Should You Wear Perfume To Work?

We all know that an employee must have personal hygiene. No company will want an employee who cannot present him/herself. Personal hygiene as a whole lot to do with your appearance and also you smell. I am not talking about you having a bad odour, I mean too much perfume/cologne.

It is important in a professional setup for an employee to maintain decorum, this is also applicable especially in the matter of personal grooming habits. One of the major factors of physical appearance is the perfume one wears.

Have you ever felt irritated by the intensity of a colleague’s perfume? Well, I have. A number of people wear perfume not just because of personal hygiene, some just do it as a way of seeking attention, the bad kind.

In some states in the US, there is a legal move to outlaw perfumes in the workplace. Some private companies have even banned it. Now for us in Nigeria, it hasn’t gotten to that point yet (I haven’t heard of anything like that).

I think placing a ban on perfume is just excessive and rigid. But if we don’t want our companies to start making policies like that, we should be mindful of how we wear perfume.

The principle of avoiding strong fragrances in the workplace is justified to a certain extent as it might cause a distraction to other employees. But one does not need to ban it altogether.

We should be able to wear perfume as long as it doesn’t cause anyone inconvenience. But it is difficult to determine what kind of perfume is workplace friendly.

What to be kept in mind while wearing perfume at work?

It is important to realise that the convenience of the colleagues in the workplace has to be taken into consideration. The employee needs to keep in mind the sensitivity of the people who work with him. The colleagues in close proximity to him can inhale the fragrance which will linger in the air for a long period of time. Excessive fragrance can cause nasal irritation, nausea, dizziness, headaches, and breathing problems. One might not be aware of a colleague’s health problems hence it’s better to keep the perfume subtle.

At times, it is not always the perfume which is the culprit. There are various laundry detergents, shampoos, soaps, and fragrant makeup products which may be responsible for emitting a strong smell. Therefore it is not always necessary that wearing perfumes must be avoided. One should take care if his hygiene products are not too fragrant.

Another reason why wearing strong perfume at work is not advisable is because it draws a lot of attention to the person wearing it. While passing by a co-worker or even on walking into the boardroom, people present will immediately notice the presence of such a person. This kind of attention gives a wrong impression of the employee. According to workplace etiquette, such people seek attention to make their presence felt. This can create a negative impression in the minds of the head of the company as well as the manager. Consequently, one should avoid strong fragrances at work.

Use of perfume is a personal hygiene of certain people. It avoids body odour and emits a pleasing smell. Excess of anything is unfavourable and same is the case in the use of perfume as well. When an employee’s perfume is causing discomfort to someone, the manager can bring it to his notice in a polite manner. This will avoid any kind of miscommunication between the manager and the employee. At the same time, the workplace environment will not be very strict; instead, it’ll be a healthy one.