Got in trouble for being kilted at work

[KiltedDixon]

I hope you are able to wear your kilt to work, when you want too. Good Luck!

[Frank McGrath]

[ " im not spending 2 hours on the phone to find out.

Has your boss ever heard of email? I hear that it is catching on in most places.

[Really a McQueen]

[ " im not spending 2 hours on the phone to find out.

Has your boss ever heard of email? I hear that it is catching on in most places.

As a low level IT functionary, all I will say it that email leaves a trail of evidence. So if manager 'A' were to verbally ask a question of HR rep 'X' today, and next week 'X' leaves the company without having documented the call, then 'A' could claim that 'X' had advised whatever he wanted to support his case. If the question was asked by email, then there would be a record on the server that could be recovered by corporate management.

[piperdbh]

If the OP decides to go to work kilted again, I think he should make sure the kilt is royal blue (or orange, depending on the store).

[Danaidh]

I think the UK Workman would be just fine to wear there. I agree with getting permission on company letterhead, but I also think you'd have to become the star employee and never make a mistake as the manager will be looking for an excuse to fire you. Another thought is while I'm fine with a guy in a kilt waiting on me, many men don't understand what it's all about (their loss) and take offense. Perhaps your manager is afraid of losing business because of it, so instead of being confrontational, just ask him (after you get Corporate approval) why he doesn't want you wearing one. He may open your eyes to the bigger picture and/or you may open his to understanding you.
On a side note, last week I dreamed I got a kilt made out of pleather and on the back it had the orange Home Depot logo on it. Weird, I know.

[Cowher]

I would work YOUR way up the HR ladder. Get the go ahead from the top and get it in writing. I would look into your rights and if you allowed to kilt up and get it in writing on a letterhead with the HR persons name on it. Then kilt up and if the boss cries then show him the letter.
I once went on a interview and saw someone I knew who worked there. Well the person/owner wrote down to find out if the person I knew and I were of the same religion (come to find out he hated people of my religion). When I went back for the second interview with the hiring manager I saw this written on the back of my resume. I plucked my resume out of the hands of the interviewer and asked what it was all about. She poo pooed it and I said I wasn't interested in working for them. I contacted a lawer and 6 months later I walked away with a few $$$$$'s and the business was closed permanently. Moral of the story: don't EVER let people take away rights that thousands & thousands of people died for YOU to have. To allow someone to do that to you is disrespectful to the people who fight to allow you your freedom.

[Nighthawk]

I would work YOUR way up the HR ladder. Get the go ahead from the top and get it in writing. I would look into your rights and if you allowed to kilt up and get it in writing on a letterhead with the HR persons name on it. Then kilt up and if the boss cries then show him the letter.
I once went on a interview and saw someone I knew who worked there. Well the person/owner wrote down to find out if the person I knew and I were of the same religion (come to find out he hated people of my religion). When I went back for the second interview with the hiring manager I saw this written on the back of my resume. I plucked my resume out of the hands of the interviewer and asked what it was all about. She poo pooed it and I said I wasn't interested in working for them. I contacted a lawer and 6 months later I walked away with a few $$$$$'s and the business was closed permanently. Moral of the story: don't EVER let people take away rights that thousands & thousands of people died for YOU to have. To allow someone to do that to you is disrespectful to the people who fight to allow you your freedom.

And once that's done, make sure you wear your kilt on every acceptable Celtic holiday- St. Andrew's Day, Hogmany, St. Patrick's Day, Burns Night, etc, etc.

[Chirs]

On one hand, I would love to hear about you going to work in a kilt tomorrow and, when the boss calls you into his office to yell and scream, you take off your kilt and beat him unconscious with it!! But, then, there's reality. If he's already hiding behind cowardly words like "you're unprofessional" I don't think it's a good idea to press too much with him. It sounds like he's a chihuahua who will wait until your back is turned to strike at you.

Just a thought from the cheap seats.

[Dale Seago]

If he's already hiding behind cowardly words like "you're unprofessional" I don't think it's a good idea to press too much with him. It sounds like he's a chihuahua who will wait until your back is turned to strike at you.

I'd agree. On the last point I'd go further and say that I would have to assume he's probably already looking for opportunities to strike, preemptively, because he already knows he's in the wrong.

I would not immediately get all bellicose about it though. He may be willing to wait to check with HR to "find out" what's what if you show up kilted again, but I wouldn't want him to be left in suspense. I'd help the poor guy out by going yourself to HR and getting the policy clarified in writing; then giving him a copy of the document.

Then make a point of NOT wearing the kilt again for at least a couple of months.

In the meantime, even though you've done the HR thing under the guise of ostensible helpfulness to him, it will also send a signal that you're not going to stand for any mistreatment (yet without providing him with anything he could construe as provocation).

[CDNSushi]

Although approaching HR might clarify whether kilt wearing is indeed against company policy or not, it will do little (read: nothing) to alleviate the situation locally. If the manager is convinced that it is "unprofessional" then no one in HR will tell him otherwise, even if it IS technically allowed. If you pursue this issue, I can virtually guarantee that there will be some hard feelings from being proven wrong, and he will go out of his way to find OTHER grounds for negative performance reviews, transfer, dismissal, or whatever it will take to get you out of his hair.

Remember the old adage: A mind changed against its will, is of the same opinion still.

The best advice I've seen here thus far is to indeed evaluate where kilt-wearing stands in your list of priorities compared to the job you currently have.