employers encouraging kilt wearing?

**pbpersson** · 11th July 06, 05:39 PM

Okay....I have read several posts about people trying to FORCE employers into allowing them to wear their kilts.

However, I thought I remembered at least one person saying their employer when they learned of this interest in kilts enthusiastically encouraging the employee to wear their kilt to work and I wondered WHY and how many stories there are like that?

I IMAGINE it would make the workplace more fun and give people a reason to look forward to coming into work each day but....... :confused:

**cavscout** · 11th July 06, 06:10 PM

My employer has been great about it. He's a fun loving guy anyway who likes to joke around and keep things fun.

His philosophy was that we should not hire anyone else who doesn't have the stones to wear kilt. I've not talked him into getting a kilt of his own yet though.

**Southern Breeze** · 11th July 06, 06:16 PM

When I asked my boss (and owner of the company) about wearing a kilt at work I was basicly told " If you're man enough, wear it"!

**KiltedCodeWarrior** · 11th July 06, 06:39 PM

I think "force" might be too strong (forceful? :rolleyes

for what some of us have tried, and sometimes succeeded, to accomplish with our employers. In my recollection, there is nobody who "forced" their employers to allow wearing the kilt who have actually won the battle in the end. I think that there are people who have approached the subject openly with their employers and made sure that they had done their homework on their respective employers dress codes and determined that kilts were not only not disallowed, in many cases skirts for women were specifically allowed. If we (being men) have learned nothing else from the equal rights movement, it is that allowing an activity, dress code, special compensation for one gender, means it is very difficult to prohibit it for the other.

All that being said, I think that my manager (who was not a staunch supporter of the kilt wearing per se, but was supportive of my efforts), would agree that my wearing a kilt has:

1) Not affected my performance, other than positively
2) has not caused discord in either the team that I manage or the teams we supprort
3) Has served as a source of positive conversation
4) Has improved my morale, and has not lowered anybody else's morale (best comment I got was from a sales guy when leaving work one day about a week after starting to wear my kilt, "You going to wear that everyday? (in a nice tone)", "Why not?" I replied, and he said "You've got some huge b@ll$". I just nodded because he had hit the nail on the head, whether he realized the double meaning or not!
5) shows the commitment to diversity of this company (whether they realize it or not), as every Monday morning is new hire orientation, and guess where the new recruits gather to meet with HR before going off to the classroom? In the same lobby where I have the privilege to stroll in every day, and my schedule is such that I almost always hit there on Mondays about 5 minutes before HR picks them up and takes them to the classroom! Talk about an unforeseen bonus when they relocated our team!

Anyway, if all that is not good for at least some fun conversation, I do get casual comments every week, and for the most part I think people get at least a little excitement talking about it, and the ladies in my group always look forward to new kilts, new accessories, etc.. They provide my own personal fashion consultants.

**Blu (Ontario)** · 11th July 06, 07:33 PM

There was a story posted a while back about a delivery company that insisted on kilts as part of he uniform.

But not all workplaces are suitable for kilts and not all employers appreciate visible expressions of individuality. Those whose workplace has neither of these concerns, can count themselves fortunate.

While I have worn kilts to company functions and trade shows with no negative effects, I'm just not inclined to pursue kilts as workplace attire. I'm not aware of any local companies that publicly either discourage or encourage non-standard clothing... although privately I imagine the former would more likely be the case.

Personally, I prefer to keep kilts separate from the workplace. I've never thought of work as being particularly "fun". For me, wearing a kilt helps me shed that work mindset and allows me to have a bit of fun... in a manner of speaking it's a escape. I'd like to keep it that way.

.

**pbpersson** · 11th July 06, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by KiltedCodeWarrior

I think that there are people who have approached the subject openly with their employers and made sure that they had done their homework on their respective employers dress codes and determined that kilts were not only not disallowed, in many cases skirts for women were specifically allowed
.

I am not an employee but instead a contractor where I work, I am temp to perm and hoping to be hired as a "real" person in September.

The dress code SPECIFICALLY states that the ONLY apparel that will be accepted are skirts, dresses, and pants. It also states that underwear should not be visible and that attire should be in accordance with the business casual environment - no T-shirts allowed. HOWEVER the wording of the dress code seems to be specifically worded to be gender neutral which I found interesting.

In that light I would THINK that a kilt is a wrap-around skirt for men but I could be wrong....