6 Of The WORST Workplace Dress Code Stories Ever

[@slc1161]

We were forced to get crappy quality scrubs from a vendor charging 3x what good scrubs cost with the emblem of the hospital. I refused. I said I'd wear them if they paid for them. Otherwise I'd get color compliant good quality scrubs and I'd sew on their emblems myself. I started a complete hospital wide revolt. It led to a loosening of the dress code.

[@jakeking3859]

Well done to you!

[@oxford14]

Kickbacks?

[@myopiniongoodyouropinionbad]

All it takes is a few people pushing back. Nice job

[@bestbehave]

Not that it's work per se, but same at my dughters school. Blazers, skirts, jumpers all need to have a manufacturer stitched emblem - only one manufacture... I went to a private school, and the school only required on teh blazer, adn that was as a patch - it was up to parents where teh uniforn was sourced

[@tylergodefroy8713]

follow the money ;)

[@kylasaundersmiller2286]

This was 43 years ago. I worked in a bank where the dress code indicated that one piece outfits were not allowed. I was unaware and wore a khakis one piece that came with a matching belt. HR told me of the infraction and I never wore it again. But in a moment of pettiness, I wore khakis slacks, a khakis blouse and the khakis belt. The outfit looked identical to the one piece. As I was hoping, HR called me in to reprimand me for wearing the one piece again. I proved it was in compliance with the dress code and not a one piece. I left a really ticked off HR manager who could do nothing.

[@user-os4sm1iv3f]

'In a moment of pettiness' haha love it! 😂

[@crazycorgiladyus7418]

So no dresses then?? That makes absolutely no sense

[@ericemmons3040]

Why would one-piece outfits not be allowed??

[@TimeLady8]

I worked at a Senior Center where seniors would come and socialize, take classes, do crafts, play cards--and gossip. At some point some of the busy bodies decided that the staff (all 6 of us) should wear uniform shirts. Think polos with a logo on them. (They were too expensive. Shocker.) So the next great idea was to institute a dress code. One person stated flat out that she would NOT comply. I said that I would not take fashion advise from people who look like an unmade bed 90% of the time. No dress code ever materialized. LOL

[@markmark63]

True story: My wife worked at a company where women had to wear high heels. One of these women was the company's Health and Safety Manager. One day she was hosting a visit from a HSE H&S Inspector. They were coming down the metal tread staircase from the warehouse mezzanine deck when she slipped and fell down the stairs and was knocked unconscious when she hit the floor. - right in front on the HSE Inspector.

[@pjschmid2251]

Well, you didn’t finish the story did the rule change about the high heels?

[@markmark63]

@@pjschmid2251 yes.

[@giddycupcake5231]

I get why this is funny and doesn't need a long explanation 😂😂

[@myopiniongoodyouropinionbad]

Reject Dress Code Embrace *BONK*

[@andreacook7431]

Our dress code is "no shorts, flip flops, or speghetti straps". As a fluffy woman with "vast tracks of land" I sew my own clothes. I have a lot of collared dress shirts in fun patterns, a couple 50s-esque shirtdresses, and a couple of Edwardian shirtwasts/skirts. My manager has had people complain to him about my clothes. I'm really glad he has my back though and points out I am well within our (very vague) dress code.

[@phaedrapage4217]

A fluffy woman with vast tracts of land is such a beautiful image, the wording makes me imagine sitting on a hilltop singing The Sound of Music whilst making said dresses. (And I am personally very aware of what is normally available in bigger sizes of clothes and most of the time, they are not made to fit a bigger body, they're just skinny clothes sized up so they look dumpy and cost way too much for anything remotely cute. You're lucky you sew!)

[@naomiemoore5725]

Love your style! Who in their right mind complain? Jealous is more like it. I used to sew a lot. Now my part time retired wardrobe is a far cry from corporate suits and 4" heels (I am 5' 11" without heels), to age appropriate shorts and tshirts. Now work with dogs. Boarding and daycare. Second part time job is working for a small family farm. Get paid in eggs, fresh produce, and a little cash.

[@chernobyl169]

It's not about appearance or professionalism, it's about control and suppression. Dress codes aren't just used to manipulate employees on the clock, but also impose artificial expenses on their work that comes out of their paycheck and goes right back to the corporation. Common examples of this are instances where you are required to purchase compliant clothing from a partnered vendor, brand lock-in for tools and equipment, or sales jobs that require you to purchase your own demo kit. The purpose is to lower your effective pay so you focus on working more, and has nothing to do with corporate image.

[@GeorgieB1965]

Beg to differ, as in the public sector it's a totally different mindset. In the public sector it depends on whether you're dealing with the general public or not on how you dress. In the government agency that I had last worked for, staff members could wear casual but neat and casual business wear, and in the case of social workers, most carried a spare set of business clothes when they had to go to court out of normal circumstances. The only times that HR would send out a copy of the clothing policy is when a staff member would dress like they were getting ready to go clubbing or experience other kinds of night life, and since they couldn't target specific people, everyone got the infamous clothing memo.

