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#349055 - 04/20/05 03:42 PM What is considered too much.....
Tricia Offline
Gold Star
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 458
Smack dab in the middle of IL
cleavage? Our dress policy states that 'revealing tops showing too much cleavage' is inappropriate attire. Employees are questioning what 'too much' cleavage means. As usual, they are complaining...about another person who was wearing a v-neck, wrap around top. I personally did not feel that this employee was improperly dressed or was revealing too much cleavage. One employee stated that they considered any cleavage was too much cleavage. But then again, that employee would never wear such a top... The age range of our employees is widespread, from 22 to 79. We have the mature and more conservative ones, then we have the younger, hipper employees. How do you deal with a diverse group of employees with different interpretations of what is appropriate, whether dealing with 'too much' cleavage or the style of clothing (from styles from the 70's to gen Y)?


I feel like I am dealing with second graders...teacher, Billy is sticking his tongue out at me....teacher, Sally hit Billy...mommy, Bobby told me to shut up...daddy, Susie said she doesn't like my shirt. Help!
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Human Resources
#349056 - 04/20/05 04:24 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
HappyGilmore Offline
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,844
Pulling people out of the ditc...
It's been my experience that men never think the cleavage is enough, while the women think it is too much.

Okay, that was my juvenile response, now to professionalism. There is no simple solution to your problem. Many of the clothes being made today are more low cut. We have had women who purchase new suits, but must use a safety pin to close the top, as it is too revealing otherwise. Your HR department in generally responsible for making the decision, but the employees need to be less concerned about what others are wearing and focus more on their jobs. I've been in your situation, and it is not a fun one to be in.
Last edited by happygilmore; 04/20/05 04:25 PM.
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#349057 - 04/20/05 05:45 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Tricia Offline
Gold Star
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 458
Smack dab in the middle of IL
I always look forward to your comments happygilmore. I can always count on you to respond.

I totally agree with you that the employees need to be less concerned about what other are wearing (and doing) and focus more on their jobs. I just can't figure out how to convince them of that?!?!?
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Life is the willingness to be yourself and live in harmony with others. - Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott

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#349058 - 04/20/05 06:31 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
bluebanker Offline
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bluebanker
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,227
Bear Country
Yeah, since when did fellow co-workers have the added duty of enforcing the dress code? Leave that up to the HR people.

On a personal note, I'd be more than happy to be the judge as to what is too much.
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#349059 - 04/20/05 06:50 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

Wow, Frenchie, we just had this issue last week. We had a teller the week before wearing a very (I mean very) revealing top. Cleavage galore! So much so that we had customer complaints.

Needless to say, a copy of the dress policy was handed out to everyone and in staff meeting the part about revealing tops was emphasized. To me, the bank is supposed to be a professional setting, and you dress appropriately. I personally don't think cleavage is appropriate in this business. That is for your personal time, not the bank's.

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#349060 - 04/20/05 08:28 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
GregS Offline
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 135
Sunny Florida
As the supervisors and HR hash out "acceptable" our unwritten rule of thumb is to dress like someone you would trust your money with.
We tell them our customers are looking for a certain professional appearance from their bank. We are all "the bank" and an unshaven lender or an overly suggestive teller is not what the majority of customers expect and is not acceptable. Our Board expects our employees to meet our customers expectations.
"Back room" versus "front line" is a consideration and if your are dressed "back room" you better stay there during business hours.
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#349061 - 04/20/05 08:29 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
doodle Offline
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doodle
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 888
colorado
I have to agree that co-workers should not be monitoring the dress code. I appreciate that you said, Frenchie that you did not feel the blouse was inappropriate. There is your answer. I'm a fairly well endowed woman and I have to be VERY careful about my tops. That being said, unless I wear a turtleneck, you're going to see some cleavage. I think that no cleavage is too restrictive. For some of us that just is not going to happen. For a woman with a large chest, turtlenecks are not flattering in the slightest, and a v-neck looks much better. I think you should go with what you think is appropriate and tell everyone else that it's none of their business! HR and department managers are in the positions they are in for a reason.
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#349062 - 04/20/05 09:02 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

