Reply to Perfume is Unfashionable and Inconsiderate

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[quote=Anonymous]1) You undermine your argument by claiming it's "unfashionable" when what you are really saying is that it is inconsiderate in certain settings. It's only unfashionable to you because you don't like it; that's actually irrelevant if your main argument is that it is inconsiderate to people who are sensitive to smells.

2) Requesting that people wear minimal scents in an office setting, especially in an open office, is pretty reasonable. I don't think you can ask people to go totally scent free, but it is reasonable to expect people not to go heavy on perfume and to keep other scented items to a more minimal level as well, out of consideration for others.

3) If you do work withs someone whose perfume (or shampoo or body lotion or whatever) aggravates you, you can definitely ask for an accommodation. Just raise it with your immediate supervisor. They will probably just move you to another area, though depending on the work environment, they might issue a blanket request for people to tone down scents in the office.

4) But consider that your perfumed coworker genuinely does not know it bothers you. Perfume used to be much more common (and older women tend to go a little heavy on it, perhaps because their olfactory sense is not as strong) and in some cultures, heavy perfume is common and encouraged. Try to be a little more sensitive to the fact that not everyone's life revolves around your personal needs. You deserve a workplace that is comfortable and healthy for you, but your colleagues are not instantly "unfashionable and inconsiderate" for doing something they likely have no idea bothers you.

5) Many of us wear perfume regularly but do not do so while working in cubicles in an open office, and our perfume use isn't bad simply because you have had a bad experience with perfume wearers at work. I wear small amounts of perfume while working from home that are probably detectable when I go to my kid's school or go grocery shopping or get coffee. I don't see the difference between this and using a strong smelling shampoo or laundry detergent. I find the scent calming. If it bothers you, feel free to move away. Though unless you have an allergy, you might want to consider that it's okay to deal with the various smells of other humans for fleeting moments throughout the day, and that variety is the spice of life.[/quote]

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