[@vanesag.9863]

I supose depends of the kind of work you have. My father worked on a Spanish food factory and everybody had an uniform. Normal workers wore dark blue pants and polos with a red stripe on the sleeve (the colour of their basic product), the medium bosses wore dark green polos and brown pants (the medium priced product) and their bosses wore black pants and polos with a golden strip at their sleeves (high end product) to be able to locate easily the bosses. All the uniforms were distributed by the factory "work clothes store" and they had to be dressed to impress. My father was reprimanded by his boss for wearing bleach stained pants because he was cleaning his workspot and he didn't saw the stain. If they had stains on their clothes or were worn out they had to ask for new clothes (without paying because it was a factory requirement) because the factory did surprise checks to see if they met food regulations. I have to wear a white scrubs with the name of the company at work and I only have to ask for it (and tell the size) and my boss send me one. I never paid for my work scrubs and never had a problem asking for one.

[@naomiemoore5725]

Interesting perspective. Somewhat agree. Do you have international business dealings? What I don't agree with is not conforming to the host countries customs and protocal. This is why American tourists are hated worldwide. They never think to have at least basic knowledge of the places they visit. Every country is different. In business we followed the traditions and knew them inside and out. No one wants to lose a relationship because Americans are boorish. Do your homework people.

[@gsn794]

I worked at a startup in SF many years ago. I remember part of the new employee orientation very well. “Yes, we do have a dress code. You have to, other than that, we don’t care.”

[@phaedrapage4217]

I know someone who lost her job (cleaning empty offices super early in the morning when no one else was there) for several reasons, one of the main ones being how she was dressing. She was wearing her bra over her shirt instead of under it. Not sure what kind of fashion statement she was trying to make for the security cameras in an empty building but it definitely made an impression. 😂

[@realong2506]

I have worked many jobs where you had to wear a certain color shoe and pants. The thing that ticks me off is your working because you need the money but they expect you to spend money on expensive clothes and shoes before you even get a payckeck.

[@andreacook7431]

THIS. And they don't allow exceptions.

[@No-ue5pi]

I once had to buy white pants for a two week internship as part of the interview process. An INTERNSHIP. And I didn't even get the job!

[@G.G.8GG]

As business staff in a busy dental office, we were required to wear professional clothing and heels. The doctors gave us a clothing allowance twice a year. We could choose what to wear, keep it within the allowance or spend more. We were able to be ourselves within the boundaries of the dress code, everyone looked nice and no stressing about the financial aspect. Best arrangement i have seen. Also there was no haggling about orders, who would order, style preferences, wrong sizes, etc.

[@confessionsofareformedmormon]

A former boss was the director of the entire agency. She refused to wear anything other than flip flops. This was a human services agency working with high risk disabled adults who can be violent or do a runner and proper footwear is mandatory. She fired me for wearing slippers at my desk when I didn't have clients. Said it was against the dress code 😮

[@DoctorKamino]

I once had a crappy fast food job where the manager would come around, order you to lift up your pants-leg to check your socks. one time my socks were "too grey" and he told me to go home and put on better socks. So i went home and put on better socks. an hour later he calls me to ask where I am.

[@alibali193]

My son was told off for not wearing uniform on his 1st day. They hadn't told him a uniform was needed and hadn't issued him with it.

[@Ben-Askins]

I mean that is just idiotic

[@Thasmin90]

I (female) got told by a male boss that I had to wear long sleeve shirts because I have tattoos and it’s wrong to show them. I then pointed at him asked him where his long sleeve shirts were to cover his tattoos which he than replied “it’s different for men because at least they look good with tattoos, where as on ladies it’s a distraction”

[@sunflowers1009]

😮

[@Cassiopea525]

When I worked at an animal shelter and volunteered at a wildlife rescue they had a dress code but it was all safety based. Closed toed shoes, lose strings like on hoodies tied back so they didn’t get grabbed, things like that. Very reasonable.

[@Rickettsia505]

I wore scrubs for 40 years. Only once was I provided scrubs. Switched to a job that required "business casual and lab coat". Expensive, and it was hard to make the change. Turns out business casual is also a uniform.

[@dshawler]

I worked in a laboratory. We used to have a saying that the chances of spilling something on your clothes was directly proportional to the cost of the clothing. We never wore anything expensive to work.

[@juliefraser8136]

Dilbert comic: "Casual Friday has gone too far." One person was nude.

[@maxshenkwrites]

One of my first jobs out of college was a temp job picking merchandise for orders in an IBM warehouse. I'd just graduated and was proud of my alma mater, so one day I wore a t-shirt with my school name on the front. Midway through the morning, I was told by my supervisor that I had to put tape over the school name because their dress code stated that workers weren't permitted to wear t-shirts with writing on them. I said something like "it says 'Temple University' on it, not 'F*ck IBM.'" (Not in those precise words.) They told me I had to either put masking tape over it or wear it inside out. I said no; that's ridiculous and looks awful. But they told me "those are the rules," so I turned it inside out for the rest of my shift. The next day, for my minimum wage warehouse job, I wore a three piece suit and tie, which certainly wasn't a violation of their dress code. I was told not to come back. Felt like a win.

[@christycase2324]

When I worked at 7-11 for 33 years, the company not only went through several different corporate owners and companies, but several logo changes and we wore different colors of smocks or tops. Whenever we changed colors, the new hires received the new green whole the older employee's still wore red until they could change everyone to green They got backordered and the lovely teens and crooks decided when they saw the green smocks that they could hit the store and do beer runs, grab and runs, jump behind counters to steal cartons of cigarettes or just rob the register because the new people didn't know what was going on or know how to recognize the neighborhood hoodlums when they entered like the red smocked ee would

[@joeschmo622]

Suite vests are underrated. I miss 3-piece suits... even though I hate wearing suits in general.

[@G.G.8GG]

​@@christycase2324Good grief!

