FAQ - Can we force employees to stop wearing
fragrances to work?
Q. Â One of our employees has told
us that they have an allergic reaction to strong perfumes and fragrances. Â Can we force our employees to stop wearing
perfume/fragrances to work?
A. Â The best way to deal with this situation is
to create a company scent-free/fragrance-free policy. Â This will help protect any employees either
currently working for your company or who will potentially be working for the
company who suffer from medical reactions to strong scents. Â Having a fragrance-free policy is not a new
idea and an increasing number of organizations are starting to adopt them.
Alternatively,
instead of implementing a policy, you might choose to educate employees about
the illnesses and health conditions that individuals who have allergic or
medical reactions to perfumes and scents may have. (However, to avoid
situations from occurring in the future, implementing a policy may still be the
best choice). Â Whether you implement a
policy or not, be sure to let employees know the reasons that this
policy/education is needed and that this medical condition can be quite
serious. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is the condition that most people
allergic to fragrances have and it may be a good idea to let employees know
about the severity and symptoms of this disorder.
The employee who suffers from the allergic reaction to
perfumes could have a case based on the ADA and if you, as the employer, fails
to accommodate the working environment for this disability (if it actually is
one). It is always better to cover yourself in terms of any potential legal
liabilities. Â Â Your best bet is to
create a company policy against perfumes, colognes, and other strong scents
that may cause potential medical conditions.