Scent of a Workplace:
When Noses Collide

By Laurie Trousil, MCDC Manager of Resources and Product Development

When was the last time that you entered a room and was over-powered by a woman's perfume? Have you ever shook hands with a man who smelled like he ate a garlic sandwich? Do you know someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)?

Modern workplaces are changing. Office spaces are shrinking with more people working within the confines of smaller, enclosed workspaces. Also, new immigrants entering into U.S. workplaces from around the globe bring with them a multitude of different beliefs, values, preferences and products related to food, personal appearance and their spiritual beliefs. All scents have the potential to be unfamiliar, and at times offensive, to people of differing backgrounds.

Fragrance-free policies are beginning to take hold in workplaces across the United States. Here are just a few examples:

- Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, asked its employees and students to refrain voluntarily from wearing scented products.

- Alacrity Ventures, a Berkeley, California-based venture-capital firm, not only encourages its employees to go fragrance-free but also uses only unscented janitorial products.

- At the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Seattle, the church established a "fragrance free section" at select Masses on Sundays.

However, the issue of scents at work is more complex. Creating a fragrance-free work environment is one alternative. Is it the best choice?

Every workplace should strive to be a respectful environment where all people are valued. Because people from many backgrounds use scents as part of rituals or as an important expression of their culture, is it desirable or even possible to go fragrance-free at work?

Here are several scent-related items that are important parts of rituals or everyday life for people of various cultural or religious backgrounds:

Perfume - People have been using perfumes for thousands of years. Fragrances have been used over the millennia for medicine, religion, romance and simply to mask foul odors. The composition of today's fragrances is quite different from that of the ancient Pharaohs or the "perfumed court" of France's King Louis XV. Until the nineteenth century, scents were made from fragrant resins, flower essences, herbs, spices and other natural ingredients. Now, they are a complex mixture of natural materials and synthetic chemicals. Several hundred chemicals may be used to make a single perfume, lotion or cosmetic product.

For people of different ethnicities, perfume is an important part of their cultural norms and practices. For Somali women, for example, tradition states that married and unmarried women could be told apart, not only because of their scarves, but because single girls did not wear makeup or perfumes or use incense in their hair. One of the most common types of perfume worn by Somali women is rose oil, an oil-based fragrance that does not evaporate as quickly as alcohol-based perfumes worn by Western women.

Smudging - American Indians may use a combination of sweetgrass, sage or cedar to purify spaces -- to drive out bad spirits or feelings from an area -- or to insure personal and spiritual safety. Smudging is an important part of American Indian cultural and spiritual beliefs. While the scent left after smudging can be unfamiliar or even offensive to some, it is an important purification practice for American Indians.

Incense - People from a variety of faiths burn incense as part of their religious rituals. Catholics, Buddhists and Muslims are all examples of people who may burn incense on a regular basis. The scent of the incense can linger in clothing and hair, and may be over-powering or offensive to others.

Hair oil - There are many cultures that use natural or processed oils as a part of hair care and hygiene. Sikhs, for example, may use coconut, mustard, almond or olive oil to care for their hair. According to the Sikh faith, the cutting of one's hair is prohibited; hair is believed to be a divine gift. Thus, hair oil is a significant part of a Sikh's religious-based rituals.

Food - People from all cultures eat foods that may create offensive smells when brought into the workplace. Spices and special ingredients hint at deeper issues of personal as well as cultural preference, based on geographic location and individual taste. Many workplaces have experienced major strife between employees who accuse others of "stinking up" the cafeteria with their food. Some examples of strong-smelling foods that are preferred by specific cultural groups are:

- Papaya salad (Hmong/Thai/Southeast Asian cultures)

- Lutefisk (Norwegian/Scandinavian cultures)

- Curried foods (India/South Asian cultures)

When employees go nose to nose, what is an organization to do?

Step 1: The first step is to assess whether or not conflict can be avoided through dialogue. If a scent is offensive to one or more employees, can it be reduced or eliminated? Speaking openly, yet in a respectful way, about the topic can often solve a problem before it escalates into an undesirable situation. It can also be a learning opportunity for employees to understand more about one another.

Step 2 : If the conflict cannot be solved through simple dialogue and compromise, assess the underlying reason(s) for the conflict. Does the person who is complaining about smell have a true medical condition related to the scent (allergy, fragrance sensitivity, MCS) or is the complaint a matter of personal preference? Is scent the actual issue, or are there under-lying resentments or biases toward the person who is causing the odor? Can the person causing the scent modify his/her behavior and use of scent, or is it mandatory according to his/her spiritual beliefs? (It is advisable to contact your legal department about Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when addressing religious issues.)

Step 3: Determine what steps can be taken to solve the problem and maintain workplace harmony. Organizations might:

- Modify workstation location(s)

- Modify the work schedule

- Provide an air purification system