Bad breath, poor hygiene & more: S’poreans dish about their colleagues’ unacceptable traits

If you have not resumed working from the office by now, consider yourself amongst a very, very lucky few.

For many who have returned to the office, virtual meetings and interactions are now a thing of the past.

But more than that, however, it means having nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, especially when it comes to having to deal with particular colleagues.

Since every workplace is different, we asked our readers to spill the tea on some of the quirks and traits that they find unacceptable about their colleagues.

Poor hygiene

Of the countless responses that were sent in, the most common gripe was poor hygiene.

From body odour to looking unkempt, poor hygiene unfortunately trickles down into many less than desirable effects, and can at times foster other bad habits that are not the most hygienic.

Here are some examples reported:

On the other end of the spectrum from bad hygiene is good hygiene, such as flossing your teeth.

But of course, this should be done at the right place, and at the right time, and perhaps not in the middle of a work day and whilst seated at the office desk for all to see, unlike our reader’s female colleague.

Bad breath

The second most common answer was bad breath and here are just a few of them:

It is not really that surprising that this is the case with face to face interactions taking centre stage and masks being optional in most places.

But, yet at the same time, it is rather startling that many people are unaware about their bad breath, which is a surprise in itself, and not the good kind.

Intrusive behaviour

Next on the list is colleagues that get a little too close, perhaps too close for comfort.

This could range from physically standing too close and/ or violating your personal space, to not understanding your need for privacy by peering at the windows open on your screen.

Other more malicious behaviours could be prying about your life just to have fodder for office gossip, as one reader mentioned experiencing.

Be more self aware

The above mentioned quirks are unfortunately not an exhaustive list of the responses that were sent in.

It is interesting to note that a majority of the quirks and traits can be solved easily with a little more self awareness, and of course, instilling and practising some good behaviour and habits.

However, getting the message across to these particular colleagues may not be as straightforward as it seems, as it may run the risk of offending them and would surely make for an awkward environment at work.

While that may be the case, this does not mean that you cannot and should not be more self aware of how you are around your colleagues and others too.

Maintain good oral hygiene and health

For starters, you should maintain good oral hygiene and health if you do not want to run the risk of having bad breath, causing those around you to crinkle their noses and suffer.

This can be done by brushing your teeth regularly, flossing between your teeth and rinsing your mouth.

Pearlie White, a homegrown brand

While there is no shortage of oral products on the market, why not consider Pearlie White?

Pearlie White is a homegrown brand which was established in sunny Singapore in 2001.

In fact, it is Singapore’s first and only oral care brand.

Diverse range of products

It has over 70 oral care products, such as toothpastes, mouth rinses, breath sprays, toothbrushes, flosses, portable dental care products and more.

All of these products are made in Singapore, which is where Pearlie White’s headquarters, research and development and manufacturing facilities are located, so you can be assured of the quality of Pearlie White’s products.

Why is there even a need for that many products, you may ask?

Well, the diverse range of products is born from Pearlie White’s focus on R&D.

It dedicates 20 per cent of its annual business expenditure to refresh its products and formulas, so as to stay ahead of the ever-changing curve and better cater to an individual’s specific oral care needs.

A Pearlie White product for everyone

From teeth whitening, tooth sensitivity and gum care, Pearlie White is bound to have a product suited for you.

If you are keen to keep bad breath, and not your colleagues, at bay, here are some of the products that you might want to consider for yourself:

Mouth Rinse and BreathSpray

Did you know that the best time to rinse your mouth is after a meal?

Consider placing a bottle of Pearlie White’s Fluorinze Antibacterial Fluoride Mouth Rinse ready at your desk so you can rinse your mouth after having lunch at work.

It does not only help to freshen your breath, but also destroys plaque-causing bacteria, and strengthens your tooth enamel.

It has added ingredients such as Tea Tree Oil and Thymol to help fight bacteria.

If you have sensitive tooth, don’t worry, because there is also product for you and that is Pearlie White’s Sensirinze™ Fluoride Mouth Rinse.

If your work requires you to be constantly on the move and/ or meet new people all the time, you can consider keeping a bottle of Pearlie White BreathSpray in your pocket or bag instead of travelling around with a bottle of mouth rinse.

At 8.5ml, the BreathSpray is not only small and convenient, but ensures that your breath is fresh, no matter where you are, and allows you to meet people with confidence.

Halal certified

Not to mention, Pearlie White has recently been certified halal by Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI).

The reason why it filed the application with MUI instead of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) is because MUIS does not award certification to non-food related products.

While not a straightforward one, Pearlie White still went ahead with the process to ensure that its ingredients, equipment and facilities, and personnel and processes were all in line with halal certification requirements.

In fact, Pearlie White’s founder and managing director Andy Ong referred to it as “the most difficult certification process we have ever embarked on”.

The entire process took over 18 months before the brand finally became halal certified in June 2022.

For the full list of halal certified Pearlie White products, click here.

The writer of this sponsored article by Pearlie White wrote this rather self consciously in the office.

Top image by charlesdeluvio from Unsplash