As for the unzipped trouser fly, I’ve done that one. My boss was standing up behind his desk putting on his jacket when I entered his office. I just quietly and politely told him he should check his zipper. He looked down, quickly turned around, zipped up his zipper, turned back around with just a little redness in his face and said that he was thankful that I walked in when I did because he was just headed out to a meeting and that would have been really embarrassing.

No way to tippy toe around that one. Get the director by himself and ask him to kindly make sure the bathroom is clean and ready for the next person. If you get a blank look or he asks what you are talking about simply state it is a hygiene/sanitary issue for employees to clean other employees urine.

We have not yet determined how to address this issue. Anyone have any ideas?

Jill, thanks for the story, I needed that laugh today!

At our facility, the inappropriate clothing is the problem. Most of our managers won’t address their own employees about what they’re wearing. It’s a losing battle, so our written dress code isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. I have no problem with my team, and address things as they come up. I think it’s the fear factor that “they won’t like me” if I address this with them.

Concerning personal illneses, most of my employees have been candid enough to share their personal illnessess, down to the intimate details that I would never imagine. With that said, as a manager I owe them the trust and confidentiality that they deserve. Other employees will come to you asking about why employee X is absent, trying to pry details. Your response as a manager should always be, ‘Employee X absence is my concern; I am pretty sure that you expect me to respect your privacy when you are absent’. Regardless of the type of supervisor (kind or a jerk), employees have the obligation to tell managers that they were sick, and for exceptional cases of prolonged sickness, the cause of the sickness or diagnosis. This should be no cause for embarassment, when communicating with your boss. If your boss cannot handle it, he/she should not be in a supervisory position.

Concerning the other items, ie. open fly, food in tooth, stains in clothes, tag sticking out of garment, toilet paper caught in shoes, etc…. I consider those easy things to address, regardless of the person’s position in the company. I do not have any hesitation to discreetly tell a co worker, superior or an employee about the item. I believe that keeping quiet about that occurrence without telling the affected employee, is enough reason to distrust you, or to believe that you do not take them serious enough. I to tell me when something is not right about my appearance. When they do my response is always ‘thank you, I appreciate watching out for me’.