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I stink, therefore I am

It's hard to understand why some people cannot take that extra effort to smell good, look clean and stay groomed

GET IT RIGHT Your cleanliness quotient affects your personal life too photo: a. roy chowdhury

For fresh graduates today, it's a smooth journey from campus to their AC-ed cubicle. But as the HR and admin heads train the recruits to handle software, work sheets, accent, speech, hours and the company's privacy policy, they are discovering to their dismay that the employees need education in something basic. Many of them, they say, are clueless about workplace manners. And shockingly, it includes personal hygiene (PH). The new mantra is: I stink, therefore I am.

"My stories on scruffy looks would fill a book," said Chitra, admin and staff welfare officer with an electronics company. "It is difficult to walk through work stations. They come "dressed" in crumpled, used shirts and unwashed socks. Add the five o'clock shadow and uncombed hair, it is not a pretty picture. You talk to them, and halitosis hits you. Then there's flatulence and body odour — I can't go around with a surgeon's mask on, can I? And they are PGs."

Laying down the rules

A recruiting spree forced Chitra to start an orientation course. In half-day sessions, she lays down the rules. "Simple and neat" is the policy. Dress code includes mild-coloured clothes and polished shoes. Wear your jeans/T-shirt/sandals during weekends. Girls can't wear flowers, chunky jewellery or haunted-house payals. "I've heard all possible excuses for not shaving (`the razor broke,' `someone said I looked good this way'). And I have answers for all of them." Among other stuff, she has a shoeshine kit in the office. Table/bathroom manners are on the syllabus. Clean up after lunch. Don't pour liquids into saucers and don't slurp. Eat with your mouth closed. Bring a light, nutritious meal and avoid raw onions. Wash up; don't wipe post-lunch fingers on paper. In the loo, don't splash water. Others have to use it.

Chitra's office stacks disposable paper and spoons (routinely pilfered) and there are DON'T notices everywhere.

Delicate task

Breaking personal habits is a delicate task. Nikita, another HR personnel, does that one-on-one. "I wait till they get their first pay and tell them to visit a dentist and use a mild deo. I request them to tone down the religious marks on the forehead. I monitor them so they don't slide back to their old ways." How do you account for the slipshod turnout in high-end IT/ITES offices? "It's the flexi-time culture," said an HR trainer. "Night and day have no distinction. Nor do work-life and life-life. There is no face-to-face with customers in the U.S. Why bother? Aren't Americans casually dressed too?"

A disgusted media office head complained: "The 30-plus have kids but report neatly dressed. What excuse do the younger ones have? They litter the work areas and leave stains on the table. They take `casual' to unacceptable lengths. It's the `me, me, me' mindset coupled with `who cares?' attitude." How I look is my business. If you want my services, accept me the way I am. Did you hire me for what I wear or for what I do?

There are large holes in this line of thinking. In the workplace, you represent your organisation. What image does a shabbily dressed salesman evoke in you? Then there is the question of responsibility to your colleagues. Halitosis, body odour, smell of stale food, dirty bathrooms and tousled hair affect all those working around you. Ignorance can be an excuse, not time. Today you can wash clothes while you are fixing dinner. As for getting them pressed, there is an ironing guy at every street corner. Keeping clean is a medical necessity. Looking fresh is a matter of pride. It's hard to understand why people whose paychecks have stunning numbers cannot spend cash to smell good, look clean and stay groomed.

How do you tell?

Be diplomatic: Your deodorant doesn't seem to be working. Want to try this?

Be non-accusatory: I'll be glad to help you out.

Doesn't work? Get a neutral person's help.

Be armed with info: official, medical

Use office boards: Paste unambiguous instructions.

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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