Tough Topics: Talking to Employees about Personal Hygiene
Designed for supervisors and managers, this course provides a practical framework for navigating difficult conversations about employee personal hygiene and appearance. You'll learn step-by-step guidelines for raising sensitive topics, overcoming common objections, and addressing specific issues such as bad hair, piercings, dress code violations, bad breath, body odor, and gastrointestinal concerns—all while maintaining professionalism, empathy, and legal awareness.
What you'll learn
- Identify the advantages to having tough conversations about personal hygiene
- Describe the components of an effective behavior modification conversation
- Use your organization's resources to help deal with hygiene issues
- Overcome barriers and objections employees raise when discussing hygiene problems
- Resolve hygiene issues such as bad hair, inappropriate piercings and body art, poor clothing choices, bad breath, body odor, excessive gas, and incontinence
- Nip poor hygiene habits in the bud before they escalate
- Identify ways to encourage good hygiene at your workplace
Preview a lesson
A Step-by-Step Framework for Tough Conversations Having a clear process makes difficult conversations much more manageable. Use the following five-step formula as your guide whenever you need to address a personal hygiene or appearance issue with an employee. Step 1: Set the Time and Place Always invite the employee to speak privately, in your office or a closed meeting room. Ask if they have a moment to spare, and try to address the issue as soon as possible after you become aware of it. Timeliness signals that you take the matter seriously. Step 2: Use a Soft Opener That Asks for Feedback Your opening should set the stage, acknowledge the sensitivity of the topic, and invite the employee into a collaborative conversation. For example: > *"Robin, a sensitive issue about your hygiene has come to my attention, and I'd like your help in solving it. This will be private—I won't share anything discussed here without your permission. Do you have a few minutes so we can talk and come to a solution?"* Step 3: Describe the Issue Objectively Be honest and direct, but avoid jokes, unnecessary adjectives (e.g., "gross," "nasty"), or personal attacks. Describe what you or others have observed in neutral, factual terms while acknowledging your own discomfort where appropriate. Step 4: Describe the Impact Explain how the issue
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Curriculum
Course Overview & The Business Case for Tough Conversations
2 lessons- textWhy These Conversations Matter
- quizModule 1 Knowledge Check
Guidelines for Difficult Conversations
2 lessons- textA Step-by-Step Framework for Tough ConversationsPreview
- quizModule 2 Knowledge Check
Overcoming Objections
2 lessons- textHandling Common Employee Objections
- quizModule 3 Knowledge Check
Addressing Specific Appearance Issues: Hair, Piercings & Dress Code
2 lessons- textBad Hair Days, Piercings, and Dress Code Violations
- quizModule 4 Knowledge Check
Addressing Specific Hygiene Issues: Breath, Body Odor & Gastrointestinal Concerns
2 lessons- textBad Breath, Body Odor, and Gastrointestinal Issues
- quizModule 5 Knowledge Check