dress code and hats?
Posted By: FraudBuster
dress code and hats? - 07/30/06 11:35 PM
Okay, maybe I've become old in my early forties, but I was brought up with two rules about hats:
1) A gentleman's hat (even if worn by a lady;) ) is not worn indoors.
2) A lady does not wear a hat in her own house. (I was never sure if this also applied to her normal place of work, where it feels as if I spend more waking hours than home.)
I'm not seeing a lot of ladies' hats, but certain male co-workers are making a habit of walking around the office in a hat. I checked, and our dress code says nothing about it. Maybe HR thought it was just OBVIOUS??? Or has the rule changed? Can't we have something about employees not wearing hats inside, except in accordance with established religious custom (such as Jewish men wearing a yarmulka or Muslim women wearing a veil)?
Or will that just lead to statements like "I'm converting to Cowboyism" and "Baseball IS a religion"?
Or am I just being an old fogey?
(Don't answer that last question.)
Posted By: Elwood P. Dowd
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 12:27 PM
All secrets regarding hat etiquette are revealed in
Ask Andy About Clothes. My assumption is that it's a
different Andy, but I'm not positive.
Posted By: blue
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 12:29 PM
my grandfather always wore a fedora, even when he plowed the fields. he unfailingly removed it when coming indoors. my cousins are prone to wearing baseball caps. if they are not voluntarily removed when coming indoors, they are decisively removed by any family member present! it really is a offensive. sort of like not removing sunglasses when you meet someone for the first time or enter their home.
Posted By: HappyGilmore
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 12:46 PM
I also was brought up that a gentleman does not wear a hat indoors. Offensive? I don't know if I'd go that far, but it is difinitely in poor taste. A baseball hat has no place in a business environment.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 05:31 PM
Okay, I wouldn't wear a ball cap to work, neither do the guys...if I could, I probably would...that would also mean I'd be able to wear jeans, which I can't.
In my house? Most every day. In a casual restaurant?...do it all the time...While playing the national anthem? (at horse shows)? The men remove, ladies optional (mine stays put).
To each his own?
Posted By: RBanker
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 06:09 PM
In Texas, it is acceptable for a cowboy hat to be worn indoors - it should be removed when entering a church, or speaking to a lady - and some of these guys are REAL gentleman - I wouldn't dream of asking them to remove their hat when entering a bank - to them it's like taking off their boots, it's a part of their outfit, more than just a hat.
So some of it is probably cultural, etc
But since this is in the HR forum, I'm assuming you're asking about the accepability of an employee wearing a head covering to work - unless it's a religious edict, or there is a medical reason - no hats allowed!
Posted By: GenerousLife
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 06:59 PM
Especially if you have a sign at your door requesting that customers do not wear hats or sunglasses!
Posted By: Andy_Z
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 10:33 PM
Quote:
In Texas, it is acceptable for a cowboy hat to be worn indoors -
Seen it, and in most cases I disagree with it. The again, I don't wear a hat often.
Posted By: Princess Leia
Re: dress code and hats? - 07/31/06 11:17 PM
Our policy states hats or caps unless medically necessary ... however, I doubt anyone with a turbin will be sent home.
Posted By: Lestie G
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 03:13 PM
Quote:
In Texas, it is acceptable for a cowboy hat to be worn indoors
Not in all parts of Texas! Which probably just underscores your last comment - it's pretty cultural, and generational to some degree.
Bottom line - most anyone wearing a hat indoors is not doing it to be rude, they just don't consider it rude. Since there is no societal norm, it's tough to set a policy!
Posted By: GenerousLife
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 03:19 PM
We have a Cowboy Church in our community. It is held in a sale barn. Congegrants are mostly local farmers and nearly every man is wearing a cowboy hat or ball cap. The hats stay on until there is prayer and then all hats come off. On the Amen, the hats go back on. It is their sign of respect.
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 06:18 PM
Quote:
Bottom line - most anyone wearing a hat indoors is not doing it to be rude, they just don't consider it rude.
Not to be contradictory, Lestie, but I think they don't KNOW it's rude. This is another of those manners that's gone by the wayside in America. I think it is a matter of how you're brought up. Foreigners do not behave with this disregard.
