# Critique my email to corporate HR about my boss's boss **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911 "2011-07-21T22:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/61 "2011-07-24T04:49:37Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Don’t send the email. > > Do go to a doctor. Discuss the situation with the doctor. If you can, get the doctor to write a prescription for a “scent free workspace.” Use it to back up a case that you should work from home. Or in an isolated part of the building. > > Then go home and make sure all your linked in contacts are current and your resume is up on all the relevant sites. > > Then take the letter to HR and start looking for a new job. I don’t think you’ll win this. Your choice is to put up with the headache or find a new work environment. You may get the scent turned off for a bit, but the next opportunity your bosses boss has to “reduce force” you’ll be tops on the list. Not targeting you specifically, but the sort of workplace some are talking about here is a drab, horrible nasty place with less personal responsibility than a kindergarten. My god - if somebody truly needs a “scent free workplace” - then damn work from home and don’t impose it on the rest of the normal people. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/62 "2011-07-24T05:55:35Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#): > > To be fair, I would hate to work with someone like the OP. The air scent warmer is bothering me! I can’t work. ☹ Seriously, call the whambulance. > > Take an advil and stop being a crybaby. Lemme guess, you’re one of those people who think a “migraine” = “bad headache”? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/63 "2011-07-24T06:26:27Z")
To the OP: I totally sympathize. I have a cow-orker who, for the most part, I like. However, she just doesn’t get that all of her scents give me a splitting headache. Six years ago, it was an issue when we worked the same shift. I requested that she not keep one of those plug in air fresheners plugged in and she accomodated me. Six months ago, we once again began working the same hours. Now, not only does she get into the whole Scentsy thing, she sells it. I have asked her to please not keep it on when I’m there and she’ll unplug it for a little while afterward, but next thing you know, it’s going full blast.:smack: I’m looking into the Facilities angle myself. We have to have special dispensation for fans, space heaters, coffee makers and the like, so I’m hoping that an appliance like that would fall under those rules. Unless you have several co-workers who will to to HR with you, I really don’t think that that’s your best bet though. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/64 "2011-07-24T09:05:33Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#): > > To be fair, I would hate to work with someone like the OP. The air scent warmer is bothering me! I can’t work. ☹ Seriously, call the whambulance. > > Take an advil and stop being a crybaby. news flash, there are in fact people who are sensitive to smells and a migraine is a standard result. When I get migraines I curl up in the darkest room I can find for a good 4-6 hours in agony. keep your stinky stuff to yourself thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/65 "2011-07-24T10:13:58Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Not targeting you specifically, but the sort of workplace some are talking about here is a drab, horrible nasty place with less personal responsibility than a kindergarten. > > My god - if somebody truly needs a “scent free workplace” - then damn work from home and don’t impose it on the rest of the normal people. The OP isn’t asking for a scent free workplace, from what I understand, just someplace that doesn’t stink to high heaven. It’s like the difference between very low background music and country/death metal/rap (whichever one YOU happen to hate) cranked up to 11. As for working from home, if you know of real jobs, that pay real money, that one can work from home in…I’m sure many people here would love to have this information. Most “work from home” jobs are just scams. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/66 "2011-07-24T11:44:18Z")
Get a bottle of [Ipecac](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrup_of_ipecac). Every once in a while when the smell gets too bad, take a belt and throw up all over the place. Be all apologetic but explain that it only happens at work, must be something in the building. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/67 "2011-07-24T13:10:42Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Not targeting you specifically, but the sort of workplace some are talking about here is a drab, horrible nasty place with less personal responsibility than a kindergarten. > > My god - if somebody truly needs a “scent free workplace” - then damn work from home and don’t impose it on the rest of the normal people. There’s a difference between “scent free workplace” and “air scrubbed workplace” though. It’s not about eliminating everything. In an average office, think about what you smell. The perfume of the one woman who likes to bathe in it, that one guy who uses a ton of weirdly fruity hair gel, toner from the printers and copiers, freon if you’re near the AC or refrigerator, the smell of brewing coffee and food people warm in the microwave if you’re near a kitchenette. There’s also the scent inherent in the carpet and in fabric-covered cubicle walls, which seem to off-gas for two or three years after purchase (and also hold onto smells, as fabrics are wont to do). Scent-free workplace policies don’t cover any of that except the woman who bathes in her perfume. (And maybe fruity gel dude.) They cover _artificial_ scents, which not only cause problems for people with allergies and chemical sensitivities but also trigger asthma and migraines. These are ADA issues. Telling people not to bring artificial fragrances into the workplace is an extremely easy and entirely reasonable accommodation. No one will suffer an ill health effect because they’ve had to leave the L’Air du Temps on the shelf until they’re going out for an evening or because they couldn’t use the company’s power to run a scent warmer in their office all day. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/68 "2011-07-24T13:33:01Z")
