# What's the worst situation you could be upfront and personal about something? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001 "2014-01-16T21:28:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![compositejoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/compositejoe/32/7232_2.png) [@compositejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/compositejoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/1 "2014-01-16T21:28:38Z")
As the thread title asks, what’s the worst situation you could be upfront and personal about something? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/2 "2014-01-16T21:44:31Z")
I have worked with people who have a horrible body odor, I don’t know if they can do anything about it or not. I have been tempted to say something because I know it offends everyone but have always kept my mouth shut. Another one is when a guy at works wife is cheating with another guy at work, it pisses me off but I can’t bring myself to say anything even though I know it is just a matter of time until they find out anyway. ---
**Author:** ![compositejoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/compositejoe/32/7232_2.png) [@compositejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/compositejoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/3 "2014-01-16T21:45:20Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I have worked with people who have a horrible body odor, I don’t know if they can do anything about it or not. I have been tempted to say something because I know it offends everyone but have always kept my mouth shut. Another one is when a guy at works wife is cheating with another guy at work, it pisses me off but I can’t bring myself to say anything even though I know it is just a matter of time until they find out anyway. Cool story, seriously! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/4 "2014-01-16T22:25:58Z")
I once had to counsel a woman on my staff who managed to give five of my male staffers crabs over the span of two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/5 "2014-01-16T22:33:46Z")
Please somebody help. I can’t parse the question. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/6 "2014-01-16T23:37:09Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > I once had to counsel a woman on my staff who managed to give five of my male staffers crabs over the span of two weeks. Are you in the porn business? If not, I can’t even begin to understand how this situation is work related and would deserve your counsel. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/7 "2014-01-16T23:48:06Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Are you in the porn business? If not, I can’t even begin to understand how this situation is work related and would deserve your counsel. If the behavior of an employee is creating health risks to other employees he has every right to counsel her. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/8 "2014-01-17T00:24:00Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > If the behavior of an employee is creating health risks to other employees he has every right to counsel her. It is a bit boggling, though, when a supervisor/manager has five men who would come and complain not only that they have crabs but who they got them from. The culture in that workplace is certainly different from mine! I am a total coward about things like this. I don’t even tell my SO when he has bad breath (not often, but it happens). I once broke up with a guy after a few weeks who was nice otherwise but who had killer bad breath all the time (bad teeth, I think, couldn’t afford a dentist maybe) and I didn’t tell him the real reason. Like I said, a total coward. Which isn’t fair of me, of course, because I would hope that if I offended in any way, someone would tell me so I could fix it. I am just glad that I have never been required in my job to have that kind of discussion (BO, bad breath, or crabs!). Roddy ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/9 "2014-01-17T00:43:55Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > If the behavior of an employee is creating health risks to other employees he has every right to counsel her. What kind of place were you working at, and how did you know this? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/10 "2014-01-17T01:05:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > What kind of place were you working at, and how did you know this? I would interpet that the same way I would an employee was comming to work with a communicable disease like a flu. A manager does have the right to send an obviously sick employee home. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/11 "2014-01-17T01:14:28Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Please somebody help. I can’t parse the question. That’s what I wanted to say, but it seemed a little too upfront and personal an attack on the OP. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/12 "2014-01-17T01:24:53Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I would interpet that the same way I would an employee was comming to work with a communicable disease like a flu. A manager does have the right to send an obviously sick employee home. Well, sure. But in what workplace would you pass on crabs to your colleagues? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/13 "2014-01-17T01:34:16Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > Well, sure. But in what workplace would you pass on crabs to your colleagues? If offices are anything like factories then plenty of places. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/14 "2014-01-17T18:03:44Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > Well, sure. But in what workplace would you pass on crabs to your colleagues? Maybe a fishery? ---
**Author:** ![compositejoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/compositejoe/32/7232_2.png) [@compositejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/compositejoe)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/15 "2014-01-17T18:11:32Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Maybe a fishery? Awesome! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/16 "2014-01-17T18:16:34Z")
I’m learning to be more stone-cold up-front & personal with each and every coming day. I’m learning that with some people, its the ONLY language they seem to understand. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/17 "2014-01-17T18:17:25Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Maybe a fishery? Well played! ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/18 "2014-01-17T19:25:49Z")
It was a political canvass and one by one, my guys kept coming in to say they needed the day off to go get treated. It was a small group so this really affected productivity. I finally put two and two together and realized what the common denominator was. So, called her in. I simply stated _"This is going to be an uncomfortable conversation for both of us_…" ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/19 "2014-01-17T20:34:37Z")
I had to tell one of my employees that until the exterminator certified that the worker’s house and car were bedbug free he couldn’t come back to work. We had to dispose of thousands of dollars worth of computers and monitors which were infested. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001/20 "2014-01-17T20:42:40Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Please somebody help. I can’t parse the question. I thought it was just me. I think he’s saying “what’s the worst situation [you can imagine in which] you could be upfront and personal about something,” but I don’t really know what that means either. Maybe “in what situation would it be the most inappropriate to be upfront and personal”? Or “what was the worst situation you were in where you had to be upfront and personal [with someone] about something?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-situation-you-could-be-upfront-and-personal-about-something/679001.md?page=2)