Jane is one of my female colleagues. She doesn't get on well with a third colleague, Joe.
As he does every morning, Joe comes in to our office to say hello. Right after that, I receive an instant message from Jane through the office chat (in a private channel) saying:
I don't want to be mean but does he shower in the morning?
I know that Joe can sometimes smell sweaty, especially when it's hot, but it has never been a major problem for me.
I don't know how to respond to that, without being rude to either of them and staying as professional as I can.
Notes:
- Jane is from China, we work in western Europe.
- Jane can be really sensitive to body odours.
- Joe does not work near Jane, and the morning greeting is about the only physical contact they have every day.
- It's not the first time she said something rude about somebody else in the company : I always try to change the subject or not to respond, but it's the first time it's so blatantly mean.