Our dress code policy is similar to those already posted. No hats or caps.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 07:00 PM
Quote:
Quote:
Bottom line - most anyone wearing a hat indoors is not doing it to be rude, they just don't consider it rude.
Not to be contradictory, Lestie, but I think they don't KNOW it's rude. This is another of those manners that's gone by the wayside in America. I think it is a matter of how you're brought up. Foreigners do not behave with this disregard.
Our dress code policy is similar to those already posted. No hats or caps.
I'm pretty well educated, so I believe "it's not considered rude" is more appropriate. If I KNEW it was rude, I wouldn't do it..it's not considered rude in my part of the world...maybe that's the difference.
It had nothing to do with how I was raised either..I came from a very formal home, however I never wore hats until I was an adult away from home...so I can't vouch for that theory either.
I'm interested tho...just what is it about a hat that is considered "rude" anyway??? I take much pride in my hats, btw!
What about on Sunday's when the best-dressed ladies of the church wear their finest hats? What about the Kentucky Derby...hats are a tradition...(okay, so they are mostly outside at the Derby), but what about the ladies of the church..what's the difference???
Posted By: Retired DQ
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 07:21 PM
Very interesting point, joker. I mostly think that in the past it was only rude for men to not remove their hats indoors.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 07:29 PM
But why? Who set that standard...just what is it that makes it rude? I don't take a second look at someone wearing a hat...especially those folks that their hat is like a part of them. I probably notice it more when someone who normally wears one...doesn't! LOL!
Again, at rodeos for instance, it's a rare man that doesn't remove their hat for the anthem and prayer...inside OR outside.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 07:45 PM
Quote:
All secrets regarding hat etiquette are revealed in Ask Andy About Clothes. My assumption is that it's a different Andy, but I'm not positive.
Cute site...now I'm wondering if a PINK ballcap would be considered 'unisex' or not...hummm...now I've got something to think about...
From Andy's Hat page...
It is acceptable for women to wear hats in Christian churches, (it was once required, but the custom has all but disappeared) but disrespectful for men to wear them.
A woman may leave her hat on indoors or during the playing of The National Anthem, unless it is considered unisex like a baseball cap. When wearing such a unisex cap, a woman should follow the same guidelines as for men.
Why are there different rules for men and women? It may have to do with the difference in the styles of men’s and women's hats.
Men's hats are easily removed, but women's hats with ribbons, bows, flowers and other decorations can be quite a production to remove, especially if they're anchored with hatpins. Women might also risk messing up their hairdos if they had to remove their hats. A lady, however, never wore brimmed hats after 5 PM, a fashion rule that developed because she didn't need a brim after sunset.
I still don't get the "disrespectful" issue...somehow I think those times have changed for the most part. It's like one person, I'll guess an older woman (don't get mad...I fall in that category!!!) keeps griping in our local paper 'rant and rave' about "shower shoes"...(everyone is guessing that would be flip flops) and being worn other than in the shower...give me a BREAK! It's 110 degrees out there...I don't think I'll get offended by someone wearing flip flops in WalMart this afternoon. (so long as all I hear is flip...flop and not shuffle shuffle instead) 
Oh..but back to the original question...according to "Andy"...if those guys in the office are going past the lobby in a ballcap..take out your gun and shoot them now! 
Women were required to wear hats in church because a woman's hair was considered her "crowning glory" and it needed to be covered in the site of God. It was vain, immodest and disrespectful not to cover it.
Posted By: Elwood P. Dowd
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/01/06 09:17 PM
I'm trying to remember when it was that Smokey from "Smokey and the Bandit" thought it was necessary to remove his hat...
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Posted By: HappyGilmore
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/02/06 12:21 PM
this thread reminds me of the time I was at a diner that had a sign on the door that said "no, shirt, no shoes, no service." So, I left on my shirt and shoes, took off my pants and walked in...
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/02/06 01:01 PM
Quote:
I'm trying to remember when it was that Smokey from "Smokey and the Bandit" thought it was necessary to remove his hat...