Wow. I wish the biggest concern I had at work was someone’s air freshener. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/69 "2011-07-24T13:42:07Z")
Don’t go to HR. Just don’t. Don’t go over your boss’s head. Just don’t. Those are two things that will never end well. Ask your boss for a meeting and carefully and unemotionally explain your problem; if that doesn’t work, see below: Do see your MD and explain the situation; if your MD will give you a letter stating that the offensive smell is detrimental to your health, request an accommodation. Is is possible that relocating your work station would help? If your MD will not give you a letter supporting your position and if your boss will not allow you to relocate your work station, either suck it up or try to find a new job. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/70 "2011-07-25T04:18:12Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Wow. I wish the biggest concern I had at work was someone’s air freshener. :dubious: I once had a seizure that was triggered by the [smell of a dusty old book](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=322501). (It wasn’t a grand mal, but it was still pretty damned scary). Like I said, before I was on meds, strong scents (like perfumey things and stuff) were one of my biggest triggers. And years ago, before I was an epileptic, I remember going into a candle shop, where they made their own scented candles. I came home and had to take a shower, even though it was the middle of the day, I reeked so bad. Ugh!!! (They had a lot of pretty things there, like this stained glass lamp, but I’ve never gone back!) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/71 "2011-07-25T15:17:00Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Not targeting you specifically, but the sort of workplace some are talking about here is a drab, horrible nasty place with less personal responsibility than a kindergarten. > > My god - if somebody truly needs a “scent free workplace” - then damn work from home and don’t impose it on the rest of the normal people. Due to abuses by other employees before I even started here, working from home is not an option. Which is a damn shame, because I’ve done it before at a previous job and I get more done that way - less distrations from office drama. \*\* heads to **bengangmo** ’s workplace with an armful of variously scented candles, some tuna to nuke in the microwave, and a stick of Nag Champa \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/72 "2011-07-25T15:33:17Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > \*\* heads to **bengangmo** ’s workplace with an armful of variously scented candles, some tuna to nuke in the microwave, and a stick of Nag Champa \*\* Don’t forget a bag of popcorn to put in the microwave. Be sure to set the timer for 10 minutes and then wander off and and forget about it. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/73 "2011-07-25T15:37:14Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > When your boss is leaving work quietly approach her from behind and shoot her two or three times in the back of the head. Out of respect to your neighbors, use a small caliber pistol to minimize noise. I’m really shocked and appalled you’d suggest something like this. With your username, I’d have expected you to go with poison. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/74 "2011-07-25T15:41:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > :dubious: > > I once had a seizure that was triggered by the [smell of a dusty old book](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=322501). (It wasn’t a grand mal, but it was still pretty damned scary). ☹ That’s a drag - one of my favorite smells is ‘old library’ for just that scent. Do you need to avoid that type of place (libraries, college campuses, etc) for fear of a seziure, or does medication control it? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/75 "2011-07-25T15:46:05Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I love scents. I enjoy scented candles and perfume. > > However, some scents on the market are horrible, no matter how light they are. And even the best perfume can be nauseating if it’s applied too heavily. It sounds like grandboss is choosing very strong scents, and is running her warmer at all times. This combination can be nasty. The situation is complicated because grandboss takes any criticism of her actions very personally. She is using the office environment as a substitute for a home and family life. Gotta echo this. Have you used a Scentsy? I have one and damn if it doesn’t fill practically the whole house with its scent (depending on which you choose). I even burn scented candles at work – I’ve asked around, nobody