Dear Ashish,

Trust me, this is certainly not an easy task to manage. You should talk to the person in private and essentially explain that people are sensitive to smells like too much perfume, deodorant spray, odour etc. Counsel the employee that it’s nothing to be embarrassed for, but needs to be addressed.  Ask him if he has challenges at home to practice hygiene practices and offer help to address this issue.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, John
 

I must say that HR should handle this on his own and not allow the functional manager to address this with the employee.

The meeting should take place as near to the end of the shift, and as unobtrusive as possible.

I would suggest that the person responsible for the interview first acknowledge that there is a personal problem which has been brought up by co-workers, and although at this point it is not serious, HR has to address it.

Inquire should be concentrated on whether there is there a physical condition (lower stomach problems,  bad breath, poor hygeine, etc.which is the basis for the issue, or other contributing factors (ethnic food,  spiritual salves, etc.) which can be addressed.

At no time should the employee feel that (s)he is being humiliated or disrepected.

The meeting should end on a positive note, hopefully after everyone has left for the day.