[@ericemmons3040]

The important question is: did you wear a pocket watch and chain with your three-piece suit? If not maybe they let you go because of that. . . 😂

[@albertwarren6917]

My brother got told off by his boss a few weeks ago for wearing shorts. On its own that might seem fair. Why I think it’s a strange rule is because it was on dress down Friday and in the middle of summer. And it’s not like a customer facing role either, it’s just in an office.

[@No-ue5pi]

What I hate is when managers tell you one thing about the dress code, but then when it comes to it, they enforce a different set of rules than what they told you. I work as a cashier. One summer, it was particularly hot starting in April and lasting all the way through September, and at the time we didn't have very good air conditioning at the store. I really don't do well with heat, I sweat a lot and exhaust quickly, so I asked the head manager what the stance was on wearing shorts or skirts underneath our required button up shirt and apron, so I could potentially make shifts a bit more bearable for myself. (Because by the way I was never actually given an employee handbook or anything that contained the dress code!) What she told me was that, while long dark-coloured pants were usually preferred, due to the heat they were willing to allow some leniency as long as pants or skirts were longer than the apron itself (so around knee length.) What ended up happening when I showed up wearing a dress under my uniform, which WAS longer than the apron, if only by an inch or so, was that the very same manager I had asked got on my case about how I couldn't go out on the floor dressed like that. The same manager! Whom I explicitly asked and who explicitly told me it would be okay! And I didn't understand why it mattered anyways, I sit behind the register my entire shift so people really can't see what's below my waist. The only time someone might see would be on the short walk from the back office to the register. While I'm working, nobody would know. And besides that, there were several coworkers who did not adhere to the dress code rules either, wearing colourful flouncy pants, and another who I ALWAYS saw wearing skirts, year round (albeit with tights) and they never had a word said to them. And the person who wore skirts was even working on the actual store floor, so people WOULD see what she's wearing. (To be clear, I have no issue with the way she dressed or that she was allowed to- I have a problem with the fact that I was the only one who was given a hard time about the dress code when they're clearly not too invested in enforcing it on everyone else.

[@Rickettsia505]

I went to a themed, chain restaurant yesterday. The women were all in ridiculously tiny skirts. I was really angry that they were basically forced by their uniform to show every inch of their thighs. They couldn't bend over. Ridiculous.

[@suec.7179]

One of the best jobs I worked, although the pay wouldn't be ablento sustain a person, was construction and maintenance on a private golfcourse. They enforced dress code for both men and women, but paid every cent for the clothes you had to wear, including the super sweet choices of really nice, expensive steeltoes. And they would cover the cost of replacement every year, no matter if they actually needed to be replaced or not, so everyone often ended up with a bunch of different steeltoes of different styles that looked smart, were comfortable and safe, and that you could keep, as well as shorts/pants, and perfect breathable, lightweight shirts. I remember some people choosing to wear their work uniform even outside of work, because the ensemble often ended up being the most comfortable they owned, both inside and outside of work.

[@CrissyMoss]

We were supposed to have black shoes at my new job. Someone wore white ones because he couldn't find the black ones and to keep the boss happy he covered them in black duct tape. Looked bad, but it w black. They have recently said our shoes can be black and/or white.

[@AF-oq5bu]

I worked for an airline (20 years ago now :) as ground crew. They issued uniforms and they took care to clean them -- all fine and good. However, the largest the women's uniforms went was a size 12 and I was told during the interview that they simply did not have larger women's uniforms (I wore a size 8); if there was a size limit to the men's uniforms, I never heard about it. I was also called out for not wearing makeup (I never did start; this was a temp job for me).

[@sararobertson1872]

Oh my god, I could go on for ages about this topic. In my work experience, managers are so petty about this. And their pettiness leads other employees to start "dobbing" on their colleagues. If you try and make valid points about why the pettiness is unnecessary they just double down. I worked in an office where my role was very autonomous so I had my own enclosed office and worked with almost no interaction with other staff throughout the day. I certainly did not engage with any external parties. After 15 months I was called in the HR Manager's office and told off for violating the uniform policy. I was wearing an ankle length skirt that day and a pullover. I even put a petticoat on under the skirt because I knew how conservative the environment was. FYI there was no written/disseminated uniform policy. I went home and cried for hours and never went back.

[@mistiinseattle]

A few weeks after starting a new office job i was called in and told someone had complained that my solid black top (worn with nice dress pants) was not dressy enough and that my sneakers were not acceptable. I had worn nice dressy loafers every single dsy .... no sneakers. I soon found this sort of thing was typical... survived it 15 years

[@carriebryan1211]

Working at a zoo in the US South: I was required to buy a logoed polo shirt for an event on the grounds. The women's style size options were small and medium. So I had to buy a men's style. It was made of polyester knit that felt like it was made of shredded plastic bottles. Who wears plastic on a summer day in the South?? And I had to buy this travesty to wear on only ONE DAY!

[@joeschmo622]

Screw it, I would've called in sick that day. Or had "car trouble" and smeared some reversible (ie, wash-out-able) dirt right across the midsection of that shirt. See my comment elsewhere about White Shirt Day at one place where I worked.

[@davidzakrzewicz707]

@@joeschmo622

[@shoshanaudelson4481]

Save the receipt and claim it on your taxes as a required business expense!

[@simonbaker6962]

I know third post in a row. But I used to wear a suit for every interview. After a period of many rejections I started to care less. I deliberately attended one interview an hour late wearing trainers, cycling shorts and a t shirt with holes in. I tried my best at being uninterested. I got the job!!!!!!

