SMELLS IN THE OFFICE
Does your company have a scent/fragrance-free policy?
Yes 19%
On a scale of 1 to 5, how annoying do you find each of the following coworker behaviours? (1 being “not annoying” and 5 being “very annoying”)
| 3.61 Eating stinky food |
| 3.46 Wearing too much/strong body fragrance |
| 3.13 Having a strong fragrance on their desk (e.g., incense, candles, flowers) |
What have you done in response to a coworker’s offensive smells or fragrances?
| TOTAL | GENDER MALE | GENDER FEMALE | AGE 18-34 | AGE 35-54 | AGE 55+ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let it go and suffered and suffered in silence | 46% | 44% | 48% | 50% | 46% | 36% | |
| Confronted the person | 17% | 23% | 11% | 22% | 17% | 8% | |
| Asked your manager or HR to intervene | 15% | 20% | 11% | 20% | 13% | 9% | |
| I haven’t experienced a coworker’s offensive smells or fragrances | 37% | 34% | 40% | 33% | 35% | 48% |
(Multiple responses permitted)
Source: OfficeTeam survey of 1,011 workers in the United States
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