Dress Code?–Editor’s Notes, May 23, 2012
by Beth Connolly on May 23, 2012
Yesterday, a story broke that a lingerie warehouse worker was suing her former employer–with the help of Gloria Allred–because she was fired for being too hot.
It seems more than likely that she was blatantly refusing to dress in a professional manner.
While this is an extreme case, dressing unprofessionally can certainly hinder your professional growth. Have you ever had to work someone whose fashion sense became an issue in your workplace? Is this as big of a problem for men as it is for women? How would you handle such a situation?
One comment
Worked at a bulge bracket at the end of the last century. We had a late 50s gal from Staten Island who dressed like an 16-year old girl on a trip to the mall: tiger-print microskirt, shirt four sizes too small, with ample decolletage on view for the daring who could stomach what was being displayed. Stiletto heels. Fishnet stockings. To cap it all off, she was 40lbs overweight. The secretary of our managing director, she also enjoyed his protection (this during an era where men were expected to wear suits and were not to leave their offices without donning their suit-coats). I raised the issue of her appearance after a client made a humorous (to him–I was mortified) comment about six pounds of something being stuffed into a four pound bag. The MD reacted viciously towards me, claiming it was none of my business and that HE managed this woman. So I have no idea how to handle it and, the fact of the matter is that secretaries at a big bank can often enjoy vastly greater latitude than the rest of us (or this used to be the case: never went back to one and never met a boss as miserable as the MD in the ensuing two decades).
by pdiddly on May 23, 2012 at 10:07 pm. #