Snuggys in the workplace?
IrisD
97 Posts
Our facility manager lowered the thermostat to save money. We don't allow space heaters, so some of the women are wearing those "snuggy" blankets and even going outside with them for their smoking breaks.
This has caused kind of a rift between men and women in the office because the men are wearing sweaters and jackets to keep warm, not blankets. One male supervisor told the snuggy wearers to "wear more clothes, not blankets." Emails are flying.
Can we ban snuggys? Or should we? They really don't come under dress codes.
Comments
You mean those blankets with sleeves that are on TV? The ones that make everyone look like monks? If all the women who are wearing them went outside on the same break, passers-by might mistake them for being a part of some sort of cult. Otherwise, I don't see a problem...
But seriously, unless you have customers/clients visiting this facility, I would leave these women to wear the "snuggys" if they so choose. It's worth noting that it was your facility manager that created this situation--something that I'm sure these women are mentioning in their argument. If the facility is so cold that people are starting to add layers of clothing or blankets in order to be comfortable, you've got a bigger issue: Does management care so little for employee morale that they don't care if employees are cold and miserable unless they take such measures?
Of course, you should also consider whether they pose some sort of safety hazard (not sure how long and flowy a "snuggy" is, or if it has the potential to get caught on objects, etc., like other types of "loose" clothing).
Can we ban snuggys? Or should we? They really don't come under dress codes.
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Honestly, if your dress code does not rule blankets-as-clothing either in or out, there's probably something wrong with your dress code. It's not like this is a question about a man with makeup or a woman refusing to wear hose or oxfords versus polos. This is a person in a fabric zip-lock bag with sleeves.
If you can’t beat them, then join them. Keep the eye
on cost and run some performance-based or employee reward programs, awarding a few
snuggys that have the company logo on it.
[quote user="HR_Fun"]
If you can't beat them, then join them.
[/quote]
It needs to be established in the dress code first whether or not they can "wear" them... then decisions like that can be made.
I'd also speak with your upper management about raising the temperature a few degrees. Cold, miserable employees can't work to their full potential, not to mention cold temperatures slow the body down, causing a slight drowsiness and that infamous head nod... especially after a big lunch.
Hey, someone just blogged on CNN.com that Nancy Pelosi was wearing a snuggy at Obama's speech. Well, if the speaker of the house can wear one to work, so can everyone. Maybe they are turning down the heat in the Capitol!
http://www.ireport.com/blogs/ireport-blog
A New York Daily News reporter walked around Brooklyn in a snuggy to see what would happen. Someone told her you have to wear heels with a snuggy, not flats! Some waitresses wear them on breaks.
see http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/02/28/2009-02-28_snuggie_comes_out_of_closet_i_hit_brookl.html
I don't have a snuggy but I do have a blanket in my office. In fact, I'm "wearing" it right now. I'm in FL and it's 71 degrees out today, but in my office it's closer to 65. Not on purpose, our A/C just seems to really enjoy my office. We have offices that are really cold like mine, and some that are on the much warmer side. There are several people here with blankets or something similar.
I've never given blanket wearing a second thought. It's either wear the blanket or shiver all day.
I don't have a snuggy but I do have a blanket in my office. In fact, I'm "wearing" it right now. I'm in FL and it's 71 degrees out today, but in my office it's closer to 65. Not on purpose, our A/C just seems to really enjoy my office. We have offices that are really cold like mine, and some that are on the much warmer side. There are several people here with blankets or something similar.
I've never given blanket wearing a second thought. It's either wear the blanket or shiver all day.
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You (meaning your employer) can get a vent that has a butterfly valve in it so you can restrict the floor of refrigerated air into your office. :-)
You might actually already have one, in which case it just needs to be adjusted.
You're fortunate if you have a supply grille (it's what we call them in the HVAC world) that you can control. The duct in our office runs in a fur-down (a little drop from the ceiling that runs around the perimeter of the office) and blows the air out from the side of it. I have one grille right above my corner blowing across the length of the room and there is another in the adjacent corner blowing towards MY corner. When the unit kicks on, the two grilles cause the air to collide RIGHT ABOVE ME and come straight down, thus causing me to bring in a jacket in the 102ºF summers. It's just the opposite in the winter. I once wore a Hawaiian shirt and brought a piña colada-flavored SoBe (no alcohol in the office, of course!). Everyone got a kick out of it.
I don't have a snuggy but I do have a blanket in my office. In fact, I'm "wearing" it right now. I'm in FL and it's 71 degrees out today, but in my office it's closer to 65. Not on purpose, our A/C just seems to really enjoy my office. We have offices that are really cold like mine, and some that are on the much warmer side. There are several people here with blankets or something similar.
I've never given blanket wearing a second thought. It's either wear the blanket or shiver all day.
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You (meaning your employer) can get a vent that has a butterfly valve in it so you can restrict the floor of refrigerated air into your office. :-)
You might actually already have one, in which case it just needs to be adjusted.
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Nope, not here. The building engineers have done everything. And it's not our building, we're only leasing, so we have limited control.
The upside is we're moving in August and I can't wait!!! I'm hoping the new building (which is LEED certified) will have a better A/C system that we can have more control over.