6 Effects of Poor Personal Hygiene in the Workplace

An employee with poor hygiene at work negatively affects his coworkers and his career growth inside the organization. 

As a result, they don’t have many friends inside the office and are pessimistic that someday an opportunity or promotion may come their way. 

Morale is down. 

They think they are not worth having friends at work or to be promoted but they are wrong. 

All is possible. But, first, they need to eliminate the obstacles that their poor personal hygiene creates in the workplace.

1. It affects your professional image

You may be the smartest employee in the company but if you show up at work with unwashed hair, untrimmed fingernails or wearing a smelly shirt, that is disgusting. 

Poor physical appearance creates obstacles in your relationship with the other coworkers.

And you know why?

Because of the law of association.

People hang out with those who they want to be associated with. That means that, if your coworkers are well groomed and good looking then, most likely, they want to hang out with other well groomed and good looking young people like them.

The same thing works with clients. They buy from companies and brand they want to be associated with.

So, a poor physical appearance most likely will affect your career growth.

2. It affects your personality

If you don't shower often or don't wash your hands after using the bathroom and you think you can get away with this, you are wrong. 

Your personal hygiene speaks volumes about your character.

Your colleagues at work don’t care which activities of your personal hygiene routine you are skipping on but from the moment they notice your personal hygiene issues, they’ll perceive you as a lazy and disorganized person.

And who wants an employee with low morale and low self-esteem?

3. Puts coworkers at risk of health contamination

As an employee with poor personal hygiene, you become the source of disease transmission among other employees.

And if you are working in a crowded office this becomes essential. Because you may spread unhealthy microbes and germs throughout the entire office, putting your coworkers at risk of getting sick. 

This freaks out your colleagues.

4. Affects the cooperation inside the team 

Some manifestations of poor personal hygiene are difficult to tolerate, especially in the workplace.

Employees will try to avoid meeting you in the office if you release offensive odors in the office. In other words, your poor personal hygiene makes them feel uncomfortable. 

The funny thing is that they don’t have anything wrong with you, as a person. They’ll avoid you because your personal hygiene issues make them feel uncomfortable.

That means that, in the workplace, employees will avoid working with you on different tasks and won’t be interested in speaking to you, which may affect your cooperation inside the team. 

5. Makes you the protagonist of unpleasant stories

If a coworker feels the unpleasant smell of your body odor, he, most likely, won’t tell you straight in the face about this. But he may tell the coworker on the left about this.

You see poor personal hygiene issues are an intimate topic and employees don’t bring them up to the toolbox discussions. But they talk about your hygiene issues behind your back in most little details. 

And they have the right to do so because, having poor personal hygiene, you give them a reason to discuss these things behind your back.   

Conclusion

The negative effects of poor personal hygiene in the workplace are obstacles in your career.

If you wish to be appreciated for your smart insights make sure you remove these obstacles between your and your team.