My Turn To Deal With A Dress Code

[Riverkilt]

As a reminder, I work as a professional counselor in a rural town of 7,000 that adjoins the Navajo Nation in the Canyonlands of Arizona. The agency is a non-profit governed by a Board of Directors who hires the CEO who hires the rest of the staff and runs the agency.

Our "dress code" has always been, "Don't make me write one."

Two things have occured in the past six months. The CEO hired a new clinical supervisor (my boss). And, administrative staff, and some therapists have been coming to work very very casually dressed...sweat suits, warm ups, clothes that folks locally would wear to work in their yard, go camping, work on the car....grubbies.

Next week, the agency is hosting what they call a "meet and greet" for the employee assistance folks at one of the largest local employers. We want to get their business.

My new supervisor put out an email directing how staff should dress for this event. It didn't say, 'no kilts,' but it did say 'slacks.' So I didn't panic and sat on it hoping for clarity. That came. My boss doesn't want me wearing a kilt to the function because she feels its "unprofessional."

Rather than be stupid, told her okay, I gave all my pants to our Detox after two years of wearing kilts with no problem, but I may be able to find some that still fit, or I can buy a pair. I actually thought showing up at work in pants after two years in kilts might help emphasise how good kilts look.

Out of those discussions came the revelation that management is working on an agency dress code - apparently with no employee input so far.

Though it was at first incredulous to me that my new supervisor, a lady social worker who wears pants to work every day, is a champion of things liberal, no doubt recalls the fight for women to wear pants in the office, is not okay with my continuing to wear kilts, and dead set against it.

It does not seem to phase her that our walls are full of signs proclaiming how the agency honors and respects cultural diversity. She keeps asking me, "Don't you care what other people think of you?" And she struggles with my answer.

I did prepare an extensive history of kilts, the current kilt fashion boom, kilts in the workplace, and even the informaton about clans threatening civil rights lawsuits for banning kilts. She dismissed it saying it just doesn't apply to this agency. And she has no empathy for the comfort factor for males that sit for a living.

In preparation for the possibility that yesterday might be the last day I'll wear a kilt at work I've worn my hand sewn kilts every day, trying to look my best in a kilt.

Ironically, there have been some more intense issues presenting management than a dress code. I have been intensely involved in those issues. But its obvious management is concerned about how I'll react. The CEO and Finance director have gone to great lengths to assure me that they want me to stay with the agency. I've made it clear that it would help if my supervisor would address my kilt information presentation rather than dismiss it.

My supervisor told me that my wearing kilts has been disruptive at the agency for the two years I've been doing it and that I just don't see the disruption and others have been afraid to tell me. I checked that out with upper management and they say that's not true.

The dress code is not written yet, its a project underway. The only issue is Tuesdays meeting. I have agreed to wear pants on Tuesday. I did press for what I could wear on Wednesday. My supervisor said it is okay if I wear a kilt on Wednesday. My understanding now is I may remain kilted until the dress code is hammered out.

I have made sure that management knows that if for some insane reason kilts are banned at the agency I would like exceptions for wearing kilts on cultural holidays.

What troubles me more than anything is that this pant wearing lady liberal can't see the discrimination in a gender specific dress code.

This adventure has given me much deeper understanding and empathy for those of you who've deal with similar supervisors.

Hopefully, as the dress code development progresses I'll have some more receptive management ears to work with.

Ron