something that would happen regardless of your interaction…only time being the thing that would trigger a typical review.
It’s a tricky situation. I have issues that I sometimes smell bad due to particular health issues when it’s aggravated and I typically take care of it. But when I’m working I can’t just fixed it on the spot until I’m on break or the shift is over. Perhaps she doesn’t fit in a regular shower, but maybe she should buy a pool that’s big enough for her to wash properly with but the conversation is going to be awkward as hell.
In this situation that conversation is better had with the manager and their supervisor. If there’s no change, have a conversation with the supervisor about how to proceed. If its not a problem for you, and its just customer complaints…
Then they will just have less customer facing roles. (If the structure is humane)
I hate to say this but I wouldn’t tell her
She may feel insulted and take it out on you
She may even find a way to fire you
She is after all your boss
Don’t play savior in this case
You come first
Technically this is the safest route.
If the customer can’t directly relay this, you won’t be better served by doing this yourself. I agree.
If you don’t want to get involved passive is absolutely the safest way to play this.
No one is 500lbs without some sort of physiological or (or both) psychological problem, so its best if you do not put yourself in the place where you have to cope with that very fragile situation.
Your manager could be doing everything right in this situation, and the problem still occurs, as a natural product of their process to change.
Passive is 100% safest, for you and your well being. You care about you, they can care about themselves.
Nothing. The customer is an ass. You shouldn’t comment on something like that. If it’s the person’s family or something then yea they have a right to be frank with them but a stranger? It’s a real struggle to stay clean at that weight. If you’ve seen my 600lb life many participants say that. It’s hard to stay clean because showering is difficult and often they cant reach their whole bodies.
I agree with the @POET. The fact that that customer called you a “horrible person” in this situation is insane.
@Airparticle @Rainstorm @anon57786250 @AwesomeFisherman @Vertigo @shellys12 @Ryanana @POET @77nick77 @Yellowapple
Because of how bad she smells I talked to the higher level manager. I told the manager I think she can’t help it due to her weight. I said everyone is imperfect and we all have our issues, me included.
The higher up manager contacted me to let me know she has arranged to start going to my manager’s home to bathe her and help her with cleaning and laundry.
She is a very amazing person for doing that
That’s great news! That higher level manager sounds like a very pleasant person. Unfortunately I never had a boss that was that pleasant.
Yeah @Airparticle . It’s like she’s running for sainthood lol
Wow that’s great news @LilyoftheValley!
I’m glad that things worked out
That’s a true saint helping her out
Showering must truly be hard at that weight truthfully I’ve seen my 600lbs life and they struggle to do simple tasks we take for granted