Dress Code
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LOL
The young company was struggling, and I was recruited and hired in a finance capacity to try to help turn it around. (It ultimately went out of business. Shocker.) Of course, the President and the CEO were hopelessly distracted by every idiotic new-age management gimmick, and the employees wasted most of their time on peer coaching, team building games, accountability training, breakthrough communication, goal setting, etc. (My goals included “Embrace the Uncomfortable” and “Kickassery.”)
The CEO and the President wore jeans and sneakers, and by stressing “no dress code” what they really meant was “Dress like me in jeans and sneakers.” I didn’t. I wore dress slacks, loafers, and a button down every day. This annoyed them greatly, and the President had several conversations with me about how I was dressing. Below is a compendium of how our conversations went.
PRESIDENT: We have no dress code here. People can wear whatever they prefer.
ME: That’s great.
PRESIDENT: So, just about everyone chooses to wear jeans and sneakers.
ME: That’s great.
PRESIDENT: So you can wear jeans and sneakers if you’d prefer.
ME: Thanks, but I prefer not to.
PRESIDENT: OK. Fine. But you don’t have to wear slacks and loafers. You can wear whatever you find most comfortable.
ME: I find slacks and loafers most comfortable when I’m sitting at a desk.
PRESIDENT: Well, most employees find jeans and sneakers to be the most comfortable.
ME: I don’t. Do you want me to wear jeans and sneakers?
PRESIDENT: You can wear whatever you want.
ME: I want to wear a collared shirt, slacks and loafers.
PRESIDENT: OK, but many employees find that their wardrobe makes a personal statement.
ME: So does mine.
PRESIDENT: What is your statement?
ME: That I prefer to wear slacks, a collared shirt, and loafers when I work.
PRESIDENT: Don’t you want to make an original statement?
ME: Wearing jeans and sneakers to match my co-workers would state that I am actually unoriginal, and that I am simply complying with the company dress code.
PRESIDENT: But we don’t have a dress code! In fact, many employees wear shirts with an ironic message. Our culture stresses individuality.
ME: Would it be ironic if I wore a suit and tie?
PRESIDENT: It would look like you work at a place with a dress code and that’s what’s so great about us – we don’t have a dress code!
ME: It sure sounds like there is a dress code. But if there is not one, then I prefer to wear a collared shirt, slacks, and loafers.
PRESIDENT: When we take a group picture for our next press release, will you at least wear jeans, sneakers, and our company t-shirt for that one photo shoot?
ME: Of course. I’ll wear whatever you tell me to wear, any time you request that I do so.
PRESIDENT: You know, we often break into spontaneous fun and play activities which spill outside. Wearing jeans and sneakers allows employees to switch gears without having to change.
ME: That’s OK. I don’t want to play games or roughhouse outside. I want to work.
PRESIDENT: One thing that employees appreciate about us not having a dress code is that they don’t have to shop for work clothes. They can wear whatever is in their closet.
ME: I have a closet full of slacks and shirts but only two pairs of jeans. If you want me to wear jeans every day then I need to go shopping for new work clothes.
PRESIDENT: Does it bother you that just about all the other employees choose to wear jeans?
ME: No. Does it bother the other employees that I don’t wear jeans?
PRESIDENT: Some people here feel that your wardrobe makes a judgmental statement about how others dress. Do you feel we should have a more professional dress code here?
ME: No. You just need to be honest about the dress code you are trying to enforce on me
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I used to work with a guy in the UK who wore a 3-piece suit to work every day, even when he was testing in the lab. He ended up getting promoted to management, and I ended up doing an investigation into all his projects, as apparently despite wearing a 3-piece suit, some of his testing was a little questionable.
He ended up getting let go in a 'restructure'.
And yes, he was a right wanker. But he got promoted.
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My choice was between Hart, Schaffner Marx and Brooks Brothers.
In the beginning there was no option.
By the time I left, it had been years since anyone, except me, was following a proper business dress code.
And the odd thing was that my work was superior.
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@doctor-phibes said in Dress Code:
I used to work with a guy in the UK who wore a 3-piece suit to work every day, even when he was testing in the lab. He ended up getting promoted to management, and I ended up doing an investigation into all his projects, as apparently despite wearing a 3-piece suit, some of his testing was a little questionable.
He ended up getting let go in a 'restructure'.
And yes, he was a right wanker. But he got promoted.
I worked for a publishing company that manages a handful of magazines and websites, a few of which get cited here from time to time. Other brands and departments had dress codes. Ours didn't. Literally at all. Our EIC showed up for work every day in t-shirts his Instagram followers kept making for him as a joke.
Our brand had one of the smallest budgets, but was also the most profitable in terms of revenue/budget. So I guess basically our brand had screw-you money.
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I've worked in steel toes and hard hats, scrubs and white lab coats, suit and tie, and khakis with company polos.
Clothes make the man.
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Personally, I only get my tattoos done by artists who wear 3-piece suits into the parlor. I don't deal with ruffians who can't be bothered to make a good first impression.
Conversely, I hate tattoos. So no Maori. Go away.
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Education is extremely important.
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@horace said in Dress Code:
I can’t find a suit that coordinates well with my mask.
Dude they make those now. I think freaking Men's Wearhouse has 'em.
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It's funny, we've recently downgrade our dress code requirements to 'whatever is appropriate', so if you're not customer facing, you can wear jeans and a t-shirt. I did it a couple of times, and then went back to good old business casual, as did most people. The one real change I made was I no longer wear smart shoes - the hiking-light shoes are so much more comfortable it significantly improves my day.
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@aqua-letifer said in Dress Code:
@horace said in Dress Code:
I can’t find a suit that coordinates well with my mask.
Dude they make those now. I think freaking Men's Wearhouse has 'em.
I was half joking last year about producing a line of coordinated ties, pocket kerchief, and masks…
