Anyone who’s worked in an office has probably encountered that one co-worker with questionable hygiene habits. But calling it out is never easy. Not only is having the conversation itself difficult, but depending on your role, how long you’ve been at the company, and the office power dynamics, bringing up the issue can feel nearly impossible.
If you’re a manager dealing with a similar situation, check out our guide on office etiquette and how to address workplace hygiene issues professionally.
Below are some of the wildest — and grossest — stories Redditors shared about their unhygienic co-workers. You’ve been warned. 🤢
1. The most unexpected office hero
“One person in my department never washed her hands after using the restroom. Every time we had a potluck, she would go through and touch everything. She didn’t eat it, just touched it. She was the boss’s wife. The only one who had the nerve to call her out on it was the boss’s mistress.”
2. Mystery soup sludge
“Ew this sounds like my former boss. His wife would throw a bunch of old canned soups together in a slow cooker and bring it in calling it goulash and we were supposed to fawn over her for being ‘so kind’ for bringing us lunch. It smelled putrid.”
3. Everyone liked him — from a safe distance
“Had a co-worker who smelled so bad you could tell he was within 20 feet of you. At some point, a manager had to pull him into a conference room and talk to him about showering and deodorant. The thing is, he was good at his job and a nice guy so everyone felt bad about avoiding him.”
4. Coffee with an aftertaste of regret
“The HR lady at my last job never washed her hands and would make our coffee. She’d partake in potlucks or the occasional pizza party. Ugh.”
5. Workplace Shrek
“I’ve been at my job for 1 month now. I love it. Everyone is really nice and I generally enjoy the work I do. We don’t have private cubicle areas, us admin share a desk area. It’s too small for my comfort (we’re all about 1 foot away from each other) and what makes it unbearable is who I sit next to. I call her sick f**k. She never covers her mouth when coughing and sneezing (which got nearly the whole office sick last week). She’s pretty much Shrek. She stinks, and insists on removing her shoes every day. She’s gassy and almost never gets up to go to the restroom in our 8-hour day. And the latest disgusting trait she has displayed is picking her nose and either flicking the booger or wiping it on the inside of her jacket. I have been experiencing crippling anxiety due to worrying if I’m going to get a booger shot on me or inhale any of her scents at any moment. I don’t want to be mean and say something, I also don’t want to make waves and complain to my boss. But this is seriously a problem. I have no idea how to deal with her.”
6. Dead flowers were part of Judy’s personal brand
“Judy would not remove the flowers on her desk until the next time she received flowers. Her husband only sent them on her birthday, anniversary, and Valentine’s. Her daughter sent them on Mother’s Day, thank God, because it kept the flowers on a 3-month rotation.
Edit: Old flowers smell like ass. Judy was the boss’s best friend and accountant.”
7. Imagine getting soap at your desk and still not getting the hint
“Not me, but a friend worked in the R&D department of a tech company. A few of the guys there could clear the house. When leaving soap and deodorant at their desks regularly did not give them the hint, HR had to get involved and sometimes that didn’t work.
He said it was pretty awful. Thankfully, he was in a lab, alone, most of the day, so he dealt with it only on a limited basis.”
8. Office potlucks become terrifying once you notice this
“I have several co-workers who do not wash their hands. I have walked by the men’s restroom many times and heard toilets flush and then co-workers walk out. I refuse to eat any of the time we’ve had self-serve lunches or potluck.”
9. A sticky situation
“I had a girl co-worker who would pick her nose in the bathroom and leave the boogers on the wall. It took months until one of us confronted her about it and she finally stopped and quit shortly after.”
10. Wall art
“We had a shit artist. It started after a colleague went to the gents for a shit and promptly returned, saying someone had smeared shit all over the cubicle walls. This was a large insurance company’s IT department.
We laughed it off, thinking some vagrant had snuck into the building and done the deed. But it happened again a couple of days later. Then again the next week. A serial shit artist was at work. We vowed to check the cubicle if we ever see someone walking out of the men’s, just in case.
He was caught a couple of paintings afterwards. Apparently the new first-line support guy had a few mental issues and had decided to stop taking his meds. He was fired and we resumed shitting safely.”
11. Enduring this was not in the JD
“Worked next to a guy who contributed the following to the office:
- Ate the worst-smelling kimchi with every meal
- Rarely showered
- Farted constantly
I couldn’t tolerate that shit and ended up quitting shortly after starting.”
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