is bothered, and I have my own office – and I still wouldn’t bring in a Scentsy because it’s just so powerful. There’s no low setting, it’s always on nuclear-blast level. They also have a lot of scents I just can’t stand; the floral ones (except lilac) tend to be pretty noxious. Some are less noticeable, but I have one in particular that is so strong that I had trouble sleeping – in my bedroom – on the complete opposite end of the house – with a cube I had put in the warmer the previous morning! It was called kiwi melon or some shit, but in reality it was Weapons-Grade Watermelon Jolly Rancher Smell. I have pretty much the world’s most laid back office. Seriously. And I would expect to be pummeled if I brought in one of these things. I don’t even think I could stand it myself in an enclosed space, and I have a notoriously bad sense of smell. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/76 "2011-07-25T15:47:32Z")
Do not send the email. It will backfire on you. The problem is physical working conditions. On your own, check your local and state Dept of Labor about safe working conditions, including health. (You may want to check the federal Dept of Labor and OSHA regulations as well.) Consider going to your doctor to establish a medical record of your sensitivity to the smell. The point is to establish a firm medical reason why the smell bothers you, back up by appropriate regulations/laws concerning a healthy and safe working environment. Only then should you consider bring it up to your direct supervisor in a non-threatening manner. Escalate slowly, from politeness (giving an impression you are naive), through more assertiveness, but never aggression. You are attempting to give your employer every opportunity to fix the problem at the lowest cost to them. Each escalation gets tougher, because with each escalation (providing you’ve done your homework) the cost to your employer not addressing the problem gets more expensive for them. Ultimately, if you bring in DOL or OSHA and your employer has done nothing, it will get expensive for them. FWIW, ADA doesn’t apply here. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/77 "2011-07-25T15:50:56Z")
[QUOTE=purplehorseshoe] To those suggesting removal/disposal: believe me, I’ve gone into her office late in the evening, when I’m the last one here and the thing’s long been shut off and gone cold and stink-less, and just stood there, staring longingly, conjuring up mental images of destruction and mayhem. However, she’d just buy a new one - bigger and stinkier, no doubt. The fucking catalogue is right there on her desk. [/QUOTE] Out of curiosity, what horrific smell is she trying to block? Or do you think she just enjoys the smell of chemical pheromones? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/78 "2011-07-25T17:16:43Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Gotta echo this. Have you used a Scentsy? I have one and damn if it doesn’t fill practically the whole house with its scent (depending on which you choose). I even burn scented candles at work – I’ve asked around, nobody is bothered, and I have my own office – and I still wouldn’t bring in a Scentsy because it’s just so powerful. There’s no low setting, it’s always on nuclear-blast level. They also have a lot of scents I just can’t stand; the floral ones (except lilac) tend to be pretty noxious. Some are less noticeable, but I have one in particular that is so strong that I had trouble sleeping – in my bedroom – on the complete opposite end of the house – with a cube I had put in the warmer the previous morning! It was called kiwi melon or some shit, but in reality it was Weapons-Grade Watermelon Jolly Rancher Smell. > > I have pretty much the world’s most laid back office. Seriously. And I would expect to be pummeled if I brought in one of these things. I don’t even think I could stand it myself in an enclosed space, and I have a notoriously bad sense of smell. “Blueberry Cheesecake” was the one that finally brought up comments from everyone else. It is also weapons-grade, but doesn’t even smell like candy. (I don’t know WHAT it smells like, certainly not blueberries…) I think she feels she’s being extremely courteous and self-sacrificing to abstain from that particular smell. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/79 "2011-07-25T17:28:25Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > As for working from home, if you know of real jobs, that pay real money, that one can work from home in…I’m sure many people here would love to have this information. Most “work from home” jobs are just scams. Not quite. I work remotely for a real company with a real full-time salaried positions w/ benefits. My understanding is that it’s becoming more common these days. If you’re looking for your job on _craigslist_ or some other scammy place than yeah, you’re going to find scams. But find a job through the normal avenues (I got mine through work contacts from my previous job, which was not a remote position) and then ask whether working remotely is an option. Obviously this is going to depend on the type of work you do. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911/80 "2011-07-25T17:59:21Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Get a bottle of [Ipecac](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrup_of_ipecac). Hmm. I wonder what a couple of drops of Ipecac would do to the room when placed in the scent warmer… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-email-to-corporate-hr-about-my-bosss-boss/589911.md?page=5)