Enforcement of Dress Code

FBaby

You could debate for ages what is an acceptable dress code and what isn't. As a woman, I do find the common dress codes in most offices to be sexist, especially in the summer. I do find it unfair that women can come with sleeveless tops opened up to the top of the breast, skirt up to the knees and opened shoes, but men have to wear short sleeves, long trousers and closed shoes at best (if they are lucky to be able to ditch the tie). If my senior management team decided that from next summer, women had to wear short sleeves, trousers and closed shoes like men, I wouldn't like it, but I would accept it as fair enough.

However, the rules are the rules, and when they are actual solutions to a problem (which in your case there are a number), it seems totally ludicrous to risk being labelled as a trouble maker just for the sake of standing up either to one person, or to a request made by senior management that isn't unreasonable.

Have a moan about it on a forum, but comply at work and move on, there is enough stress at work to add some other something so petty.

MacMickster

Cycrow wrote: »

So why not draw the line at no mankinis ?
besides, i dont wear a mankini, i wear a tshirt

You do wear some type of sports shorts which may be considered immodest and offensive by some. I suspect that as a computer game programmer then you may currently be working in an all male and relatively small and youthful workplace. If, in the future, you find yourself working in a multi-sex and multi-cultural office then you may well find that those shorts are unacceptable.

You never answered what so offending about wearing trainers, what difference does it make ?
what makes them so unsuitable for work exactly ?

Training shoes are, self-evidently, designed to be suitable for training for sports and hence make you look as if you are dressed to be somewhere other than at work.

I know people who go on nights out in suits (ie the same they were for work) so are you suggesting those are also unsuitable for work?

It is often the door staff at a venue who decide whether you are suitably dressed for a night out in that venue., and dress codes may vary by venue. If a suit is appropriate dress for a nightclub then no problem. If training shoes and tracksuit bottoms are considered unsuitable then they will enforce that dress code.

I have now answered your question. Will you now answer mine about dress standards for a job interview?

Cycrow

MacMickster wrote: »

Training shoes are, self-evidently, designed to be suitable for training for sports and hence make you look as if you are dressed to be somewhere other than at work.

and how does that effect my work in any way ? And how does that effect others in the office exactly ?

especially when im sat at my desk the whole time and my shorts/trainers are not in visible

btw, im not currently working as a games programmer, just a software developer, i've had previous jobs have been as games programmer. And worked in both small and large places

The office is multi-sex and multi-cultural

Just because you find tshirts/trainers offensive, doesn't mean they should be banned from all work places.

What i wear for job interviews is irrelevant. When im working, its my output that is important, not how i look.

Cant you understand that not all work places are the same, and dont follow your ideals of dress

Undervalued

Cycrow wrote: »

and how does that effect my work in any way ? And how does that effect others in the office exactly ?

especially when im sat at my desk the whole time and my shorts/trainers are not in visible

btw, im not currently working as a games programmer, just a software developer, i've had previous jobs have been as games programmer. And worked in both small and large places

The office is multi-sex and multi-cultural

Just because you find tshirts/trainers offensive, doesn't mean they should be banned from all work places.

What i wear for job interviews is irrelevant. When im working, its my output that is important, not how i look.

Cant you understand that not all work places are the same, and dont follow your ideals of dress

None of which is relevant the OP's questions!

As you say, not all workplaces are the same but the fact remains that a firm can, quite lawfully, have a strict dress code if they choose. It seems that iw what the OP's firm do so he ultimately has three choices.....

Put up with it.

or

Put up with it for the time being whilst campaigning to have it relaxed.

and if that doesn't work

Find another job.

Cycrow

Undervalued wrote: »

None of which is relevant the OP's questions!

As you say, not all workplaces are the same but the fact remains that a firm can, quite lawfully, have a strict dress code if they choose. It seems that iw what the OP's firm do so he ultimately has three choices.....

Put up with it.

or

Put up with it for the time being whilst campaigning to have it relaxed.

and if that doesn't work

Find another job.

True, but my posts are more in response to MacMickster who said no employer would find it acceptable, which is clearly not the case

xapprenticex

MacMickster wrote: »

Oh dear! Really? So, to take this to extremes, if a woman working in or visiting your office felt that the sight of you wandering around in a mankini constituted sexual harassment then this would be her problem and not yours, nor a problem for management?

If you accept that a line must be drawn somewhere then your employer needs to begin to define that line. I quite like the definition given by FBaby that if you look like you are dressed to be somewhere other than work then you are unsuitably dressed for work.

Mankini lmao :rotfl:

MacMickster

Cycrow wrote: »

True, but my posts are more in response to MacMickster who said no employer would find it acceptable, which is clearly not the case

I can't see where I said that in any post.

thescouselander

Clearly there are some quite different experiences here. I thought I'd made it clear earlier but just to confirm again - our office is not customer facing and there are no dress codes or minimum dress standards enforced. In theory it could be quite acceptable to wear a T shirt and shorts if there were no important meetings to do. That's why it's so strange anyone would be prevented from making an appearance in "sports gear" for 10 mins or so.

My guess is that the complainant is probably trying to cause a bit of trouble.

daytona0

thescouselander wrote: »

Clearly there are some quite different experiences here. I thought I'd made it clear earlier but just to confirm again - our office is not customer facing and there are no dress codes or minimum dress standards enforced. In theory it could be quite acceptable to wear a T shirt and shorts if there were no important meetings to do. That's why it's so strange anyone would be prevented from making an appearance in "sports gear" for 10 mins or so.

My guess is that the complainant is probably trying to cause a bit of trouble.

You haven't got it bad mate.

I had a job over in Birkenhead (assuming you know the place, given your username) which lasted for 3 years. Not a customer-facing role, but they had strict dress codes for Monday to Friday. No showers either. To be honest, I like places like that because you dress professionally and feel professional (even in a crap hole!). If I were in your place then I'd be wearing, at the absolute minimum, a collared shirt with black pants and work shoes. I did the occasional cycle into work (about 5 miles) and it was just a case of either going rogue all day (working and cycling in work attire) or a quick change in the disabled bog. I did sometimes do a quick sesh in Europa Pools (plus a shower) before work because that worked out fine, but not always.

You sound like you're in a cushy IT job mate, and unless you're in the center of Liverpool/Birkenhead/Liscard/Non-scouse town which charges fees for parking nearby, then the car option may well be viable too.

shortcrust

theoretica wrote: »

Or could you cycle a tad slower so you don't need a shower?

Quite!! I cycled to uni in Sheffield (i.e. hills!) everyday for years in normal clothes and without ever needing a shower. I see people riding to work in smart clothes everyday as I drive to work.