[@lynnapgar4532]

I had a boss tell me they didnt like my pants because they thought didnt look expensive enough. Also my hair didnt professional enough( during the early 90's perm craze), and the manager made me get a perm to keep my job. I quit when i asked for my 1st yr wedding anniversary, off 2 months in advance. They told me the week before my anniversary that I didnt get the time off. At the next weekly manager meeting 2 days later, I told them I was leaving immediately. Gave back the keys and walked out the door. Manager chased me into the parking lot screaming. Got in my car and left...

[@Kanyon85]

My dad's old job, where it was just an office with no customer interaction had a new boss that required slacks, no jeans at all. It took about a month before everyone rebelled and just wore jeans again anyway. there were only about 150 people at the company

[@andreacook7431]

My current job, we sometimes have visitors who, apparently, are offended by jeans. I don't own slacks, so I always end up wearing a dress. I had a co-worker who had to wfh that day because he didn't either. He was a contractor and didn't have the cash to go buy a pair on short notice.

[@kennethmcgeechan604]

In the early 1990's I worked in an office that a simple shirt and tie dress code. This was no real problem but it was a glass walled non-air conditioned office in the middle of a summer heatwave and they refused to let you undo the top button of the shirt. This is where I learned to buy shirts 1-2 sizes too big.

[@jackywhite880]

I worked in a UK public library in the early 1970s. Mini skirts were still a thing. Our supervisor was the kind of sad, middle-aged maiden lady that gave her profession a bad name. A lady so 'precious' she once almost fainted away when a (married) assistant announced she was pregnant. Every time new uniforms were issued to female staff she insisted hems came 6 inches below the knees. Those girls looked like 19th century kitchen maids. But - not to worry - every one of those girls would turn in, a day later - even some middle-aged ones - with uniforms cut to lengths that had the supervisor furious and the guys so very happy. Especially as our employer was so cheap in sourcing uniforms that if those girls walked in front of a sunlit window, a crowd would gather.

[@tomarmstrong3800]

Getting annoyed about uniform is such a stupid power play

[@Ben-Askins]

Yeh agreed

[@ZoeyR86]

It's incredibly rare to find a job with a dress code that covers the cost of said code.

[@pjschmid2251]

The place I work has uniforms (trousers and a shirt with the company logo for plant workers and lab coats for lab workers and even office workers) which the company purchases. People that work in the plant have to wear certain types of footwear, but we reimburse them when they turn in a receipt when they buy the required shoes. I work in the office and although I don’t have to wear a uniform on a regular basis, I do have a lab coat that I have to wear if I go into the plant and they purchase them.

[@lisathaviu1154]

I had an employer (law firm) that absolutely obsessed over the dress code. There were at least 3 memos sent out every month. This might have been understandable if there were actual clients coming and going at the law firm, but there were no clients who came in. They started fussing about my shoes (clogs) which I wore because they didn’t rub (I’m a type 1 diabetic), obviously, they weren’t going to try and tell an attorney that they should potentially sacrifice their toes. I finally realized that they were wasting my time every day with their ridiculous rules and obsessions. The dress code memos were not the stupidest by far. I retired at that point and I’ve never been happier than when I sat back with the realization that I no longer had to go in there every day.

[@listey]

I loved wearing shorts to my previous job when it was hot but everyone else was too scared 😂😂

[@Ben-Askins]

I have never understood why people hate shorts

[@pjschmid2251]

@@Ben-Askins You’ve never seen my legs 😂

[@tammaratiffany7425]

Years ago as a teacher in Las Vegas, our board tried to enforce women were to wear hose and dresses to our knees. Mind you, the temperature was 120 in the shade some days. Guys were to wear ties. We all absolutely refused. I don’t think ANYONE in our school wore hose or a tie again!

[@demondogmom7221]

I've been in IT long enough that my first 2-3 jobs I was the only woman in IT. I went to work for a state police department. The big question was if I had to wear the god awful double knit blue polyester the women clerks and secretaries 😮wore.... this is in Phoenix Arizona. I asked if the men in IT had to wear the double knit nonsense. I was told "no, they have to wear dress trousers, a button down shirt and tie or bolo tie". I offered to wear that but not the furnance creating polyester. They decided I could wear dress trousers but I had to wear pantihose under the trousers. I asked who was brave enough to check if I had on pantihose? Answer? Not one of them. I wore business appropriate clothing. Less than a month all the women in the department stopped wearing the double knit polyester.

[@666toysoldier]

The local radio station would issue a "polyester alert" during hot weather.

[@maryjackson1194]

I was the only woman in a senior manager position, and I led project foundation workshops with new clients. At one point, one of my peers suggested that we should all wear khakis with company polo shirts. My answer was, "I don't do drag." The guy was very confused. I didn't bother to go into a discussion of why we would want to look like Target associates, when most of the team had MBAs (we were a premium boutique consultancy), I just told him I'm never going to look like the rest of them...and if he bought everyone polos made for women, I'd consider it. He actually persisted to the point of saying that men's teeshirts are unisex. while women's aren't.

