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Every morning whenever we are having a meeting with the team there is someone who silently farts and disturbs the flow of the meeting. Some days it's so bad we have to vacate the room. I have discussed this issue with manager but he ignores it. For me it becomes unbearable sometimes.

How do I deal with these daily meetings?

Not a duplicate of this question since we don't know who is the one farting.

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    @SolarMike Especially about the last part. "Not a duplicate of this question since we don't know who is the one farting." It just seems hilarious to me. – Hristo Kolev Jan 29 '20 at 14:41
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    @Stupid_Intern, when you say "Some days it's so bad we have to vacate the room", is your manager in there? Do all the people leave or it's just you even though you wrote "we"? – Charmander Jan 29 '20 at 15:11
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    There is, literally, no question here. What is your question? – dwizum Jan 29 '20 at 15:13
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    Just out of interest, are you definitely sure it's farting? I would be surprised if the same person was gassy at the same time every day. Are you sure there's not a plumbing issue? – azurez27 Jan 30 '20 at 14:17
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    This is literally a toxic work environment. – Pac0 Jan 30 '20 at 14:33
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You said everyone had to leave the room once because of this. So it looks like everyone is aware of this issue and not too ashamed to admit that it exists.

When something like that happens again (e.g. everyone leaves the room or someone mentions bad smell) you could say something to all your colleagues, like: "I know it's an awkward thing to talk about, but please, whoever does that, could you please try to restrain yourself from it? If it's not possible, you might want to visit a doctor."

It might be hard to find out who does that, but it's not that important. Either this person is unwilling to change it because they think it's fun, or they have some health problems and simply can't control it. In any case, there isn't a lot you can do.

Of course, selecting a meeting room with big windows can help as well.

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  • "He who speaks first did it", so no one wants to speak up – workaddict Feb 12 '20 at 6:41
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Split your morning meeting into two sessions. Rotate the team members in each session until you figure out who's farting.

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    Control lies with the manager who is not ready to listen and just ignores – Stupid_Intern Jan 29 '20 at 15:37
  • I think whoever is doing this will figure out quickly what is going on. – Dan Jan 29 '20 at 15:53
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    @Dan Yes they will. What happens then? They keep farting and will be revealed, or they stop it - great :-) – puck Jan 29 '20 at 16:02
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For me it becomes unbearable sometimes

Stand up, say "Excuse me", cover your nose with a handkerchief and walk out every time. Except that, there's really nothing much you can do. 1.

Additionally, walk-in with a bottle of room freshener (and depending on your understanding level with your manager - ask them to have you reimbursed for the cost of the same), and use it whenever you re-enter the room after some time.

Continue this, and hope that the person(s) guilty of the act will understand and rectify the behavior.

1: As you already tried taking this up with your manager and they did not seem to be bothered.

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  • I know, this is not much of an answer....but I'm just feeling bad for those who are actually in this situation... – Sourav Ghosh Jan 29 '20 at 14:47
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    Spraying chemicals in a room at work without everybody's approval should be grounds for dismissal. – Jeffrey Jan 29 '20 at 15:14
  • "Not in India" applies to many questions on here... – Solar Mike Jan 29 '20 at 15:31
  • @SolarMike and your point is? – Sourav Ghosh Jan 29 '20 at 15:32
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    @SolarMike OK, I think you missed the ":)" in the comments, it was not to invalidate the comment, just to mention that it might not be a ground in India...anyways, I'll remove the post, this answer will not be helpful anyways, at most it'll appear as sympathetic, nothing else. – Sourav Ghosh Jan 29 '20 at 15:36

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