Manhattan Worker Says He Was Fired After 2½ Hours Over ‘Hygiene Issues’

When Chris Smalls, 35, finally landed a temp position after nine months of searching, he was relieved – and a little nervous. He’d been hired through a staffing firm to work in the people‑operations department of an AI‑focused startup in Midtown, a role that promised a steady paycheck and a foot in the door.

According to a now‑viral Reddit post, Smalls took the job seriously. He showered the night before, slipped on a brand‑new polo shirt, and headed to the office feeling, as he put it, “as clean as I could possibly be.” The first couple of hours were routine: a quick desk tour, a few introductions, and a brief onboarding packet.

Then, just as he was about to break for lunch, his phone rang. It was the temp agency’s liaison, her tone oddly flat, telling him that the client had decided to let him go – and the reason given was “hygiene issues.” No further explanation was offered, only a vague question about what he was wearing.

Smalls later told the New York Post that the call left him baffled. “I thoroughly washed myself, including my a,” he wrote in a follow‑up comment, adding that perhaps his pants could have used a lint roller. He even wondered aloud whether a discreet nose‑scratch or a quiet burp might have been misinterpreted.

Friends and roommates, both of whom live with pets and a smoking roommate, swore he smelled nothing out of the ordinary. “My apartment is clean, I’m a clean freak,” he insisted, pointing out that he’d never received a complaint about his scent before.

The Reddit thread, which amassed over 7,500 up‑votes in a single day, split opinion. Some commenters expressed sympathy, noting how “paranoid and self‑conscious” such a scenario could make anyone feel. Others were more skeptical, suggesting that a simple lapse in morning deodorant use might have triggered the reaction.

A few users floated the theory of a “hire‑to‑fire” practice – hiring employees on short‑term contracts only to dismiss them quickly to meet turnover metrics. Smalls, however, thought that was unlikely. After a week of reflection, he guessed the employer might have simply misread a harmless habit, like a nose‑scratch.

Since the dismissal, Smalls says the staffing agency hinted at future opportunities, but he’s heard nothing concrete. He also hasn’t been paid for the brief shift he completed, a point that adds financial sting to the already bruising experience.

Beyond the personal fallout, the incident has reignited a broader conversation about New York’s at‑will employment doctrine. Smalls mused that if the state didn’t allow employers to terminate workers on a whim, he might still be on the payroll.

For now, he’s back on the job hunt, carrying a lingering question: how much of a “cleanliness” standard is reasonable, and who gets to set it?