As a manager, you’re probably used to dealing with tough situations: employees who insist on being late, team members who miss deadlines, and staff members who can’t get along. But conversations about an employee’s personal appearance are a whole different ball game. It’s something that we often avoid talking about, or worse, make light of.

This content has two major themes. First, we’ll give you a framework for having those tough conversations. We’ll also give you some guidelines for customising that framework for your organisation. Then, we’ll look at some common tough conversations that come up, including body odour, flatulence, poor clothing and hair decisions, and bad breath. You’ll walk away well prepared for any kind of challenging conversation.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify the advantages to having tough conversations
• Describe the components to an effective behaviour modification conversation
• Use your organisation’s resources to help you deal with hygiene issues
• Overcome barriers that employees put up when discussing hygiene problems
• Resolve hygiene issues such as bad hair days, inappropriate piercings and body art, poor clothing choices, bad breath, body odour, excessive gas, and incontinence
• Nip poor hygiene habits in the bud
• Identify ways to encourage good hygiene at your workplace