Without getting into specifics, I work in an office setting. I work with about 20 other people in my department. We do not ever interact with customers or vendors. We only see our other coworkers. We have always had a pretty flexible dress code – jeans, tshirts, leggings, etc. As our department deals with a never-ending list of problems, ranging from mildly inconvenient to absolutely detrimental, the higher ups have released an update to our dress code. Our previous “official” dress code was pretty much common sense. We were not permitted to wear offensive or inappropriate shirts, shorts, jeans with large holes, or clothing that is distracting. The new dress code prohibits any t-shirt with writing, regardless of the message, and also bans hats and other “unprofessional” attire.
While I recognize the importance of maintaining a “professional environment” (whatever that means), I think we’re looking at some power issues here. We have been asking for years, literally, for our management to address certain issues related to staffing, accountability, new equipment, or major software overhauls that would create a better experience for both staff and customers. Our concerns have been ignored. We often hear “we’re working on it” as a way to placate us for another few months. Instead of any real problem-solving happening, we are receiving the 6th update to our dress code in the last 5 years, including the 15 months we were working from home due to COVID-19.
For the 15 months I worked from home, I spent most of the time at my kitchen table working on my computer. My attire included a rotation of athletic shorts, sweatpants, pajama pants, and t-shirts. I can count on two hands the number of times I wore a bra during my workday (spoiler alert: it was 8 and each time was only because I had a Zoom meeting to attend). I rarely changed out of my pajamas. Some days I would shower on my morning break and spend the next two hours wearing just a towel until I felt like putting on clothes. Some weeks, that COVID depression hit hard and I wore the same set of clothes for two or three days. But no matter what I wore, my work product remained the same. I was producing work at the expected volume and doing my job with no concerns, delays, or issues.
A frequent discussion in the workplace is the “professionalism” of visible tattoos or piercings. I’ve seen several campaigns where a person is photographed in their “work outfit,” such as nurse scrubs or a physician’s jacket, and no tattoos are visible. Then they are also photographed in casual clothes to show off their tattoos and piercings. The point of the campaign is to show tattoos and piercings do not affect a person’s ability to do their job. There was another campaign after the murder of Treyvon Martin where black students from Howard University’s medical school posed in their white coats in one photo and posed in hooded sweatshirts in another. Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when he was murdered and was said to “look suspicious.” The Howard University campaign was titled “Am I suspicious?” and made a similar point about judging people without knowing them. So why does that not apply across the board?
In an ever-changing world of work, shouldn’t it be more important to attract (and keep) talent than what they wear in the office? I would rather have a solid worker who dresses casually over a slow worker who wears a suit. At the end of the day, a job is about doing the work. Yes, it has to be done safely and there should be some element of “professionalism,” but too many boomers in power are flexing their muscles over the younger generation. Times have changed. If employers do not start accepting that, they will struggle to find the talent they need to successfully run their business.
I wrote this and then came back to it several days later and decided I had one more point to emphasize, which was briefly mentioned above. We have been asking for real change for years related to both the employee experience and the customer experience. Instead of making any real, meaningful change, we are being placated with a new dress code as evidence management is “doing something.” This draws eerie parallels to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Black people (and supporters) are asking for real, meaningful change. They are asking for police accountability, the dismantling of systemic racism, and protecting the right to vote, among dozens of other incredibly important endeavors. Instead of providing real change, they are attempting to quiet us by making Juneteenth a national holiday or removing Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben from product packaging. Because when we push back, we are told we are ungrateful or unappreciative. We are treated like petulant children, not working, voting adults.
So what is the solution? It’s time to clean house. It’s time to remove these boomers from power and management. It’s time to let the younger generation be heard. It’s time for change. It’s time for real, meaningful, impactful change. Am I talking about my job or am I talking about systemic changes within our country? Why can’t it be both? We are overdue for change. We are begging for change. We are ready for change.
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