Quote:

I have to agree that co-workers should not be monitoring the dress code. I appreciate that you said, Frenchie that you did not feel the blouse was inappropriate. There is your answer. I'm a fairly well endowed woman and I have to be VERY careful about my tops. That being said, unless I wear a turtleneck, you're going to see some cleavage. I think that no cleavage is too restrictive. For some of us that just is not going to happen. For a woman with a large chest, turtlenecks are not flattering in the slightest, and a v-neck looks much better. I think you should go with what you think is appropriate and tell everyone else that it's none of their business! HR and department managers are in the positions they are in for a reason.




Along this same line. And I am being serious here. Its always the 'less endowed' women complaining about a 'more endowed' woman's cleavage. I am 99% sure that in this example, the complainer was of the 'less endowed' kind. Just because a women has larger breasts does not mean the top is too revealing. We have a younger teller that has larger breasts and she sometimes wears tighter tops. They are tighter, but not inappropriate. The small chested women around here complain about the cleavage, even though her tops go up to her neck!

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#349063 - 04/20/05 09:27 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

Quote:

Quote:

I have to agree that co-workers should not be monitoring the dress code. I appreciate that you said, Frenchie that you did not feel the blouse was inappropriate. There is your answer. I'm a fairly well endowed woman and I have to be VERY careful about my tops. That being said, unless I wear a turtleneck, you're going to see some cleavage. I think that no cleavage is too restrictive. For some of us that just is not going to happen. For a woman with a large chest, turtlenecks are not flattering in the slightest, and a v-neck looks much better. I think you should go with what you think is appropriate and tell everyone else that it's none of their business! HR and department managers are in the positions they are in for a reason.




Along this same line. And I am being serious here. Its always the 'less endowed' women complaining about a 'more endowed' woman's cleavage. I am 99% sure that in this example, the complainer was of the 'less endowed' kind. Just because a women has larger breasts does not mean the top is too revealing. We have a younger teller that has larger breasts and she sometimes wears tighter tops. They are tighter, but not inappropriate. The small chested women around here complain about the cleavage, even though her tops go up to her neck!




Give me a break! I probably fall in the middle of "well" and "less" endowed, but you cannot tell me that there are not tops out there, besides t-necks, that don't show cleavage, no matter how big chested you are!

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#349064 - 04/20/05 10:23 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
doodle Offline
Platinum Poster
doodle
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 888
colorado
Your right, I could wear t-shirts. But really, there is not a lot of choice out there. If I wear a button-up shirt you will probably see a little cleavage unless I button all the way to the top, I can't wear shirts that are cut wide on the neck because my bra straps are wide and would show. There aren't many crew-neck shirts that look professional. I don't look trashy and I am not revealing too much. I look professional and well put together. I'd be happy to consider any of your suggestions but you have absolutely no idea of my size or shape so I'd be surprised if you could give me much practical advice.
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#349065 - 04/20/05 10:34 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Jokerman Offline
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,846
Let's not start posting measurements.

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#349066 - 04/20/05 10:50 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Viking Princess Offline
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Viking Princess
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 952
Stockton, California
We had a few discrepancies within our Dress Code Policy surrounding this concern. Imho, the reason it's so hard to make a hard fast rule is because one person who is larger up top can wear the exact top that someone who is smaller and it will look completely different. I finally told my team, if you have that much opportunity to sit back and decide what someone should wear or not wear than obviously you need more work. (I addressed it this way in a huddle)...for some reason I never heard another complaint.
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#349067 - 04/21/05 12:55 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

These employees are obviously not desirous of executive potential if they have to inquire about what is an appropriate top. No cleavage should be shown. A top may allow for a nice necklace or conservative jewelry piece to be seen, but should not show any "vertical" cleavage.

