Q: This problem will sound funny, but it is gross and needs to stop. I work for a very conservative and professional company, so what I'm about to describe is obviously not right. We have groups of auditors at different levels, and we all work in cubicles. Some cubicles house four employees, and some surrounding cubicles have only one person. Despite the cubicle walls, everyone in the area can hear everything that goes on in the other cubicles.

One of the senior audit associates, a guy in his late 20s, shares a cubicle with three others. Even when there are people in his cubicle, he will take off his shoes and socks and start clipping his toenails. No joke. We can all hear his nails being clipped, and those in the cubicle see it. When one of us walks in, he doesn't stop or even pretend to be embarrassed. And he doesn't go to the washroom afterward to wash his hands. He should be doing this in his bathroom at home.

No one has the nerve to say anything to him, and he apparently doesn't know how disgusting his activity is. Can you imagine someone having to shake his hand after a toenail clipping session or even having to touch a paper he is handing over? It's revolting.

There are many other things co-workers do that are annoying to me — for example, stopping by my cubicle and criticizing what I am eating or drinking, talking so loudly on the phone that it interrupts everyone's ability to think or have a conversation, and swearing loudly and often on personal phone calls — but doing something gross takes it to another level that's nauseating to all of us.

If we complain to our boss, he will look at us as if we're insane and then ignore us. If we complain to the human resources department, our boss will be upset we didn't go to him. And if we all confront this guy, he will be upset and find some way to get back at us. How do we make him stop permanently?

A: This is definitely a problem your boss needs to address. Running to human resources with it would not be appropriate, though the HR staff would most likely enjoy rehashing it for days and months to come.

Your boss needs to hear and see the guy clipping his toenails so he will believe it and be able to form his own opinion on it. Let's hope he is well-mannered and not so clueless as the associate is. Seeing as your boss doesn't ever visit your cubicles, your goal and only involvement will be to persuade him he should.

Tell your boss that an employee engages in an activity in the cubicle that he will have to see to believe, that you don't want to give the details so he can experience it firsthand. Just do what you can to get him to your work area the minute you hear the clipping start. If he's too busy at that moment, accept that and try again another time. He will eventually show up to witness it.

Your boss may be so stunned when he sees the employee's socks on the floor and the clipper in his hand that a quick and insulting remark may bring around immediate changes to the guy's behavior. If your boss does nothing, all of you may want to create loud comedic responses when you hear the clipping begin. Making fun of someone is not a good way to communicate, but it might be all you have left as an option.

Email your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at lindseynovak@yahoo.com, and follow her on Twitter @TheLindseyNovak. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.