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How can you
organize a fragrance free workplace? Many people wear heavy perfumes, colognes, and
shaving lotions which pose a health threat to asthma sufferers, and generally people who
have a strong sense of smell.
The nose knows
that odors can frustrate, annoy, and in some cases irritate asthma. But you are asking for
a work environment that is even more difficult to create than one that is smoke free.
Impossible unless you have showers with perfume-less soap for all who enter the workplace. Impossible unless a manager-dictator or guru rules any fragrance out of bounds. Impossible unless some who are genuinely bothered will initiate a tactful confrontation with those who offend with heavy perfumes.
I have encountered such a situation--one in which a member of another culture consumed so much garlic that the room in which he sat reeked of that smell. Private conversation helped him understand that his eating patterns were not suitable for times he would be with non-garlic eaters. In another situation, some who were offended by a jogger's un-showered presence used an indirect approach of sending him deodorant.
In your case, if there is a genuine harm done to the asthmatic, I think a group meeting might address the problem. Perhaps, it will take a courageous boss to present the matter. One must weigh the nose's annoyance against the very important interpersonal workplace friendliness. The analogy to smoke-free will only go so far. Tell me what you decide to do.
WEGO calls forth head and heart and nose,
Sincerely,
Bill Gorden