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
ya know...I almost mentioned that earlier in this thread...alot of cowboys really are just like the Bandit... 
Posted By: TX Ladybug
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/02/06 09:57 PM
Another TX viewpoint: My husband was born and raised in Texas. While he is not a "cowboy", he is from a very rural area. He considers it a violation of good manners and is offended when a man enters any building and fails to remove his hat. This would also apply to outdoors when the National Anthem is playing, or a funeral procession drives past and you are standing outdoors. I am not from Texas originally, but have a great deal of respect for any person who still lives by the "old-fashioned" manners.
Usually, a person who follows the "hat rule", is also an extremely well-mannered individual who is respectful in other categories as well.
I'll take a "hat-rule" person over a "it really doesn't matter" person any day!
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/02/06 11:06 PM
Ladybug, I wrote a muddled response to Joker earlier and then deleted it. Thanks for saying what I was trying to. You did it so much nicer and much more succinctly.
Manners make the world a nicer place to live.
Posted By: Bagweaver
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/03/06 04:26 PM
Joker, I tend to agree with you. I can remember when women didn't wear pants to church. Nobody told me that I couldn't - it just wasn't done. Now it is.
There are many other mores that have changed over time. Who changed them? Why? I'm just glad that corsets and long skirts are no longer "required" by society.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 01:29 PM
Quote:
Ladybug, I wrote a muddled response to Joker earlier and then deleted it. Thanks for saying what I was trying to. You did it so much nicer and much more succinctly.
Okay...look...I wouldn't wear a hat to work, but in my own defense..I would like to explain a couple of things...probably something most female bankers could not relate to ...When I've been out on the tractor mowing pastures in 110 degree heat and exercising horses in that same heat and I go to the store/the catfish house/hospital/nursing home or whatever(maybe not church!)...I can promise you people would much rather me keep my cap on rather than off. Not only is it very much accepted here...sometimes it's the better thing to do.
Posted By: RR Becca
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 01:38 PM
LOL! I have to agree. I promise that when I've been at a horse show all day and we stop in somewhere to eat on the way home my breeches and boot socks with soccer flops draw far more stares than the ballcap that's keeping my helmet-hair contained.
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 03:12 PM
Quote:
...When I've been out on the tractor mowing pastures in 110 degree heat and exercising horses in that same heat and I go to the store/the catfish house/hospital/nursing home or whatever(maybe not church!)...
Oh come on now, Joker!!! Don't tell me you don't take a shower and clean up before going to town...unless you're going to Fleet Farm to get more fertilizer!
Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. While I still see farmers who will at least tip their hats and then put it back on their sweaty head, it's the rapper type that doesn't need to show respect to anyone (but demands you respect him) that I was referring to.
Posted By: RR Becca
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 03:33 PM
The ones that really tick me off are the ones who wear visors or ballcaps at night, sideways, with their hair fixed around it. <rolleyes>
Posted By: A_G
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 04:44 PM
Maybe its a generational thing? I mean obviously I would never wear a hat to work...and I do always take it off for the national anthem at a sporting event...but other than that I don't think I wouldn't take my hat off (and I consider myself a pretty respectful person) unless the person I was in the presence of requested it, i.e. my grandma always tells me to take it off when I go in her house (or I'm gonna go bald!) or if a teacher requested it in college, etc.
But if I'm running to the mall on a Saturday I'm not going to take my hat off when I go into the mall. Same as if I go out at night and happen to wear a hat. I'm not going to take it off in the bar. I just can't justify that as being rude
The only time I really think hats are unacceptable is in a professional environment and during the playing of the national anthem.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 05:18 PM
Quote:
The ones that really tick me off are the ones who wear visors or ballcaps at night, sideways, with their hair fixed around it. <rolleyes>
Becca...please don't talk about my son that way!
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 05:21 PM
The mall...ok, I can see that. You're right, tho about the generational part of this one because I'd never think to wear a cap there. I'd take the time to fix my hair presentably.
A bar I don't see. Are you going out to meet friends or hopefully a lady? Manners as I know them say that you show your respect for them by taking off your cap. (Note: I'm talking about baseball caps here. Especially the same old one that most people wear.)