[@craftsmanwoodturner]

Back in 1996, I was ten years into my first permanent role, for an investments company in the City of London. That summer was really hot, and the trains still had no aircon, so I decided to swap out of my suit into a blue blazer and khaki chinos - still wearing a collared shirt and tie. After several weeks, my director called me in to his office and told me this was not professional enough, and sent me home to change. Ridiculous, yes - but it gets better. I went to see the union rep to ask for their support (sadly, not forthcoming) - but the first thing he said to me was "Hi, you're looking smart today!" And then, after sweltering back in my suit for several more weeks, the same director was on a jolly at the cricket, but dropped into the office beforehand - wearing a blazer and flannels! Of course, I left there within a few months.

[@flatturdphd2066]

They just introduced "more professional attire" at my work... I work as a night time security controller, and see only one person, sometimes 2, at the start and end of my shift....they want me in a shirt, tie, proper shoes, trousers and a blazer... I work alone, and never see clients, staff or management

[@pennybast3953]

My full time job is working production in a factory and my side hustle is working with polymer clay and pouring acrylic. I actually change out of my t-shirt and jeans for my day job into something that I care even less about messing up when making jewelry. Why would you expect people working with markers and such to wear dress clothes?

[@G.G.8GG]

In our accounting office we all dressed appropriately but one summer day I was wearing some very nice sandals, good leather with nice design and straps, professional-looking and I had just had an extensive pedicure. The entire office staff had been embroiled in a big brouhaha about dresscodes. I was stopped in the hall by an HR manager who had been a major instigator in the whole mess and was criticizing people constantly. She told me that I my toenails needed painting. I said I did not tolerate nailpolish, healthwise. She said then you need to go get a pedicure. I said I just had a pedicure yesterday. She ended with, "Well you need to do something. " This for people who all looked well dressed and well groomed daily, who never met the public in their jobs, and were being paid tops, $11.25 per hour in an expensive city.

[@sandyhenderson441]

I was reprimanded after an unannounced sock check. The rule for footwear was that socks and shoes were to black, and the shoes had to be a full shoe - no slingbacks, no toes showing. Usual sock check was hoick up your trouser leg, black sock seen, tick in the box, back to work. On this occasion "someone in the changing room told me you're not wearing black socks." Sigh, expose black-clad ankle. Not enough, I was told to remove my shoe, revealing the pink heel & toes to my sock, both invisible when my shoe was on. Big rumpus followed with HR refereeing, sock checks were abandoned.

[@mimsy-bear]

When I was a cashier I was told to wear blue or black jeans or khakis. I wore black semi-dress pants with tiny white dots and got reprimanded by my manager who happened to be wearing NEARLY IDENTICAL pants. She wore business casual and acknowledged the irony but I was dressed completely professionally. They made me GO HOME and change.

[@user-os4sm1iv3f]

I would have just gone home ...

[@666toysoldier]

I took a part-time job as a security job at a private women's college. Uniforms (polyester, of course) were provided, and cleaning paid for. During a particularly nasty heat spell, I took home a pair of pants that had seen better days. I turned them into just-above-the-knee shorts, using cut off material to patch pockets abraded by keys. No one said a thing. I was younger then, and had good legs.

[@pamterry254]

I had a temp job a few years ago that required steel-toed shoes because once a week we had a meeting and we had to walk through the factory to get to the meeting room. I was really surprised that the company supplied them! I was hoping to catch on there full-time, but sadly got there a few months before a company-wide purge, and a lot of people were let go.

[@kenm8162]

One of the worst parts of going into the civilian sector after 28 years in military was buying work clothes and picking what to wear every day. After a few years a new boss came in implemented standard polo shirts. I loved it same shirt every day..

[@samshort365]

My daughter was reprimanded because she wore very expensive and comfortable black sports shoes. Why, because the logo was visible. It's a large grocery store that doesn't sell shoes and everyone wears sport shoes.

[@pammasheppard1338]

My last job (where I worked a very long time) had a uniform shirt. It was great because at times the job could be dirty or sweaty and the few times I wore my normal clothes I was scared of ruining them. The best part was we never had to pay for the shirts. Not the new ones given on the first day OR any replacements along the way. Also everyone had to wear a uniform shirt. The owner sometimes wore one but from management on down to the newest hire all wore one. All the years I happily worked there I saved a ton on clothes!

[@lennyo5165]

Oh I've got two stories for you. First off... Many years ago I got a job as a server, the company issued a bow tie and cumber-bun. I was responsible for buying my own blue dress shirts and khaki pants, which at first seemed fine. However we were supposed to purchase them from a specific High-End Boutique ( read as expensive as hell), which I did not do. I got by for several weeks until a new supervisor decided to do label checks, I quit on the spot. Years later I was working as a cashier and had to wear a shirt with the company logo on it. The company provided me with 3 of these shirts but deducted the cost from my first check. I also got an earful when winter hit and I refused to buy a company branded jacket.

[@laurieholmes7414]

I got written up later in the day for wearing "skinny jeans". Which the shirt I wore with them hung well over my butt. My administrator said she'd already told me not to wear them, which she didn't. She had told a co-worker not to wear them, but had NEVER said a word to me about it. I said I'd go home to change (which I lived like 5 minutes away). But she said "No you're fine for the rest of the day, but don't wear them again." Now I DID Not get called into her office. I went in there to ask her a question about something. That's when she jumped me about it. Like I said, I offered MULTIPLE times to go change, and she said no every time. I didn't even know I'd been written up for it until I got fire by her for some other petty reason. And I got my personal file from the office. That when I learned I'd not only been written up for that but like 4 or 5 other things I wasnt even told about or aware of. One of them being a write up when I wasn't even in the state and was on FMLA. Due to my husband having a heart attack and me almost loosing him. He was in the hospital for 33 days, 20 of the being in Cardiac ICU.

