Casual work attire - HELP!
SPARKY
5 Posts
My boss doesn't like our dress code. As a company we have a relaxed dress code and even allow shorts and tshirts.
She thinks dressing in this relaxed environment exhibits the employees have a lack of respect for others and cause them to steal lunches, money, and knick knacks off of people's desks.
The company had this policy way before I started and I think it's hard now to tell them to start dressing up.
What should I do? We work in a office environment,No customers see our employees - everything is done via phone.
H E L P!
She thinks dressing in this relaxed environment exhibits the employees have a lack of respect for others and cause them to steal lunches, money, and knick knacks off of people's desks.
The company had this policy way before I started and I think it's hard now to tell them to start dressing up.
What should I do? We work in a office environment,No customers see our employees - everything is done via phone.
H E L P!
Comments
I would recommend you try the change she has suggested. Give the EEs some notice and expect them to complain a little or a lot, but stick to your guns and make a go of it. I am sure the boss lady is aware of the "attitude" EEs will display and is prepared for it. Be an ally and a supporter and help her accomplish this change.
You might be surprised at the results.
It sounds like you work in a call center. Those environments can be pretty darn tough as far as taming behaviors (for a variety of reasons). If you do end up going the route of a stricter dress code I recommend viewing samples of other companyies policies and doing a lot of research before finalizing it. Then implementation is the other half of the battle. You'll have to know what you're going to do when people break the code - because they will - and STICK TO IT.
I have been far down the road of the three piece suit and dressed to the nines every day. It was a necessary part of my environment at the time. Our clients expected it, our managers expected it and we all did our best to live up to that image. During that time, I worked more hours than I care to remember with lots of evening and week-ends and occasional all-nighters. I rode that pony for 25 years and do not regret a minute of it.
Now that I am out of that world, I get to dress casually, some days (like today), I even wear blue jeans and a sweater to work. I have not worked an all nighter in 4 years, but I continue to work the hours it takes to do the job. Over this last 3 day week-end, I was in every day working on several issues that just had to be done.
I have been unjustly labeled a workaholic, but I beleive that you go home when the work is done, not when the clock strikes 5 bells.
We dress up when we need to. Yesterday, we had a press conference led by our Attorney General with the 3 network TV stations and the leading print media also represented. The whole company was prepared and people were appropriately dressed, no problem.
It's all about work ethic, not attire. I am lucky to work for an agency that understands the value of my contributions, not how good I look (or don't look x;-) ) on the runway.
Back when I had a short stint as a school teacher, an experienced teacher told me "never smile 'til Christmas". His point was it is much easier to enforce a rule that is made at the beginning and very difficult to try to enforce it mid-stream. That concept has stuck with me for nearly 30 years. Don is right, ultimately the boss's word is law, but he needs to be made aware it can create deeper morale problems.
And am still smirking over the last sentence of your post Don!
If your job is something like a call center, why not go with a logo golf type shirt and twill or kakhi pants? This would give people comfort without sacrificing professionalism. Even if you could not go the expense of "uniform" type arrangement, maybe the employees could just wear a solid color shirt with the pants.
I've seen the "casual" workplace degenerate into sweatpants, scrub pants, tshirts that are too short, pants that are WAAAY too low and too tight. But...I agree...it's always hard to change things that have been in place for many years.
Your boss is probably just tired of looking at big butts poured into overstretched spandex and polyester.
Will you get some groans, yes. But Marc said it best that those who have a vested interest in the company and their job, won't care what they have to wear to work, they will just work.
However, if respect issues are the issue, maybe they should be addressed as well.
Good luck with your dress code,
Dutch2
p.s. My boss was in town last Thursday and Friday and the good news is that she noted the improvement!!!