And this is where agreeing to disagree comes in...'cept when you come to my house, AG, it's hat's off!
Sorry for my part in highjacking the thread. I'll respectfully bow out of it now.
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 05:38 PM
Now TR...I never said I didn't take a shower
...but I may not have time to fix my hair...so a hat may go back on the wet head...anyway, I personally don't see any disrespect issue with hats...maybe it's a South GA thing...I really don't know...and I wouldn't go in just any restaurant with a hat on...we pick and choose accordingly when necessary. But if it's the weekend...I generally have a hat on...in and outside.
Posted By: RR Becca
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 07:00 PM
Truffle - are you in a fairly urban area, by any chance? Could be just a little bit of difference in culture.
And Joker - I'm pretty sure she never said it wasn't OK for you to wear a hat
, just that there seems to have been a societal shift in the "norm" regarding how hat-wearing is perceived.
FWIW - I was raised that a "lady" should always be presentable. Never leave the house without makeup, hair fixed, lipstick, etc. The older I get the less I care about hair-fixing, I barely use make-up at all anymore, and Joker, when was the last time you saw me wear lipstick? Hmmmm???
And in the name of anti-threadjacking: The regional public perception of hat-wearing has a direct relevance to the development of dress codes that are in keeping with the customer base of each bank.
Now if only those of us who are non-customer contact could wear jeans, boots, no makeup, and ballcaps to work....
JSTP!
Posted By: Elwood P. Dowd
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 07:58 PM
You all are just not taking this seriously enough:
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky. Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry. Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat... Long before you take this cowboys hat....
This Cowboy's Hat - Chris Ledoux
Joker, thanks for the gentle correction. You're right it was the Bandit. Was it a 10200?
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/04/06 08:30 PM
Quote:
You all are just not taking this seriously enough:
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky. Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry. Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat... Long before you take this cowboys hat....
This Cowboy's Hat - Chris Ledoux
Joker, thanks for the gentle correction. You're right it was the Bandit. Was it a 10200?
Oh! Chris was the man for sure..I LOVE his stuff!...Ommmm..Ken, I hope it wasn't a 10-200...if memory serves me from back in my CB days that would definitely not be right! Probably would have to go up to a 10-300 maybe???
Truffle...I'm really not arguing...I'm not even trying to say what is 'right' or what is 'wrong'...Just having fun with a somewhat 'passionate' subject of mine...I LOVE MY BALLCAPS!!!!! And cowboy hats are totally sexy (in most cases anyway) inside or outside...it's kinda like hardhats on a tan, lean, shirtless construction worker...ummm...ummm! Ya'll have a great weekend! I'm fixing to go home, put on the jeans, cowboy boots and don my best hat!
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 05:30 PM
Joker. I know you're not arguing...and you know I'm not too, right?
Becca said it best. It's the "societal shift" and everything that's shifting with it that I find sad. I LIKE being treated like a lady. And I appreciate a kind gentleman. I've known a few cowboy hat wearing gentlemen in my life too.
Posted By: MichelleDawn
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 06:37 PM
I understand about sociatal norms, but I think you will find as the baby boomers are moving into retirement years and the Gen Xers are moving into management positions, the old rules will be relaxed. Remember, at one time it was thought to be scandalous that women showed their ankles in public, or wore pants. People got over that shift and they will get over the ones to come. Personally, if I have a teller who is bright, quick and friendly, I wouldn't care what he/she was wearing.
Posted By: hmdagal
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 07:14 PM
Quote:
Now if only those of us who are non-customer contact could wear jeans, boots, no makeup, and ballcaps to work....
I find this thread very interesting. The dress code for the (non-customer contact) building that I work in specifically prohibits hats, yet most of us - young and old alike - wear jeans. I wear sandals for as much of the year as I can (don't like socks). Make-up? I've pretty much forgotten what it is. It's definitely a different world than when I started working.
Posted By: HappyGilmore
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 07:46 PM
Quote:
Personally, if I have a teller who is bright, quick and friendly, I wouldn't care what he/she was wearing.
