Dear Annie,
Do I tell a co-worker that she needs to do something about passing gas in the office, or do I just let it hang there like a cloud in the air? I don’t know what this woman eats, but there are days when walking by her work station requires wearing a gas mask and haz-mat suit! Do I risk a rift with this co-worker or do I continue to sneak squirts of lysol into the air while she’s away from her desk?
In a stinky situation
Dear Stinky Situation:
This question has little to do with family environment but because work environments are similar in many ways, I’ll tackle it.
This is a tough one because farts, if they make no sound, can be incredibly sneaky and while you’ve narrowed it down to her work station, if confronted might she pass it off on another co-worker or, perhaps, the cosmos?
This is a supervisory issue so if you feel it’s constant and intrusive enough you’re warranted to approach your supervisor about the problem and then it is up to him or her to notify the co-worker and come up with a solution. Believe it or not, this kind of minutia is what supervisors also have to do and it is appropriate to protect you from direct confrontation and bad feelings.
While I suggest the above approach, your use of Lysol is a nice attempt to mitigate damages although don’t go with a floral scent or she’ll think her farts smell like lilacs.
- Annie