How to Cope With a Disgusting Co-Worker

When I was in my early-20s, I had a part-time job helping an event planner run his business. Although my boss paid generously and was flexible about what days I worked, his social graces left something to be desired.

To put it bluntly, the guy had some serious digestive issues. And, as far as I could tell, he didn't care whom he offended with the sounds and scents emanating from his body. There was never any "Pardon me!" or "Whoops -- sorry about that!" Just a constant stream of hearty belches (and that was just the half of it, if you know what I mean).

Had I been more brazen, I'd probably have left a box of Gas-X on his chair. Instead, I found another job as quickly as I could and got out of the line of fire.

Like me, everyone has an annoying co-worker tale to tell: the guy with the Michael Bolton ringtone whose wife calls every 15 minutes, the gal who slurps her soda like a 3-year-old drinking a milkshake for the first time, the middle manager with the hygiene problem and creepy laugh who never fails to corner you at the coffee machine.

Looking for career advice? Click here to send Michelle your questions and they might end up as a topic for her next column.

But silently festering about a clueless colleague or fleeing the coop altogether aren't your only options. Let's look at some successful tactics for nipping that office nuisance in the bud.

The 'It's Not You -- It's Me!' Approach

I get that some people are extremely comfortable at work. So much so that they often mistake their cubicle for their living room. Why else would anyone phone their sweetie using their sappiest Schmoopie voice or eat a bowl of chili with their bare hands right at their desk?

When it comes to asking the co-worker in question to stop behaving as though he or she were raised by a pack of wolves, the sheepish "I'm so worried I'm going to hurt your feelings" approach does wonders, said Julie Jansen, business consultant and author of "You Want Me to Work With Who? Eleven Keys to a Stress-Free, Satisfying, and Successful Work Life."