I guess you mean within reason, correct? I hardly think you want your bright, quick & friendly teller coming in to work in a bikini, cause she's going swimming after work. Sorry SP, but hats have a place at work, on the hatrack...
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 08:06 PM
Quote:
Joker. I know you're not arguing...and you know I'm not too, right?
For sure, I know.
I think I've been a single white female acreage owner for way too long...I probably wouldn't know how to act being treated like a lady...I've been on the other side of the fence for way too many years! LOL! 
Tractors, diesel, grease and hats just belong together! 
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 08:48 PM
You know, hmdagal, I work in a non-customer contact building and we're not allowed to wear jeans or jean material shirts or dresses ever. AND we have to wear stockings year-round...even if we're wearing summer dress sandals. Funny thing is, having worked in more relaxed atmospheres, I think that having a certain code does have a positive effect on the attitude of the employees. At least in this part of the country it does.
Posted By: MichelleDawn
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/07/06 08:51 PM
Quote:
Quote:
Personally, if I have a teller who is bright, quick and friendly, I wouldn't care what he/she was wearing.
I guess you mean within reason, correct? I hardly think you want your bright, quick & friendly teller coming in to work in a bikini, cause she's going swimming after work. Sorry SP, but hats have a place at work, on the hatrack...
I said I understood that. And in answer to your question, I couldn't care less what someone is wearing when they wait on me.
Posted By: Nanwa
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/09/06 06:48 PM
Remember when church pews had a hook or clip for men to hang their hats? So they wouldn't accidently sit on them if they set them on the seat of the pew. Never see those anymore.
Posted By: stoked
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/10/06 12:34 PM
I have to agree with SP on this one and as AuditGuy said, maybe this is a generational thing. I really wouldn't care if a teller was in a swimsuit as long as he/she did their job and did it well. I personnally feel that the banking industry (at least all the banks I've worked for) puts way too much emphasis on appearance, sometimes prioritizing dress over service. I've seen tellers sent home for minor infractions on a busy Monday morning which inflated the lines in the lobby and created other service issues.
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/10/06 05:53 PM
Quote:
I really wouldn't care if a teller was in a swimsuit as long as he/she did their job and did it well.
Do you honestly believe this? I believe even SP would admit this was an exaggeration to prove a point.
Dress codes are important for lots of reasons. Some industries have codes for protection, ie construction workers on site or food service personnel. Others have codes that reflect the stature of the business being conducted. This is where the whole "white collar/blue collar" idiom came from.
The point of this whole thread is the blurring of those lines and what is being lost in the transition. IMO, it's all about respect...or the lact thereof.
Posted By: MichelleDawn
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/10/06 08:27 PM
Quote:
I have to agree with SP on this one and as AuditGuy said, maybe this is a generational thing. I really wouldn't care if a teller was in a swimsuit as long as he/she did their job and did it well. I personnally feel that the banking industry (at least all the banks I've worked for) puts way too much emphasis on appearance, sometimes prioritizing dress over service. I've seen tellers sent home for minor infractions on a busy Monday morning which inflated the lines in the lobby and created other service issues.
I agree. There is far too much emphasis put on appearence in this business.
Posted By: stoked
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 12:50 PM
Yes, TR I honestly believe that. Yes, I understand that the example was an exaggeration, but really I don't care. Dress codes in a bank are NOT in place for safety or health reasons. With the growing popularity of banking being done over the phone or internet are people just imagining that there is a loan officer in a suit on the other end of the transaction? Whenever I've been in a meeting regarding dress code, the standing argument is that our "older" customers have certain standards. Productivity and efficiency are never a part of any argument because they are not related to how a person dresses.
Posted By: HappyGilmore
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 01:21 PM
Stoked - it may not have anything to do with production or efficiency, but it has everything to do with professionalism. Let's think about this is a real-world scenario. You work for a $10 billion bank. 75% of your income is derived from 250 high net-worth customers (commercial and retail). These people are professionals as well, and expect their money will be safely guarded by a bank that looks and acts professional. Dress like a bum, they will think that you are a bum. Perception is reality.
If you want to work for a group that dresses like they choose, I suggest the local quik-mart.
