NOT kilted at work -- your thoughts, please?

[crboltz]

My husband recently started his own company, and on occasion, I work for him for two reasons 1) My freelance work is in line with his company's services, so my regular customers pay him, he takes a cut and taxes, and then pays me so I don't have 1099s to do, 2) As a new company on some of the gigs he just needs additional hands. When the reason I'm working for his company is #1, I wear the kilt, and wear it proudly -- my clients know me as a kilt wearer, and are actively disappointed if I show up without one. If the reason is #2, he needs to be the person who is the center of attention, and I wear dockers or cargo pants and fade into the background. (On the last gig I did with him, one of the employees of the client was a friend and commented on how boring my attire was the whole time I was there).

I'm very big on believing people should wear what they want (and my husband hopes to make a register a tartan for his company and encourage kilt wearing in general), but with the early (so far all government) clients he is presenting a very conservative image.

So Phogfan86, I have great sympathy for both you and your supervisor, but I truly hope you get to wear your kilt to work more and more.

Cheers
Chris

[Riverkilt]

Having walked this same road with some fear and some success have come to believe its about power and control of managers and managerial fear of being held accountable for your behavior by their superiors i.e. fear of losing their own paycheck.

Key sources of decision making information would be your non-profit's mission statement and policies. May shake out to the conflict between a dress code and a cultural diversity policy. Or, management's fears that a customer/client will somehow/someway be offended vs. standing tall behind the agency's cultural diversity policy. To me there is a parallel to what an agency would do should a racist customer/client refuse to work with an employee that was of a different race then theirs. A solid agency would dismiss the customer/client and support the diversity of their employee.

Internet is full of examples of success and failure. One university professor had his clan attorney write his public university employer and threaten a dicrimination suit. Other employees have won lawsuits for being prohibited from wearing cultural attire. The "distraction" card is the usual one management plays.

In my case, I found that wearing kilts to work has been an example of how my nonprofit agency stands by their cultural diversity policy. But, I had to go to the extent of filing an in-house grievance for my bosses boss to back off. Only reason I knew about the grievance proceedure was that the H.R. lady told me about it and sorta/kinda urged me to do it.

Our agency proceedures route grievances (perhaps better named appeals of management decisions) through the immediate supervisor, then the CEO, then a board committee, and finally to a full board. My supervisor wouldn't touch the grievance and sent it to the CEO who's response was still intimidating, "You can wear whatever the (insert a common Anglo-Saxon four letter word for an pleasurable activity) you want, I don't have time for this (insert a common four letter Anglo-Saxon word for excrement).

Bottom line he didn't want to send it to a board committee and he most certainly wasn't pleased with my choosing to use the suggested grievance process even though agency policy makes it clearly a right of all employees.

While I do my job well and have over 8 years with the agency Arizona is a Right to Work state meaning anyone can be fired at any time for any thing. I've since chosen to back off on my kilt wearing at work...but now wear them about once a week at unexpected times (my own form of power and control) and for sure on special cultural occasions. On the special occasions I tell folks what the occasion is to reinforce the cultural connection.

And, I too have kilt information on the outer door to my office - including the Proscription Act and a pleat view 8x10 of myself hiking kilted with the caption "Value Difference" which seems to be a current watchword of cultural diversity.

Inside my office I have the painting of the Scottish soldier and the Indian to reinforce my connection with Native clients. I have framed AmeriKilts poster of me in a kilt with my full back sea turtle tattoo. I have a few of those clan tartan/ancient art postcards for my clans. And I have a Macdonald tartan throw over the back of my two seater couch.

While my office is not a mini-Scottish museum there are a number of articles that proclaim my heritage. Since best practice suggestions in my profession urge up front acknowledgement of cultural differences between myself and clients of different cultures my office helps bring that point to the fore so it may be addressed.

Its been over a year now and my CEO and I seem to have struck a balance that is tolerable to us both and non-disruptive.

It is a most fearful process. I finally had to suck it up and decided that if I had enough cajones to wear a kilt I could have enough cajones to walk through agency proceedures for disagreements with management decisions.

Been many posting along these lines over the years. Bottom line for each of us is our own situation - each is different with different risks. If your agency receives Federal funding you have a bit more on your side.

Good luck, have fun, but don't be stupid.

