I have a new coworker who doesn't wear socks, and takes off his shoes in the office. This team is part of a major organization, on a client site, in a client building.
Our HR department is located off site. Contacting HR feels like an escalation, which I was hoping to avoid. How do I go about talking to this coworker about this situation? If that is the wrong approach how do I approach my manager about this individual?
How do I go about talking to this coworker about this situation?
Your manager needs to deal with this.
The best way to go about this is either implement a basic dress code/policy that states you must wear shoes outside of your cubicle/office. ( or at all times like my company's does )
Or, better yet, if your company is big enough to have an HR department, let the message come from them. (Have HR implement a basic dress code policy)
Updated based on comments: It seems there is a dress code, but once again the answer goes back to it is your managers job to either review the dress code with the employee or inform this person's manager so they can.
How do I go about talking to this coworker about this situation?
Don't.
Presumably your manager would already be aware of this and if he doesn't seem to have a problem with it then neither should you.
Going to HR (in your case) over your manager would be saying your manager is incompetent in managing his staff.
If everyone is doing it then it's the workplace culture and either fit in or choose to be different.
Unless his feet smell then that is a violation of your rights to a clean workplace in which case either tell your workmate to keep his shoes on or make some passing comments that "it stinks here, whats that smell" and hope he gets the message. In any case if you make it a HR issue it could get out of hand and cause hostility in the work environment or be the beginning of a new toxic work environment (no pun intended).