Posted By: Sinatra Fan
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 01:30 PM
Well said, Happy. Rightly or wrongly, people's first impression of you will color their perception of your abilities until you have had the oppportunity to demonstrate said abilities.
Ask yourself two questions: 1) do I want the way I'm dressed to speak so loudly that customers, coworkers, and my boss will not hear what I can do? 2) why is John Molloy's book Dress For Success constantly being reprinted if dress is unimportant?
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 02:06 PM
Thank you happy and Steve for the support. Steve, you can add the popular tv program What Not To Wear and it's many offshoots to the the list of those that say how you look is important.
My last comment on this subject is one I've alluded to in previous posts...
This is not a matter of age. It is a matter of respect . You either respect yourself and those you will come in contact with enough to dress neatly and unoffensively or you don't.
Posted By: MichelleDawn
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 02:22 PM
Why is it so important for some of you to beat the rest of us into submission? I already stated that I know what the societal norms are. I personally think too much emphasis is placed on how we look. I also believe as younger people move into positions of power you will see dress codes relaxing. It doesn't matter to me when I see someone with tattoos and multiple piercings and it doesn't matter to me what they are wearing. Those are my opinions, nothing more and nothing less. I suspect Stoked feels the same. I think the quik mart comment was a bit snotty for no real reason.
Posted By: Sinatra Fan
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 03:15 PM
Sweetpeas, I'm not attempting to beat anyone into submission. I'm simply pointing out that many people do place an emphasis on what people look like and what they are wearing, particularly in a business situation, and even more particularly when you are handling their money. If everyone shared your view in this matter, then it probably would not matter what people wore, and dress codes might be very different.
There will always need to be some type of dress code. When you live and work in community, you must take into account others' habits, desires, and customs. Where we will probably always disagree is upon the degree of restrictiveness and specificity of the dress code.
Posted By: MichelleDawn
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 03:50 PM
Quote:
Sweetpeas, I'm not attempting to beat anyone into submission. I'm simply pointing out that many people do place an emphasis on what people look like and what they are wearing, particularly in a business situation, and even more particularly when you are handling their money. If everyone shared your view in this matter, then it probably would not matter what people wore, and dress codes might be very different.
There will always need to be some type of dress code. When you live and work in community, you must take into account others' habits, desires, and customs. Where we will probably always disagree is upon the degree of restrictiveness and specificity of the dress code.
I have conceded that point. Four times now. I understand the societal norms. That was never my point.
Posted By: RR Becca
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 05:19 PM
Quote:
I also believe as younger people move into positions of power you will see dress codes relaxing. It doesn't matter to me when I see someone with tattoos and multiple piercings and it doesn't matter to me what they are wearing.
Well, it matters to me - and I'm not even 30 yet. At the risk of sounding "snotty," I agree that you should dress as professionally as you wish to be treated. If I walk into a professional establishment (bank, dr's office, law office, etc) and see sloppily dressed, obviously tattooed, excessively pierced personnel staffing the place, not only am I leaving - I'm telling everyone I know about the place and NOT to go there because "the people who work there are scary." This is probably incredibly unfair, but quite frankly my first perception/impression of those people would not be favorable no matter what their actual skill may be.
Just out of curiosity - how did a thread about needing a "hat clause" in a company dress code get to this?
Posted By: Truffle Royale
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 05:46 PM
You and Joker didn't show me any respect and take your hats off, Becca, that's how the thread got here!
It's funny the things that trip people's triggers, mine included, isn't it?
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 07:56 PM
Ya'll are cracking me up...but I agree with Becca...extremeness is SCARY to me toooooo!
But TR...when I get out of here today...the very first thing I probably will do...is put on my boots, jeans, maybe short and my HAT while I'm still in my HOUSE! Ya'll have a great weekend!!!!
Posted By: Nanwa
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 08:02 PM
The reason we have a dress code is image. We want to project a professional image. We came up with a written dress code to avoid arguments. We do not allow denim of any kind because there are so many degrees of denim, some acceptable, some not. While I may wear new dark jeans, the next person will come with distressed, torn jeans. Then if they are singled out, they would point to me and say "She's wearing jeans and you aren't picking on her." The written policy avoids those kind of situations.
