My Turn To Deal With A Dress Code

[Rusty]

Ron, it's just a shame that you have to be the victim of someone else's hang-ups. I work for social services and have a male boss with the same attitude.

[TJP33928]

Ron,
I think it is much deeper than this, it is her insecurity that is driving this. She sees you as a threat and wants tether what is unfettered. I just recently left my position at a very large bank due in part to a supervisor that tried her best to beat me and other co-workers down, it took a while but I saw through that she was doing it due to her incompetence. This method is starting to backfire on her and likely she will be the next to go. I am lucky as I am in the position financially that I could just move on, and a much better opportunity is coming my way. I hope that in the end you may continue wearing your kilts to work. Corporate America just kills me because of the current buzzword about diversity, and how its use is so subjective.
Tim

[eighties]

Hey Ron,

Whoa, I don't even know where to begin. I think that you are showing remarkable patience under the circumstances and that is one of the best things you can do.

I can also totally sympathize with your situation. When I first started wearing kilts at my job, the daily pant wearing HR manager tried to apply the "No extremes in personal dress or grooming shall be tolerated" clause of our corporate dress code. The funny thing is it was to her, and her only, I had to point out that unbifurcated garments were worn by more men in the world than one would think. Just because it is not seen very often in the US doesn't mean it is extreme. I then clarified the dress code for her. Ours states that "skirts cannot be higher than mid-thigh and not slitted past the knee." It said absolutely nothing about the gender of the skirt wearer. Always in the back of my mind I knew I could trump with the ethnic card but honestly, that isn't my style. I eneded up simply wearing my kilt one day and guess what. It was no big deal. It might have caused a little disruption the very first day because so many folks wanted to get a look at me and ask me questions. Ever since, it hasn't been a problem.

Didn't mean to ramble but you are doing the right thing. Wear pants if they request it of you because unfortunately potential customers could be just as close minded as your supervisor. But when you do wear kilts, wear them with pride (I know you already do) and in a way that shows just how professional they do look. (I've always believed the traditional kilts to be very dressy.) With a little common sense they'll realize that when they define the dress code.

Hang in there!!! I'll bet it turns out better than you think.

-80s

[An t-Ileach]

Taking BEEDEE's suggestion further: if we were to revive Pour 1 Malt's holidays thread (http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ight=holidays), could we come up with general 6-Nations Celtic holidays/festivals that would take in most of the year to help Riverkilt out?

[Rigged]

Gender equality was never meant to apply to men.

Thank you.

[mbhandy]

After two years of wearing a kilt You do have a record of "dress" wear and it should be a leverage of some kind. The new person has to make their mark and it seems you are a easy target or so they think. Is She new to the area or has she lived there a long time? Factors to think about. Marilyn just got a new boss and the new manager is trying to change a lot of things and the customers are complaining. The upper management is now starting to wise-up as to what is happening. I told Marilyn that would happen not to get upset to much and let thing settle for a while. Time will tell for her and You ,Ron.

Hay she at least has not gone after your long hair.

MrBill

[arrogcow]

In all honesty, since, as you pointed out that you could retire, and that upper management doesn't want you to leave, I would not worry about it. Infact you should start on Tuesday and wear your kilt instead of the pants that were requested of you. The worst thing that could happen is she could fire you (if the uppers let her), and then she would have to explain to the unemployment people why your clothes were fine for 2 years, and the firing over an ethnic issue. Not to mention the thread of a descrimination law suit.

Frankly I don't see any course for her (other than letting you wear kilts) that wouldn't ultimately be worse for her.

Kilt on Ron

Adam

[Fearnest]

Ah, but from the HR perspective (and EO/EEO laws perspective), you (as a kilt wearer) don't really have any rights. You may have been causing a "hostile work environment" in this one person's mind, and (s)he doesn't have to tell you or your boss(es) until (s)he wants to. Then the two years past is just seen as a time when (s)he has suffered through the hostile environment until it became too much to bear. (I know that's not precisely the case here, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is the "right" is with the observer in this case... even when it's "wrong.")

Your employer has to take this seriously, as failing to do so puts them at risk of legal suit (as well as you).

Just a thought. Good luck to you!

[Riverkilt]

Hey Mr.Bill,

That's pretty much what's happening here. She moved here from 135 miles away. She doesn't talk over changes, just gives orders. The disruption she's causing is far beyond me wearing a kilt to work. Last week was just my turn in the barrel.

Management will stand by their own of course....to a point.

With all my years in sales and counseling my sad read is that the person is not capable of changing her ways. It seems now up to her bosses to decide if they want her disruptive new ways or the smooth running teamwork that existed prior to her arrival.

Thankfully, I don't have to make that call. My strong hope is that the decision her bosses make will negate the kilt issue. We shall see...but even given the worst I can deal with it.

As she so magnanimously said, "You can still wear kilts on your own time." Well "duh".....

Ron

[McClef]

Well if she is making a dog's breakfast it's her future that's going to be in doubt.