Tough Topics: Talking to Employees about Personal Hygiene

You will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

• Let's Talk About It!
• To start the day, participants will look at some of the personal and professional benefits of investing their time and energy into a tough conversation.
• Guidelines for Difficult Conversations
• This session will give participants a framework for any difficult conversation and a chance to role play ways to open the conversation. Participants will also receive a checklist of company policies that they should familiarize themselves with.
• Overcoming Objections
• Next, participants will role play what to do if the employee becomes offended, won't admit that they have a problem, refuses to fix the problem (or fixes it only temporarily), or claims that the issue is due to a disability.
• Bad Hair Days (And Weeks… and Months…)
• This session will focus on solutions for unkempt hair, unprofessional hairstyles, and dandruff.
• Addressing Piercings and Body Artwork
• In this session, participants will learn some good ways to bring up and resolve issues with inappropriate body piercings and tattoos.
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  Helping Employees Dress for Success
• Next, participants will learn how to deal with dress code violations, with a special section on issues that could be gender-sensitive. Participants will also receive some useful tips on helping employees who don't have the resources to dress appropriately.
• Bad Breath
• This session will explore the causes of bad breath (formally known as halitosis), how to resolve it, and how to discuss it with employees.
• Body Odor
• Next, participants will brainstorm ways to handle inadequate personal hygiene, body odor from medical issues, and over-perfumed employees. We'll also take a quick look at what to do if you think you smell drugs or alcohol on an employee.
• Gastrointestinal Issues
• This session will look at discussing incontinence and flatulence with an employee.
• Bad Habits
• Finally, participants will make a list of their favorite poor hygiene habits and brainstorm solutions for them.
• Putting it into Practice
• In the last session of the day, participants will role play a difficult hygiene situation and receive feedback on how they handled the situation.
• Workshop Wrap-Up
• At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.