"So I notice your breath smells of liquor!"

January 24, 2007 2:02 AM

Asking for a friend: She works in an office. One of her supervisees has breath that smells boozish. How does my friend tell her to do something about it?

Performance of said employee is not an issue, but friend is concerned that other employees and clients who interact with "Booze Breath" may perceive a drinking problem, which would reflect poorly on both the employee and the company. How can this mission be accomplished with minimal damage to feelings?

posted by Kibbutz to Work & Money (18 answers total)

Talk to HR, and let them handle it as an impersonal matter of company policy?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:06 AM on January 24, 2007

If performance is not an issue, I'd avoid asking HR to get involved.

"Hey, I'm not sure if you're using an alcohol-based mouthwash or what, but you might want to change brands in case someone thinks you're a boozer? Just saying."
posted by handee at 2:27 AM on January 24, 2007

"Altoid?"
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:22 AM on January 24, 2007

Recommend gin, which, because it contains aromatics, doesn't leave such a noticeable smell on the breath.
posted by felix betachat at 3:33 AM on January 24, 2007

The best approach might be for her to write an email to all her supervisees about appropriate attire, appearance, smell etc. for client facing employees, mentioning alcohol based mouthwash.

Or privately ask HR to do the same thing.
posted by By The Grace of God at 3:49 AM on January 24, 2007

Can of worms.
Job performance acceptable? Do nothing.
Job performance not acceptable? Address that.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:54 AM on January 24, 2007

Well gee, looks like you're going to get two dozen different answers for this one!

My vote is for what Kirth Gerson said. Maybe "friend" is overly sensitive, and clients don't notice / couldn't care less. If clients do notice, and it matters to them, and they start taking their business else, then it shows up as a performance issue, and that's another matter. Until then, "friend" is jumping at shadows.
posted by Jimbob at 4:00 AM on January 24, 2007

I would make sure she doesn’t have something medical, like diabetes, going on before making an issue of it.
posted by paxton at 4:31 AM on January 24, 2007

To some extent, too, it's going to matter how concerned her company is with its "brand identity" and such. Some companies are happy to have a highly productive employee who doesn't always reflect well on them. Some companies are very, very unhappy with that.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:14 AM on January 24, 2007

A perception of "boozish" breath could caused by a lot of things...jumping to conclusions in this case is out of line, unless the employee seems hungover or drunk. Your friend should offer her a mint.
posted by desuetude at 6:11 AM on January 24, 2007

Could also be diabetes, kidney disease, cheap mouthwash, etc. causing the "alcohol" smell. Tread carefully.
posted by availablelight at 6:23 AM on January 24, 2007

Ask: "What kind of toothpaste do you use? I'm looking for some that smells like booze."

Adjust meter and serve.

Seriously, I would avoid offering a mint (too rude and yet indirect) or sending an email (too indirect) or getting caught up with alternate explanations (dead end) or focusing only on performance (not all is measurable in real time).

Consider a hair-brained, sitcom style approach. For example, stage close quarters conversation with supervisor, boozer, and third trusted employee. Have trusted employee ask supervisor, "Man, did you have some cocktails at lunch? I smell alcohol." Supervisor denies good-humoredly, conversation breaks, boozer ponders.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 6:57 AM on January 24, 2007

Once I had a coworker approach me and quietly state that she noticed that she noticed that I smelled like alcohol and that she worried that incoming clients would "talk." I had NO idea what she was talking about. Eventually I figured out that it was my Purell.

Point? I don't really have one, but I think someone should make her aware that others notice. Maybe an anonymous note?
posted by TG_Plackenfatz at 7:55 AM on January 24, 2007

Why can't she be good-naturedly conspiratorial and pull the person aside:

A: (with a wink and a smile) Have you been drinking?
B: (flustered) No, why?
A: Oh, I thought I smelled alcohol just now. Maybe it's just my new lotion. (smells hands) I dunno. Weird, huh! Sorry about that. (wink, smile)

If the person is in fact drinking, at least they'll know they need to cover their tracks better. And if they're not, they hopefully won't feel picked on.
posted by hermitosis at 8:23 AM on January 24, 2007

If the person is not secretly hitting the bottle, all of these subtle hints and staged scenarios will not work, because the person will not assume that their breath smells "boozish."
posted by desuetude at 8:29 AM on January 24, 2007

While I generally make a point of railing against professionalism to the point of being a jerk, I have to say that if it's not an issue with their work and if it isn't adversely affecting anyone else in the office, why bother? If it ain't broke and all that.
posted by GilloD at 8:44 AM on January 24, 2007

FWIW, people with bad breath tend to overdo the Listerine and smell a bit like drunks.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:30 AM on January 24, 2007

Um... why can't she just say: "Hey, sorry to bring this up, but you sometimes smell of booze. Could be anything - mouthwash or something - and there's no issue with the quality of work; I just thought I should say in case somebody else got the wrong impression."

Anything else sounds more likely to be either insulting or ineffective, or probably both.
posted by flashboy at 12:16 PM on January 24, 2007