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#349068 - 04/21/05 01:58 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Tricia Offline
Gold Star
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 458
Smack dab in the middle of IL
Quote:

I think you should go with what you think is appropriate and tell everyone else that it's none of their business! HR and department managers are in the positions they are in for a reason.




I totally agree doodlebanker and thanks for your support.
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Life is the willingness to be yourself and live in harmony with others. - Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott

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#349069 - 04/21/05 02:03 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Tricia Offline
Gold Star
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 458
Smack dab in the middle of IL
Quote:

Its always the 'less endowed' women complaining about a 'more endowed' woman's cleavage. I am 99% sure that in this example, the complainer was of the 'less endowed' kind. Just because a women has larger breasts does not mean the top is too revealing. We have a younger teller that has larger breasts and she sometimes wears tighter tops. They are tighter, but not inappropriate. The small chested women around here complain about the cleavage, even though her tops go up to her neck!




That is not the case here. Actually, it is the employees over the age of 55 complaining about employees between the ages of 25 and 40...it has nothing to do with size.
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#349070 - 04/21/05 02:07 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Tricia Offline
Gold Star
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 458
Smack dab in the middle of IL
Quote:

We had a few discrepancies within our Dress Code Policy surrounding this concern. Imho, the reason it's so hard to make a hard fast rule is because one person who is larger up top can wear the exact top that someone who is smaller and it will look completely different. I finally told my team, if you have that much opportunity to sit back and decide what someone should wear or not wear than obviously you need more work. (I addressed it this way in a huddle)...for some reason I never heard another complaint.




Good advice Princess Ene. And I agree that the exact same top on two different people, whether they are different sizes or different ages, will not have the exact same look.
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#349071 - 04/21/05 06:11 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

While I enjoy the view, I do find it distracting and inappropriate for work.

We can't help it...... WE ARE MEN!!!

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#349072 - 04/21/05 06:31 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
pjs Offline
10K Club
pjs
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 10,321
oHiO
yeah- and MEN who are managers or supervisors won't say a darn thing when the cleavage is shown or the top is see through or the pants skin tight- because they like the view- at least around here they do. It's not professional period.

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#349073 - 04/21/05 06:46 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Bones Offline
Power Poster
Bones
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,020
Land of Enchantment
We also had a similar situation here with cleavage showing. The young lady "on display" has a small frame and not big chested, but she managed to show what she had. It was our bank president, who is male, that reminded everyone that low cut tops are not appropriate, as directly stated in our dress code. It hasn't happened since.
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#349074 - 04/21/05 07:04 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
becky0831 Offline
New Poster
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6
With all of the cute, girlie cami's out there, there is absolutely no reason not to wear one under your low cut blouse, whether it be a button up blouse or whatever style. Professionalism is the utmost important factor here.

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#349075 - 04/21/05 07:23 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Sinatra Fan Offline
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,568
New Jersey
Wow, this thread gives a whole new meaning to "Regulation DD."
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#349076 - 04/21/05 07:42 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
complyguy Offline
Gold Star
complyguy
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 494
PA
Our informal "measurement" for cleavage is - if the topography of the visible skin changes (i.e., isn't flat from side to side), it's too much cleavage.

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#349077 - 04/21/05 07:56 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
becky0831 Offline
New Poster
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6
bad, bad, bad. this is just too much!! What a way to spend a slow afternoon. I am of the "less endowed", but like the low cut tops, they still look nice. However, not at work, just during civilian dress only.

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#349078 - 04/21/05 08:09 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
bluebanker Offline
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bluebanker
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,227
Bear Country
Quote:

However, not at work, just during civilian dress only.




Whoa, Whoa, Whoa...since when did you have time / anywhere to go away from work? I'm jealous now...
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#349079 - 04/21/05 09:50 PM Re: What is considered too much.....
Anonymous
Unregistered

My bank insists that if you have to ask yourself if something looks appropriate, then you should not wear it to work. Don't take the risk, and avoid a potentially complicated situation all together.

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