DEAR ABBY: I work for a small corporation. I report to two people –- a husband and wife. The wife is my supervisor; however, I am an administrative assistant to her husband as well.
The wife is extremely intelligent and I stand to learn a great deal from her, but she has the worst body odor I have ever encountered. Not only does the entire office smell of her, but when she gets close, I'm afraid I will be ill from the stench. I don't know how to handle this.
With the hot weather here, the problem has worsened. The only good thing that has come out of it is that I have lost my appetite when she's around and am losing quite a bit of weight.
I would appreciate your advice. If the problem isn't solved soon, I'll be forced to find another job. -– OVERCOME IN GARDENA, CALIF.
DEAR OVERCOME: You would be doing your supervisor a great favor to tell her what you have told me. She needs to have a complete physical examination to determine the cause of the problem. (I am assuming that the woman bathes or showers daily and wears clean clothes.)
Since you cannot go on the way things are, you have nothing to lose by speaking up, as long as you do it in a kindly manner.