Could my Jobseekers be sanctioned?

DCFC79

OP im all for people being open eg wearing a t shirt like what you wore but you do need to learn from this experience and listen to the advice.

NiallB

Chester666666 wrote: »

I doubt it'll be a sanction for you

As for a chip on the shoulder etc comments - that is stupid and not helpful and is homophobic

No it's not, don't be silly.

I don't even get why a t-shirt is so bad, pandering to those who are "offended" by gay is just stupid as that is pandering to homophobia

Nothing to do with being gay, simply that anybody who would feel the need to proclaim their identity so loudly immediately comes across as a drama llama with an attitude problem.

I'd wear the t-shirt and more if someone claimed to be offended

How very mature and professional of you. Well done

fruitedeli

Chester666666 wrote: »

In a shop where people can wear what they want? So you'd condemn heteros for having wedding rings and talking about their other half as that's also advertising sexual orientation

Wedding rings are okay but wearing a logo t-shirt advertising a sexual orientation isn't. I don't care if you're straight, bi, or homosexual.

It's not okay talking about your other half be it a heterosexual relationship or whatever. You shouldn't be talking about your personal life. You should be working.

iammumtoone

When I was working in an office I remember when one of the young girls was told that she was not allowed to wear the (very) short skirt she came in once, skirts had to be knee length. Is that acceptable to state that? Is that not he same situation as the OP. Regardless of sex or sexual orientation there was a dress code and it had to be adhered to.

Having said that I do think it is unfair to sanction someone for something that happened in the past when they were not aware of the consequences. If OP did that today then yes, a sanction would be appropriate, as he would be aware of that is what would happen.

gay_guy

bluenoseam wrote: »

You were there to work, not to make any sociopolitical statements, thus your t-shirt was not only inappropriate, but grossly unprofessional. You were told that it wasn't appropriate, given the opportunity to remedy the situation & refused to comply with a reasonable request in a "workplace" - you were told your services were no longer required.

Let me break it down

You wore something which to some people in society is offensive
You REFUSED to change it, in the process earning yourself the boot

YOU got YOURSELF kicked out of a place of work for insubordination, lack of professionalism & inability to comply with a simple order - that's 3 things which can get you sanctioned. I get that you're proud of being gay & want people to know it, but here's a little food for thought for you - in the world of work you are there for THEIR purposes. You're not there to let everyone know of your orientation & how happy you are about it, you're there to follow THEIR rules, that's how it works. You deserved sanctioning in this case without shadow of a doubt, anyone with any intelligence could see that so stop avoiding the core of the issue & start correcting the problem.

I forgot to mention, She didn't bother at first but she had a word with me saying if I could work weekends but I refused then she started saying about my tshirt.

So in fairness, it wasn't about the tshirt at all. it was all about me refusing to work on a saturday and sunday and she took it out on my tshirt. :mad:

bluenoseam

That's an extremely important detail to leave out - as it shows a fourth reason as to why you could be booted from any workplace, failure of flexibility.

To those suggesting my original comment may be "homophobic" I'll point out that at no point did I say it offended me. I pointed out that there are sections of society for whom homosexuality is an affront, something which I'd expect any sane person to know & understand. For as much as it's an individual's right to an opinion, it's also a second individual's right to disagree with that opinion.

I'll also point out that it's discriminatory to boot someone for being gay, what it would be very hard to argue is that it's discriminatory to boot someone for ordering that they do not wear clothing which exhibits statements which are not agreeable to the organisation. The clothing worn by "employees" (either volunteers or employees) has potential to reflect upon the organisation, thus they have a right to demand that any inflammatory statements are removed. Much as it may be disagreeable to some, I would suggest to you that any sort of "gay pride" t-shirt in a regular store has potential to be inflammatory. I 100% support the OP's right to wear it on his own time - but wearing it in this situation is not an option, that's not "homophobia" that's "common sense". I can think of many things which would count as inflammatory statements (one Cradle of Filth t-shirt particularly springs to mind!) - general rule of thumb, if there's no uniform provided, in a workplace, neutral t-shirts are the way to go.

gay_guy I think though that you REALLY need to take a look at the attitude and understand that you may need to "tone down" some of your way of life. I'm not saying don't be proud of who you are by any stretch, but understand that if you're looking to make a good impression it helps if you're not rocking the boat every opportunity you get. The example I'd use is that I generally tend to dislike kids, infact I'd say lock them all up in an institution until they turn 18, but for 8hrs a day I'm willing to suspend that attitude knowing that most employers would find that abhorrent. (Ironically as you possibly know, I've worked in a retail sector where "kids" happen to be a significant chunk of my prime target market!) Learn where to pick your fights & you'll find that sanctions are no longer forthcoming - because at the moment it seems like you're not picking your fights wisely.

Chester666666

fruitedeli wrote: »

Wedding rings are okay but wearing a logo t-shirt advertising a sexual orientation isn't. I don't care if you're straight, bi, or homosexual.

It's not okay talking about your other half be it a heterosexual relationship or whatever. You shouldn't be talking about your personal life. You should be working.

Which is hypocritical if you claim to be against 'advertising'

Chester666666

On these stupid schemes you are meant to be there during the week - providers let you have a day off to sign and not there at the weekend

Wearing clothes with logos don't make you a person who seeks drama

jacques_chirac

Chester666666 wrote: »

Which is hypocritical if you claim to be against 'advertising'

You appear to have missed the fact that those in civil partnerships wear rings too. Rings symbolise your commitment to another person, not your sexuality.

Nightranger

Chester666666 wrote: »

On these stupid schemes you are meant to be there during the week - providers let you have a day off to sign and not there at the weekend

Wearing clothes with logos don't make you a person who seeks drama

Surely it is a bit of commonsense though. I happen to have an Anthrax t-shirt (Art Of White Noise promo) and whilst I am not particularly a fan of the band, it is a comfy t-shirt. However, I still have it because it was stored following the terrorist attacks a decade ago and I am still selective about where I wear it. I worked in a primary school for a while and I considered it would be inappropriate to wear the t-shirt there, for example. There was more to the OP's situation from further posts but putting aside that offensiveness is subjective, it surely does not pay to give someone an excuse to object if you are sticking to one's guns over another matter. As I said, this is just commonsense and part of the process of holding onto a job.