Dear Amy,

My coworker clips his nails at his desk. I’m talking fingers and toes, in the open office, with people around. I heard a ping the other day and found a rogue nail clipping on my notebook. I’m not usually squeamish, but this feels like a violation. How do I say something without making it weird?

—’Toe’tally Appalled

Dear Appalled,

Oh no. Oh, absolutely not. You’re worried about making it weird? It’s already weird but just for fun, let’s lean in and make it weirder. 

Next time you hear the first snip, go ahead and roll your office chair right over into his cubicle and make solid eye contact while slowly placing your foot on top of his desk. Give your toes a little wiggle and tell him how glad you are that there’s finally a mani/pedi station at the office. After all, self care leads to higher productivity. Bonus points if you bring a foot soak and call it your “wellness break.” He’ll either be too horrified to ever pull out his clippers again or you get a free pedicure. Either way, it’s a win. 

Alternatively, place a tiny biohazard sign on your desk and tape off the area where the clipping landed, CSI-style. Bring in yellow caution tape and outline the nail in chalk. Tell him you’ll have to seize his clippers as evidence and place them in a tiny bag (problem solved). Invite him over to ID the remains but remind him he’ll have to wait for DNA analysis to claim them (point made).  

Yeah, this is objectively gross. Clipping nails in a shared space is the kind of behavior that should be quietly exiled to the tiled privacy of a bathroom or even better — to one’s own home.

If you feel comfortable, keep it light but direct. Something like: “Hey, do you mind clipping your nails at home? I think one just landed on my desk.” That should make the point without making it too weird — though, honestly, he already beat you to that part.

And if you’re squeamish about confrontation, a quick message via chat or email can do the job without the awkward face-to-face.

Best of bad advice,

Amy