[@debreeser]

I worked for 6 years as a Manager for a company that obsessed about the shoes everyone wears. Now I agree they should not be shabby and worn or a bright pink (or otherwise garish colour) but as a manager I never enforced the shoe policy outside of that parameter...much to the annoyance of upper management. For the first three years I was constantly called out about that, including in yearly evaluations, even as my team was constantly acknowledged as the best team for sales in the company. My reply to this was always the same...I have never made or lost a single Euro based on the colour of my teams shoes. It took three years but eventually the company amended their policy to reflect my view.

[@neilthehermit4655]

I was told to wear a necktie at all times. In a none customer facing role, and with a thick beard that reached to below my rib cage !

[@beckyheydemann1332]

I’ve worked in many kitchens where they stipulate the color of socks. Whenever I’ve asked a higher level person why they care I get a stare like a dead fish. At least most of them provided some level of uniform if they required them.

[@rebeccapierson5498]

Several jobs I worked at expected me to have a nice wardrobe while paying me $7.25 an hour. I got in trouble because I couldn't afford new clothes and pay for gas, food, etc. until I'd get my first check, usually 2 to 3 weeks after I started. It was ridiculous.

[@amandajingleheimerschmidt3050]

I was working at a “The Limited” store at my local shopping mall back in the early 1990’s. They had a preferred style of dress for big sale days: you should try to wear some of the items that were in the actual sale. I guess they were too cheap to buy manikins for the store. It worked because A.) They said that it was only “a suggestion”, and B.) Everyone working there was about college age and female; at that time in one’s life one is most likely to want to fit in, so it was not uncommon to acquiesce and buy something. It was a great scam. I remember it being one of those retailers who didn’t give you the employee discount if an item was already on sale. So in a way, they were providing materials for the job, but also not because you had to pay for it…

[@jahanas22]

I worked at a restaurant that had the same sock policy. They also did occasionally check people's socks.

[@gemmaspriggs3135]

I'm a lifeguard and loved that you described me as an expert I've never been described as an expert before

[@nairbvel]

One of my first-ever jobs (back during the Renaissance, it feels like) was as a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool that was staffed by a medium-sized company that specialized in providing lifeguards to neighborhood pools.... So all the lifeguards had to wear the "uniform" that included the company tee shirts: basic grey, crew neck, a 2-1/2 inch company logo on the front, up near the right shoulder. Swimsuits had to be black or dark blue, but usually any really dark color was OK. Lifeguards provided their own swimsuits but, since the tees had the company logo, the company provided the shirts.... by making new hires pay $8 for a shirt at a time that was the hourly minimum wage. Oh, and we were supposed to buy 2 shirts so we'd always have a clean one on hand, but our local manager was trying to move up in the company so he "asked" us to buy 3 from the company. Did I mention that the shirts were such high quality that by the next summer (when I chose employment elsewhere), all 3 had gone completely to pieces?

[@galexeqe]

4:50 "Why? Why do they even want a photo in the first place. They want a picture? Then they get the full me treatment😜"

[@lynneconklin917]

Ive worked for several nursing home and hospitals over the years. Only one actually provided uniforms for us, all white scrubs that were actually quite old and outdated, of course we weren't restricted to wearing only those scrubs, we could buy ouy own. On minimum wage, with most of the workers being single moms struggling to provide for their children. Another place hosted frequent scrub shows and would payroll deduct what you bought if you didn't have the actual money at the time. And a couple "top 5 hospital " hospitals that had specific color dress codes for each department, but still scrubs. The only thing we were told was to deduct it on our taxes.

[@tammaratiffany7425]

My former employer got after me for my v neck tops being too low (they weren’t, but guys liked to hang over my tall reception desk), my skirts too short (again, not, but I constantly rolled over long skirts, so I wore them above my knee), and my boss said someone complained about my Jeans on Friday (allowed, but there was this one employee…🤦‍♀️). I did not change my tops (sexist). I never wore a skirt again, but instead wore colored jeans 5 days a week. No one caught on to that! Idiots!

[@robertphillips6296]

The one were the Employee couldn't wear a Smock remineds me of the show "Green Acres." Doing Farm work in a Suit and Tie. 😅

[@carlfromtheoc1788]

It is why the movie Office Space resonates with so many people. Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: We need to talk about your flair. Joanna: Really? I... I have fifteen pieces on. I, also... Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Well, okay. Fifteen is the minimum, okay? Joanna: Okay. Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Now, you know it's up to you whether or not you want to just do the bare minimum. Or... well, like Brian, for example, has thirty seven pieces of flair, okay. And a terrific smile. Joanna: Okay. So you... you want me to wear more? Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Look. Joanna. Joanna: Yeah. Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: People can get a cheeseburger anywhere, okay? They come to Chotchkie's for the atmosphere and the attitude. Okay? That's what the flair's about. It's about fun. Joanna: Yeah. Okay. So more then, yeah? Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Look, we want you to express yourself, okay? Now if you feel that the bare minimum is enough, then okay. But some people choose to wear more and we encourage that, okay? You do want to express yourself, don't you? Joanna: Yeah, yeah. Stan, Chotchkie's Manager: Okay. Great. Great. That's all I ask.

[@rosemaryjones5550]

I see an artist in office attire I don’t consider it professional to their job

[@phaedrapage4217]

Depending on how much time you spend on your feet, work shoes need to be replaced up to 4 times per year to provide adequate support and not cause damage to your feet. It's not something I have ever expected an employer to pay for, it's something I watch shoe sales and plan for.

