Co-worker has poor hygiene DEAR ANNIE

Dear Annie: A man I work with has very poor hygiene and is an all-around slob. He often comes to work without combing his hair, and many times he smells as though he hasn’t showered in days. He has some other unclean habits at the office that are too disgusting to mention here.

The company has warned him many times but he’s not been fired. When I confronted this employee, he threatened me with a lawsuit, as well as our employer. I love my job, and the boss is a good, kind boss.

I am pretty sure there are depression issues. His wife even called to say he went off his medication recently. She’s trying to get him back on it. In the meantime, what can I do? P.U.

Dear P.U.: It sounds as though your boss’s kindness is getting in the way of effective management, because this has already gone way farther than it should have. Talk to him and the human resources manager about the impact this issue is having on you. Explain that it’s making it difficult to do your job. Take note of every offense going forward to document the pattern. Don’t confront him about the issue yourself. And while it’s very possible his behavior is connected to mental health issues, refrain from speaking to him about that.

Dear Annie: My son married into a booming family business. Well, the business grew and moved to a new location, and it seems they have decided that my family shouldn’t visit their store. Now, I’m thinking, why can’t they just treat us like any other customer? Perhaps, they don’t believe in “giving” us the family discount. Or perhaps we aren’t as good as their regular customers.

I have been totally devastated thinking my son’s wife’s family is embarrassed or doesn’t want us to shop there. I’ve been feeling left out of my son’s life. Meanwhile, he seems perfectly happy to enjoy his wife’s family. Any idea how to talk to my son about how I feel? Sad Mom

Dear Sad Mom: There’s so much missing here that I’m preoccupied wondering about the other side. Why would your son and his in-laws ban you from shopping at their business? Are there really no clues? Did you previously overuse that family discount? Did you spend too much time socializing at the store? Consider these questions as prompts for the candid conversation you need to have with your son — outside of business hours.