Ethical dilemma:
Should you tell someone they smell bad?
June 2007
You jump into a taxi on a very cold morning while on your way to a meeting, only to find your senses assaulted by the smell of the clearly not terribly clean taxi driver. You wind down the window and brace yourself against the cold to try to escape the smell.
Meanwhile the friendly and likeable driver engages you in discussion, including about how cold the weather is, which you suspect might be a hint that he'd prefer the window closed.
You wonder whether or not you should mention his personal hygiene problem to him or if you should let the matter pass to avoid embarrassing both of you.
Read an article about a very similar situation and the ethics of what to do.
Ethical questions:
- What are the issues?
- Who are the stakeholders?
- What should you do?
- What would you do?
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