Are there guidelines on blowing in the service industries?

[CheekyGuy]

I'm curious to know, from anyone who has worked in public-facing service industries (as waiter, receptionist, air steward, or countless else) whether there are ever guidelines given on whether it is or is not OK to blow while on the job, where people would be able to see? 

I remember a nice occasion with a young woman on a train café who was sniffling a lot, and finally gave in - took a napkin and gave a series of explosive blows, honking on one, then quickly stopping herself....

[CharliesGirl]

This is a bit of a tangent, but I just wanted to add something. I see a lot of appointments with the public in my profession, and when I have one of my frequent colds, I'm usually a mess! Taking a sick day is really not an option. 

So during an appointment, I'll be examining a patient (an animal) and sniffling constantly. There have been times when I couldn't sniffle thanks to a stuffy nose, and I've had to excuse myself from the room more than once. Once I'm finished with the appointment, I head straight to the restroom, grab a wad of tissues and blow very wetly, messily, and uninhibitedly. I'd normally be a bit shy, but in these situations I just don't care. 

[luvsfemalehonks]

There has to be...because most all medical professionals that i've seen when they blow, always have that very soft quick swishy blowing style. It's been very rare that i've heard any of them give a more productive blow, not even honking. Honkers i can literally count them on one hand...4 and that was when they were already at their desks

[murphy dee]

As someone who's worked retail and is now a receptionist, I've never seen written rules dictating when/how you can blow your nose.  That said, I find it rude and disgusting when someone blows their nose in public, especially in a close-quarters area like a waiting room or a small shop.  Go to the back room or the restroom and do it.  That's how I operate.

[Kit R.]

I work at 4 bars across the metro area of my town as an entertainer. If a server has to blow her nose, she just does it by the bar stand. No rules, I don't think.'

So adorable. 

[sexyhankysneeze]

I have worked in hospo for a while and blowing your nose is generally all good as long as it's not right in front of a customer and you wash your hands afterwards

 

[CheekyGuy]

I don't think I've ever seen an air steward blow their nose, and I wondered if they had some guidelines.

In my local French café, I recall twice seeing two of the women who work there (they are all women) blow when on duty. One was a rather shy looking blond young woman, quite vulnerable, who I saw turn her back to customers and do a few soft blows, almost apologetically. Another was a shorter, dark-haired young woman, who may have been the manager, as she seemed to have some command over the others. She took out a tissue and gave a big wave-like blow with no compunction - it resounded through the place (though no honking). This made me think about how one's level of authority in such a place might affect how inhibited one might be about blowing?

[Sarah_Snow]

I've worked a few bar / restaurant jobs and I've never been given any formal guidance, it's more of a common sense kind of thing.  That being said common sense tells you not to do it out in the open if you can avoid it.  Mostly because it's gross but partly because if most managers see it you'll be the first to get cut because they'll see you're sick.  If you're looking for that kind of thing watching the bar stand or the pickup area is probably your best bet, but any wait staff with half a brain is going to head to the bathroom or smoking area before doing anything really noisy.

Yes, I know... restaurant employees shouldn't work when they're sick.  Yes, we do anyway.  Gotta make a living.

 

 

[CheekyGuy]

I'm not looking to judge at all (and I've also had to go to work when a bit sick, including in the last week). I'm just curious about the feeling which applies in such circumstances, in particular the sense of being inspected by other eyes/ears, when one needs to do a really big, volcanic, gushing blow, say.

[CheekyGuy]

Actually, I've noticed that in Germany and Belgium, young women are much less self-conscious about blowing in general, but that includes those working in service industries. I recall one waitress in Stuttgart retrieving a mass of tissue and having a huge, loud, snotty blow, in between serving people, and remember seeing some sort of guide in Ghent walking out of a church, and ceremoniously blowing her nose as she walked down the steps.

[CharliesGirl]

1 hour ago, CheekyGuy said:

I'm not looking to judge at all (and I've also had to go to work when a bit sick, including in the last week). I'm just curious about the feeling which applies in such circumstances, in particular the sense of being inspected by other eyes/ears, when one needs to do a really big, volcanic, gushing blow, say.

Volcanic gushing blow? I'm stealing those adjectives! Lol

[CheekyGuy]

53 minutes ago, CharliesGirl said:

Volcanic gushing blow? I'm stealing those adjectives! Lol

Oh, that is a way I have thought since one gf used to blow in such a fashion. Clearly had lots of thick runny snot built up, and you could hear the full ejection of it in a protracted manner, much more of an 'event' than a quick blow, even with honking. It was delectable, almost ceremonious.

[CharliesGirl]

5 hours ago, CheekyGuy said:

Oh, that is a way I have thought since one gf used to blow in such a fashion. Clearly had lots of thick runny snot built up, and you could hear the full ejection of it in a protracted manner, much more of an 'event' than a quick blow, even with honking. It was delectable, almost ceremonious.

That sounds amazing to me! That's pretty much my favorite type of blow, a "productive" one, when I can hear congestion noisily rushing out of the nose.

[CheekyGuy]

On 4/2/2017 at 7:33 AM, CharliesGirl said:

That sounds amazing to me! That's pretty much my favorite type of blow, a "productive" one, when I can hear congestion noisily rushing out of the nose.

I love your term 'productive'. When I have a little more time, I will relate some other observations of seeing lots of nice women of many ages doing extremely 'productive' blows. Something about the discrepancy between some who look quite precious, well-groomed, or otherwise cute, petite, sexy, then seeing/hearing long rich tidal waves going from their nose into the tissues which cover half of their faces!

[sexyhankysneeze]

A few memorable obs from either my own workplaces or other places I've been a customer in:

An airport cafe: One of the female staff seemed to have either a really sneezy cold or bad hayfever and literally every minute was sneezing and then grabbing one of the paper napkins and blowing her nose pretty wetly.

A cafe I worked in: One girl just kept a tissue box next to the coffee machine and would take a tissue every so often and give a really good blow in full view of customers.

A supermarket checkout: Middle aged checkout woman pulled out a mens handkerchief white with brown border and blew her nose before tucking it back up her sleeve.

Massage therapist: Had bad hayfever and would occasionally pause during my massage to give a wet blow into her tissue which she kept next to her.

 

[NYCgirl]

On 4/1/2017 at 8:58 PM, CheekyGuy said:

Oh, that is a way I have thought since one gf used to blow in such a fashion. Clearly had lots of thick runny snot built up, and you could hear the full ejection of it in a protracted manner, much more of an 'event' than a quick blow, even with honking. It was delectable, almost ceremonious.

I tend to get a build up of thick, runny snot as well.  At times it pours out of my nose, and/or stuffs me up and makes breathing impossible.