Complaining Colleagues

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
I have been having problems recently with a colleague who complains about the smell of damp towels in the changing room at work. Now I know I am the alleged culprit as I am the only one who showers at work. He sent out an e-mail office wide complaining about it. He has had it brought up in team briefing, twice. The second time he complained it was a fresh towel that had been used once. I take my towel home every 3 days. I wear fresh cycling kit everyday! No one else has noticed this evil assault on the nostrils (and a couple of staff would say something believe me).
Would it be improper of me to send out an office wide e-mail apologising for the damp towel and sweaty cycling kit and offer to address the situation by cycling into work in uniform and not showering!
 

ComedyPilot

Secret Lemonade Drinker
Send an office-wide email stating how nauseating you find the petrol fumes from some people's cars who drive to work, and whether they have thought about the environment, and children's health before turning the key?

People who exercise tend to sweat, people who shower tend to get wet. Damp towels will dry with no detriment to the environment/health. Can the same be said about their car exhausts?

Jeez, when did our once proud nation become such a load of whingeing tosspots?
 

lazyfatgit

Guest
Location
Lawrence, NSW
If the office wide dig at you is a blatant as you say, speak directly to the eejit. Best to avoid getting all and sundry involved.

Is there a proper rack to hang towels on to dry? Is the changing room ventilation adequate or is his nose just too close to his arse?
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
How petty can some people be!!! I'd talk to him, I think. I'd also ask some other reasonable colleagues if there really is a smell. I suspect he "smells his own upper lip".
 

NigC

New Member
Location
Surrey
It sounds more like somebody trying to wind you up than a serious complaint. Otherwise, why send an office-wide email as he obviously knows it's you who are to "blame"?

There's a very good reason for not cycling in your uniform: you don't want to spend the rest of the day smelling like a sweaty git! Which is also why you shower when you get there.

I wish I had a shower at the office, but no - I have to make do with a can of deoderant :sad: But luckily my ride is pretty short, so things are not too bad :tongue:
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
He sounds a prize dickhead - hasn't he got the balls to speak to you personally about it?
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
don't forget, communication fixes most petty squabbles. it also sounds like discrimination. i.e., you are being discriminated against (you have no option but to shower at work).

ask him how he suggests to solve this problem.

if you just leave it, in my experience, something so petty will snowball and go up the ladder to ridiculous heights.

edit: speak to him personally and ask him why he didn't speak to you first. unfortunately emails are very difficult to judge, i.e, how do you know the tone in which the email was sent or is he really upset and seems aggressive?
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
The worst thing you can do with a tosser like that is reciprocate his public challenge. Best go and sit down and discuss it with him; he'll be shocked and disappointed when you do because he's hoping for a sniping war, which will allow him to air his prejudices and make some noise.

I have a colleague in Production who should have been a union rep, he's a miserable snotty arrogant bastard. A few months ago he started sending out emails copied to directors, trying to stitch me up. I refused to reply, I just waited a day or so then dropped in next time I passed his office and explained the commercial reality behind the situations.
 
OP
OP
Vikeonabike

Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
It's not the e-mails, it's the fact that he has had it brought up in a team briefing twice. Second time I wasn't there....
I'm sure he has OCD as he has picked fights about other petty little things, I'm just his latest pet project...
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
Vikeonabike said:
It's not the e-mails, it's the fact that he has had it brought up in a team briefing twice. Second time I wasn't there....
I'm sure he has OCD as he has picked fights about other petty little things, I'm just his latest pet project...

i thought about this. perhaps you can ask him on the qt. if he has, then it will upsetting him more than you can possibly imagine. perhaps he would even be willing to wash your towels on a daily basis. if he has ocd then please remember that it is a mental illness and as such, he will have no idea why other people don't understand what he sees as a major major problem. if he has ocd, the employer will have to provide facilities to solve the problem (a drying room).
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
In my experience people who use public transport smell worse than cyclists and even car-drivers sometimes sweat. You could point out that although you are the only person who uses the shower you are not the only person who needs to, and that there are worse smells than that of damp towels.
 
Please excuse me for castin' nasturtiums about the hygiene standard of our nations constabulary, but this is a male locker room at a nick, you're not trying to tell me that it smells of roses are you? :sad:
Sound to me like this twit has some sort of agenda to follow.
 
OP
OP
Vikeonabike

Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
Browser said:
Please excuse me for castin' nasturtiums about the hygiene standard of our nations constabulary, but this is a male locker room at a nick, you're not trying to tell me that it smells of roses are you? :sad:
Sound to me like this twit has some sort of agenda to follow.

It's a mixed locker room.... and you're right it doesn't smell of roses...
 

Telemark

Cycling is fun ...
Location
Edinburgh
Isn't a shower room there for people to take showers? Surely damp towels are a logical consequence? :sad:

You may want to ask your facilities people (or whatever they are called at your office) to check the ventilation is working properly, especially if it's one of these wee extraction units that need to be cleaned out occasionally, to work properly?

Always best to speak to people directly, rather than causing an e-mail war. You could also stand up in the next team meeting (after checking with a friendly colleague or two about the alleged smell), and ask for an investigation of the ventilation system or other constructive improvements.

Hope this can be sorted quickly and amicably, it's not nice :tongue:

T
 

Mark_Robson

Senior Member
If your employer provides showering and changing facilities then people can't complain when they are used. I could understand this person complaining if your towel wasn't laundered regularly and smelled but obviously this isn't the case.
It seems to me that you have three options, One have a word with him and find out exactly what the issues are, have a word with your boss and ask if he can get to the bottom of the guys issues or third, hide a couple of tiger prawns in the back of his locker the next time he goes onto his days off and then complain about the smell coming from his locker when he gets back. :sad:
 
Top Bottom