When I lived in Florida I worked briefly as a phone flunky in a call center. The dress code made it clear that no shoes with heels higher than 2 inches could be worn, nor could sandals.
I noticed pretty quickly that most of the women there wore 3+ inch heels, including some 4" platform heels. I thought I could get away with wearing low heeled, modest sandals. These women were breaking the dress code, I thought I could too.
Of course not. I was told to not wear the sandals again. When I mentioned it to my manager, she hemmed and hawed and couldn't give a satisfactory answer about why hooker heels that broke the dress code were allowed, but modest sandals that broke the code were not.
I finally just decided "Well, screw it, something is at work here, so I'll play nice and go along even if it makes no sense." I never did understand it, though. I think something sexist was at work.
nyxalinth
of CO
@
Nov 24, 2009 23:02:28 PM
ABOUT THOSE TATTOOS
I try hard to convince myself that tattoos don't really matter all that much and that I shouldn't pay attention to them in the office. But they do matter. Apart from a few military experiences, tattoos have always been associated with criminality and lower-class behavior. (This is in our culture. I stipulate that other cultures have different traditions.)
I cannot help but think that the people getting tattoos now (especially women!) are voluntarily identifying themselves with criminality and lower-class behavior. At the very least, they are displaying poor judgment by voluntarily getting a permanent disfigurement. Why should voluntarily associate with them? Or let them represent my company to the public?
Jim
of GA
@
Nov 13, 2009 12:36:47 PM
What's Wrong With a Tattoo?
"Anyone choosing to spend their time and money getting jabbed repeatedly with a needle full of ink on a conspicuous patch of skin should be aware of the fact that it may have some effect on their future." Wow--so we can see you obviously have something against tattoos. Honestly, I wish we could get to a place in business where we care more about work ethic and quality of work than we do the length of a pair of shorts or whether or not someone has a butterfly on their ankle. I know we have to draw the line somewhere for professional dress, but honestly, I think we need to move it a little further out, especially for this emerging generation. The Uber-Conservative types born in the fifties are retiring and dying off. Maybe its time we rethought what defines professional dress and made it more accommodating to the new professional.
Heather
of NC
@
Jul 18, 2009 22:40:19 PM
Keyword 'prestigious'
The OP said they worked for a "well-known, worldwide, prestigious company". Why then be surprised that a manager would frown upon visible tattoos? Aren't such companies generally more conservative? I'd be more surprised if they were OK with it, especially if the OP's job is customer facing.
Sharon
of GA
@
Jun 10, 2009 16:19:38 PM
Flip Flops
If your boss is telling you that it's inappropriate attire for the office, whether there is a written policy or not, you should listen to him/her, and feel lucky that you have a boss who will actually point it out to you before it becomes an issue outside of your department.
I once had a manager come see me because he had repeatedly asked one of his employees to stop wearing flip-flops to work. He was right, they were inappropriate (beach wear at work!). But more importantly, he was also attempting to mentor her into a higher level position in the company, and when discussing her with higher-ups, the response he would get would be "is she the one who wears flip-flops to work"...rather than "yes, she is very capable".
Just Another HR Lady
@
May 04, 2009 15:22:45 PM
The Dress Code Fight Isn't Worth It
As an Image Coach I deal with this type of issue with every company I work with. Companies today have a chance to clean house with employees and rehire what they feel is best suited for their company culture and past mistakes. Potential new hires or if you think you may be on the chopping block need to rethink your dress each and every day. Thank you for bring this to print.
Pat Newquist
of AZ
@
Apr 30, 2009 13:39:01 PM
Suzanne is right
Dress code violations are the kind of poor excuses they'll use when/if they really decide to try to get rid of you. You don't want this going to a written step. Every reviewer would think it was a big deal in your file that they could easily use against you because it's "clean" for them to do so.
nyxalinth of CO @ Nov 24, 2009 23:02:28 PM
Jim of GA @ Nov 13, 2009 12:36:47 PM
Heather of NC @ Jul 18, 2009 22:40:19 PM
Sharon of GA @ Jun 10, 2009 16:19:38 PM
Just Another HR Lady @ May 04, 2009 15:22:45 PM
Pat Newquist of AZ @ Apr 30, 2009 13:39:01 PM
Muser of NM @ Apr 30, 2009 12:53:54 PM
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