Ron

[Dall_Piobaire]

So, the question, at it's root is, is wearing the kilt about how you feel about wearing a kilt, or is it about the attention it gets from others. I am not saying there is anything wrong with either category.

[Chas]

If you're on company time you should wear what ever they tell you to wear. On your own time, wear whatever you want.

I can't agree more.

When I was in the RAF, the expression was: On Duty, on duty; Off Duty, off duty.

There are a vast number of occupations and professions where one is required to wear the corporate identity. If we are lucky enough to have an employer who will allow variations in dress then we are blessed. You can only push so far.

Regards

Chas

[cessna152towser]

Depends on the circumstances. When I sat as a Magistrates Clerk/Legal Assessor in the District Court I almost always wore a black kilt in court, but when I appeared before the Sheriff in his court I wore a pinstripe trouser suit out of deference to the Sheriff, who often wore a kilt off duty but never in his Court.
Now that I am retired from the law and re-training as a bus driver, if I get to drive tour buses yes I will wear a kilt, if I drive a service bus I will wear the uniform black trousers in keeping with the company image. Riding back from the highland games to the train station earlier today, as we were about to leave the bus the lady ahead of me said to the driver you should be wearing a kilt today. He replied I can't because I'm an Aussie so I added that there had been several Aussie bands in kilts at the games.

[Phogfan86]

Hmmm. I hate it when I don't get the answer I want. But I thank you all for your frankness.

I work for a nonprofit -- a community mental health center that treats children and families -- where agency policies are, in many areas, pretty liberal. I do fund raising and grant writing, so I don't work directly with clients. We're pretty much free to come and go when it comes to family obligations, kids staying home sick, etc. We're very tolerant and accepting of a lot of things.

Perhaps I took that organizational culture too far with my idea.

[DesertCeltic]

I invented a Scottish themed game for our department all hands so that I could wear a kilt to work to see what would happen. Our center manager and HR were there and I asked HR if there was a problem and they said no. Of course I work for a big company who really values diversity and that may work in my favor.

Later that summer a number of other managers at my level complained that if I could wear kilts, why shouldn't be allowed to wear shorts. There were a couple of women in the meeting and they basically said I was dressed more professionally than most of them in their slacks or jeans. That put that to rest and I continue to wear kilts to this day.

People who work in the buildings I frequent most don't even blink an eye anymore, but in some other buildings I still get the odd looks and giggling behind the back. I don't worry about it and it doesn't bother me like it did in the beginning. I wear them most days and my kids almost seem to take pride in my kilt wearing, which to this day surprises me.

The bigger issue is that people are uncomfortable with those who are different. I think it is their issue, but in the same vein if I was told that if I wanted to keep my job (either directly or in a round-about manner) I would wear what met the job guidelines.

[Riverkilt]

Well, Phogfan86, I also work for a community mental health center - as a licensed professional counselor with constant client contact...in a rural/redneck/right wing area.

Don't give up hope.

Ron

[DarthClown]

I never asked, I just started wearing my kilt to work. As I am fond of saying, "It's better to ask forgiveness than to beg permission" I had one person in my upper management question whether that was appropriate and I told her that wearing the kilt was part of my ancestral heritage. I believe she was so worried about a discrimination lawsuit that the issue was never raised again and I have had nothing but positive comments from anyone else.

[Highland Logan]

As I am fond of saying, "It's better to ask forgiveness than to beg permission".

Which can go 50/50, as the boss has the distenction of not needing to forgiving you. By not asking it can look like a lack of respect for those in charge, which can be viewed as a challange... which could have you put out the door. Like many here have said, it's best to do as you are told on company time, as they are the ones paying you... wear what you will on your own time.

Not to take this off topic too much, but in the same vain. There are many on the board who wear the kilt for non family related reasons, and feel that they should feel free to wear what they like, when and where they like; work or not. Now not to single out anyone here, and this is just an honest question, nothing more... but to the Americans here.. how whould you feel if a co-worker with no family or religious conection started to wear Saudi types of dress to work, how do you feel your co-workers would feel? Do you think an answer of "I like the freedom of it" would stop the boss from sending them home to change.. do you think your co-workers would not think them strange?

If the Mods think my last bit is too much, feel free to remove it. But I was just trying to put this in a different light so that people can see the other (boss, co-workers) side of this.

Frank