[@AnthonyPinkerton-d7p]

I used to work at a hotel chain in the states; the chain was Embassy Suites Hotel. Each department had a different uniform; think housekeeping wearing either a black skirt for women or black trousers for men and a burgundy polo shirt, the wait staff wore gray trousers and a gray striped dress shirt and a peach apron; you get the idea. The problem was we hired a bunch of housekeeper’s who chose to wear any type of skirt extending past the knees. It any sort of color desired. Eventually these housekeeper’s were all arrested as they were illegally working in the United States; they all presented social security cards with sequential numbers; which is impossible, because social security keeps track of the numbering system. As a result of the INS raid, we had to try to restore the employee uniform standards. Eventually, we got back to the standard established by our housekeeping manager, but the damage was done. I ended up leaving my employment with the Embassy Suites Hotel, for a different reason entirely, whenever I go visit my former employer, they’ve now gotten rid of the burgundy polo shirts and replaced it with a gray and white striped work shirt.

[@simonbaker6962]

Had an interview with a tech company many years ago with a very strict code. At the interview I asked what would happen if I wore a shirt of a different colour. He responded by telling me that I would be escorted off the premises, I did not get the job.

[@cate9540]

I work in a jail, so the dress code for civilian employees is strict, but sensible. No open toed shoes, low cut tops, or short skirts. Also no dangling earrings or necklaces that could easily be grabbed and used to control you with pain. Yet, there have been female employees over the years who hated these restrictions that were in place for their own safety. SMH

[@dougjones9493]

We had casual Fridays until people started showing up ripped jeans, ragged Jean shorts. Short shorts. Some people need guidelines.

[@scragar]

A previous place I worked had a fairly relaxed dress code that basically just said don't wear anything people might have an issue with when we have potential investors or clients visit the office. That got updated to include minimum short length after someone wore shorts so tiny his private bits hung out when he sat down. He luckily got sent home to change before too many people saw anything, but I have to wonder what he was thinking.

[@ghyslainabel]

A reasonable dress code: - Shirt no lower than the collar bones and equivalent low at the back. - Sleeves covering at least up to the half-way point between shoulders and elbows. - Shorts/skirt/dress at least down to the half-way point between hips and knees. - No skin showing between those points. - No hate/violence/gore image on the clothes.

[@Su-ri5ob]

I wish we had a dress code! Remember the FCUK t shirt fad? One member of staff turned up in a t shirt which said " I have the F, C & K, I just need U", this was a woman in her 50's going into older people's homes! Another turned up in a onesie for a night shift.

[@rachelscott7348]

I have a horror story working for Jamie Oliver's Italian and being told to dress more sexy!

[@joeschmo622]

One job a ways back, the dress code was pretty relaxed, but when Big Shots were coming in, we were told to wear white button-down shirts because it "looked professional". A few of us were moving spots, so we were grubbling around behind/under desks to get at cables, etc., so we could move our peecees to the new spot. I ended up getting a big smear of black... I believe it is called "schmootz"... across the belly of that shirt. That was my only white button-down shirt I had. F it, I wore the same shirt the next day when The Big Shots were still here. Ohhhh, that got some looks...

[@paul8161]

If my boss said to me he wants me to look smart while drawing and getting my clothing dirty, i would say ok, then you provide either 5 new suits or a coverall to me, you're choice smarty pants. 🙋‍♀️

[@veteranclean94]

We lost weekend passes and had to work the whole weekend due to our sock type or colour in basic training 😂 I don't begrudge that, it makes sense in context but it's funny looking back on it now.

[@PyroWolfofEarth]

I feel like when someone is told their shorts are too short, especially for women, i feel like its because they have a certain standard of where the end of the shorts need to end. I say this because of school dress codes. It was mostly women that would be dinged for having shorts that were "too short." The code i remember is that they had to be 3 inches above the knee. If they were longer, fine, but couldn't be shorter. I'm assuming the daycare has a similar dress code.

[@Rob6020]

Dress codes have a place but are not for every circumstance. Additionally, I have seen plenty of people in suits, shirt and tie, etc. that are ill-fitting, poorly maintained, etc. and frankly look scruffier than I do when gardening or doing some DIY.

[@rosebarry]

Where I work (U.K. stately home) we have a very smart uniform. The frock coat and waistcoat are provided and we get an annual uniform allowance for shirts, trousers/skirts and shoes. I think this is the case for most U.K. employers.

[@Ace924]

The only times certain clothes should be required of employees should be for safety reasons imho. Hard hats, lab coats, etc. "Professional clothes" are just uncomfortable, expensive, and make me significantly less productive overall. Other than wearing a swimsuit or nothing at all to work, why exactly does it matter what I'm wearing? How does that affect how I do my job at all?

[@andreacook7431]

I work in tech support. I had always said that I would be just as effective in my pjs as in "professional" clothes. During lockdown I was able to prove that.

[@cate9540]

I started an IT job wearing suits and heels every day, until moving and installing equipment was added to my responsibilities and one of my suit jackets was torn while crawling under a desk.. After that, it was jeans and rubber soled flat shoes.

[@chrisdonnellyofficial]

I think in a lot of cases uniform leads to discrimination, as we see here!

