Recently two women moved into the two open cubicles in front of my desk at work. They seem polite but we’re not in the same department so I haven’t talked to them very much (everyone’s busy all day not a lot of opportunities for chatting outside of your team, etc.) Lately when they come in now though they’ve been absolutely COVERED in perfume. For weeks it’s been giving me a migraine all day but I didn’t want to cause an issue / potentially offend / embarrass anyone so I haven’t said anything. Unfortunately last week they both turned it up several notches and have been spraying perfumes and hairsprays while at their desks. My migraines got a lot worse and I actually had a reaction and couldn’t breathe for a few hours and needed my inhaler. I didn’t say anything to my coworkers but I quietly submitted an email to HR just asking if they could send a generalized email to the building so no one was targeted and again as I mentioned earlier, potentially embarrassed or offended. HR agreed and as soon as the email went out my teammates started messaging in a work chat asking who snitched. I definitely don’t want to tell anyone I was the one who submitted the request because I feel extremely embarrassed. I would have just dealt with the migraines but not being able to breathe wasn’t very fun and really messed up my workday. I’m worried if it does come out it was me people will judge me for it. Am I the asshole here?
NTA and I would forward the “snitch” messages to HR as well.
Yup, hostile work environment. This is your health being impacted.
Oh boy, it’s Reddit’s favorite misused legal threat. Coworkers *showing hostility* is not the same thing as a hostile work environment.
OP, please, if you do go back to HR don’t try to use “hostile work environment” to try to get them to do your bidding. HR is already on your side here. You don’t need to imply that you’re thinking about suing the company, that can only make things worse for you.
It’s extremely rude and annoying of them to do that, you were right to get HR involved in my opinion. NTA
As someone that also struggles with smells when in a confined environment, NTA
NTA. People really need to learn they should use water and soap to bathe, not perfume. I had a coworker like that. She constantly used and sprayed some super strong vanilla scented crap, which makes me sneeze violently. I asked her to stop like a hundred times, she wouldn’t, so I started sneezing in her face. That stopped her.
Sometimes people don’t realize/understand what strong perfumes/chemicals can do to someone with allergies/asthma. A generic message isn’t targeting someone specifically so you don’t right.
NTA
And I’m very surprised your company doesn’t have a scent policy. I think every company I’ve every worked for had a no strong scents rule.
My work has a scent policy, but until someone snitches, people will try to get away with it as long as possible. Its not like the higher ups and hr are around these people who put in *glade air fresheners* in their cubicle outlets.
Yes I’m a salty snitch.
NTA. You’re not a snitch, you’re someone making a very reasonable request and they’re acting completely inappropriately for a work environment. It’s not a party, it’s an office. I’ve worked places that completely disallowed perfume/cologne because people were Axe Body Spraying it up and it smelled like a middle school locker room. And don’t stop. Even if this wasn’t affecting you medically, you have a right to a reasonable office environment. Unless you work in Abecrombie or something, it should not be swimming in fragrance.
Even in the realm of good taste, not office politics, a scent should be discovered, it should not announce itself.
Hubby and I were at an airport waiting for our plane away from the madding crowd at the actual gate. (We were across the aisle in a relatively empty area. This woman and her husband come and sit down about 20 ft away from us, but her perfume was so strong and obnoxious that 2 minutes after they sat down, I told my husband we had to move bc i was starting to get a migraine from it.
NTA. Glad you reported it OP. Don’t feel guilty you “snitched” bc it’s not an issue of “snitching”. It’s an issue of a medical necessity. No one should have to suffer with migraines every day if they can be prevented, but the whole “can’t breathe” thing is a whole other level.
Although you could have asked for a seat reassignment for this, if your manager denied it, you’d still have to go to HR, and it would eventually be known who “told”.
NTA. Totally reasonable ask. HR obviously thought it was appropriate since they chose to send out the email.
NTA. I understand smelling good and stuff but to reapply in a cubicle? There’s a fine line between too much and just enough. Even then all you need for an EDP is at most maybe 1-2 sprays if it’s a strong perfume.
NTA
Don’t tell them it was you, let HR do their job.
You’re sharing space and if this gives you migraines, it’s a problem. I guarantee others are finding it irritating as well.
My asthmatic aunt passed away after her officemate freshened her perfume and hairspray in the office. This shit is not a joke. People need to know if they are making someone else I’ll and change their ways.