[@pienuniek]

Dresscode and uniform are two different things. Soldiers, police, nurses etc. wear uniforms; in the office it’s just a dresscode but if they enforce certain things it goes toward a uniform. In the last case (at least in my country) the boss has to give you a clothing allowance or provide the clothing. Plus I think the discrimination happens mostly where the silly dress code things happen. Not when you all wear the same-provided-clothing.

[@ThatCasulGuy]

Saw a recently hired manager self destruct their job/position at a business I worked for, all because of a shirt, in particular the colour and pattern on it. It was hilarious to see. Some people really show how tiny they are by what gets in and squats rent free in their head.

[@garystein8610]

Re the last story: I once got a temporary job for a month or so in a company's marketing department. I didn't know the details of the job at first, so I wore a brand new suit with silk tie to the interview. They wanted me to start immediately (as in right now). The job was actually very physical, moving pallets and boxes, and assembling marketing materials into individual boxes. Required to wear my full suit and tie while working. Yes, I completely ruined my only suit and tie with that job.

[@shoshanaudelson4481]

In charge of a bake sale...great line!

[@Mrjudsonjames]

A sock check is about as invasive as an underwear check. No one sees it and the fact the staff had to pull up their trousers for him to see, is as far as I’m concerned inappropriate and personally invasive.

[@dchino8679]

The only decent dress code I ever heard of the basic rule was you must dress like you actually live in a house. That's it that was the sum total of the entire dress code.

[@catman64k]

I think dress code are a good thing, if done right. I work at a slaughterhouse, everybody has to wear work clothes. Those consist of white trousers, white shirt, white work coat, white shoes/boots with protective front, hair net. The slaughters additionally have to wear anti cut gloves. People working in the unhygienic part (like outside or in the stall), have to wear green, and technicians wear blue. You aren't allowed to enter the hygienice area with green cloth or the unhygienic area with white cloth. You have to at least change your coat. You also aren't allowed to wear Jewelry or wrist watches for safety reasons. You could be dragged into some dangerous machinery. But it must be reasonable. Also those work clothes are provided by the company.

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

Heels - I get that there's a glamorous or sexy image that goes with them. But it seems utterly absurd to require people to wear footwear that is uncomfortable and really not good for the feet. Foot health is no small thing, and there are lots of nice shoes that won't cause problems like that. Sure, a latex catsuit or a hat that looks like a scary clown might be a bit much. But for god's sake.

[@vahvahdisco]

I hope the woman who got fired for having unsexy shoes, told everyone she knew not to deal with the company and it went down the pan !

[@Ivellios23]

Shorts that go past the knees aren't really shorts, they're not pants but in some sort of limbo. If hers was longer, they would be entering that territory.

[@halwollocombe360]

I once got written up for wearing grey socks. I worked behind the tills at the Co-op

[@DaninMaine]

I think the shirtless photo was a good way to comment on being judged by appearances, even if it wasn't meant that way.

[@marksecker]

Old employer - IT retail - had a "uniform" but not a uniform (as legally here they would have to supply official uniforms at no cost to the employer) but if you didn't wear the "not a uniform" you couldn't work the public side of the work (no working the retail counter or tech support counter and especially none of the higher paid home and work office setups and support tasks) so you would be stuck in warehouse doing manual handling. The shirts were a good , Dickies branded black button up work shirts with the name of the business AND the employee's name embroidered on it , BUT you had to pay $90 for each one.... so as part of my onboarding I ordered the usual 5 (one for each day as office setups are sweety work) and, because I'm a big guy who was at the time doing body building and powerlifting, I needed XXXL. I get to work my first day and they have 5 "S " sized embroidered Dickies shirts, 5 SMALL!!! embroidered $90 each Dickies shirts that I couldn't even stick my hand in to the sleave of let alone my forearm. Talked to my manager and he was all "Well not our fault you didn't put the right size in" like WTF how could I, who had to go clothes shopping at an oversized clothing outlet, have ever made that mistake (spoiler alert... I didn't - my photocopy of the onboarding paperwork clearly showed XXXL) Manager is "well they have your name embroidered on it so we can't supply them to other staff so you HAVE to pay for them"... I walked. So my first, and only, pay slip from them was for negative $450 (normally shirts would be paid off one per pay period but that was my one and only pay period so they billed me the whole lot)... I never paid it 30+ years later still not paid it and couldn't even if I wanted to as they went bankrupt 15 years ago... so sad....

[@saanage3892]

The firefighter photo one seemed like he tried to one-up them? "They are being weird by asking for a photo so I'll be more weird"

[@AstroGhoulWizard]

workshop" dresscode" work supplied boiler suit, not too much oil and dirt (optional), steel toed shoes (supplied by work)

[@reneemarielong6798]

Too short shorts: Nuns in school walked around with ruler to measure that our uniform skirts were a precise one inch above the knee.

[@shoshanaudelson4481]

ABOVE the knee? One school wanted skirts no more than a foot from the floor. Great if you're a less than five foot girl, but 5' 9" ? You look like you're standing in a hole!

[@reneebunn9279]

2016 I worked at Kmart all of 1 day. Besides paying $7.15/hr I had to purchase my own uniform of dark blue shirt and pants. From thier sales floor. Cost me $42 not reimbursed

[@simonbaker6962]

on a lighter note I turned up to work one day and the receptionist was wearing a shiny one piece black PVC catsuit with a long zip down the front and very high heels.

[@tonygroves5526]

😂

[@insertmoneyhere]

Dress Codes have most the time a story behind them..if your boss want a dress code he most pay for the cloth