Also, if we hire a young person, and they never had a person in their family working in an office, they have no examples of the accepted type of dress. So we spell it out. No spagetti straps, no mini skirts, no tee shirts, no dog collars, the only acceptable body piercings are ear lobes, etc.
I would love to go without stockings once in awhile, but this building is kept so cold, I would freeze!
Posted By: RR Joker
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/11/06 08:10 PM
We must work at the same place, Nanwa! LOL..sounds like a carbon copy of ours...Another problem we found with jeans (when we had dress down Friday's) was that some wore them entirely too tight. Believe it or not..it was male management that put a stop to it in customer contact areas...the ops center still does this...they pay $5 to wear them each Friday and the money collected goes to the current worthy charity.
Posted By: stoked
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/14/06 07:10 AM
Quote:
Stoked - it may not have anything to do with production or efficiency, but it has everything to do with professionalism. Let's think about this is a real-world scenario. You work for a $10 billion bank. 75% of your income is derived from 250 high net-worth customers (commercial and retail). These people are professionals as well, and expect their money will be safely guarded by a bank that looks and acts professional. Dress like a bum, they will think that you are a bum. Perception is reality.
If you want to work for a group that dresses like they choose, I suggest the local quik-mart.
Ok, Happy. Thank you for being condescending. Let me give you my real-world example. I don't work for a $10 bil bank. 75% of our loans are for farmers and ranchers. I live in an extremely casual town where the clothing that is required by dress code is not even available. I have to drive out of state to shop for the clothes that are required and its the only bank in town with these clothing requirements. Its frustrating enough for me to deal with and I bring in a nice salary. Not everyone is working in a city or in an environment that you describe.
Posted By: HappyGilmore
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/14/06 12:31 PM
SP and stoked - not being condescending, and certainly not trying to beat anyone into submission. I'm stating real world experience. The quik-mart comment was not snotty, it was based on reality. Walk into a bank, you generally see well dressed professionals, either in uniforms or in what is deemed as professional attire. Walk into a quik-mart, you see someone smoking a cigarette behind the register, often times pierced and tattooed, with multiple color hair to boot. I don't mind seeing this when stopping for a coke, after all, I only want a coke. I don't make the rules, but if I want to continue to work in banking, I'll sure follow them.
I work in a back office environment, and rarely, if ever, see customers. But I continue to dress in the manner that is expected of a VP. While it would be nice to not have to wear and coat and tie in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity (which is louisisna is about every month but January), I knew going in to this job what I would be required to wear. And in the banking sector, I don't see this changing.
There have been multiple studies done about casual attire versus not, and one comes to mind. About 5 years ago, several large regionals and super-regionals switched to casual attire. After 1-3 years, every one switched back. Customers did not like it, managers spent too much time deciphering the policy on what was appropriate, and HR spent too much time diffusing upset employees. It is easier to require professional attire, and much easier to enforce.
Sorry that both of you feel beat up about this, that was certainly not my intent.
Posted By: BBoyd
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/18/06 02:10 AM
For what it's worth,
here is some more information on the history and etiquette on wearing hats. IMHO, they are out of place for employees of a bank, regardless of where the bank is located. So call me old fashioned.
Several years ago, the bank where I worked instituted "casual Fridays" for our branches. The employees migrated gradually from bank logo items to t-shirts with inappropriate messages and jeans. Several customers commented that they hated to come in the bank on those days, because if we looked that sloppy we must be handling their money in a sloppy manner as well. As bankers, I still believe we have to uphold conservative standards.
That said, people who have tattoos, multiple piercings, funky haircuts, etc. are not always as "scary" as they may appear. Most of them are wonderful, kind, and giving individuals who just like to "do their own thing" with their appearance. Nothing wrong with that. But still, I believe most bank customers (well, those who still come IN to the bank) expect to see someone who is conservatively dressed. This may not be true in some of the more rural areas, but I believe it to be so elsewhere.
Our biggest dress code issue seems to be women wearing open toe shoes and no nylons. The dress code says nylons are required, but many (especially those who are supposed to enforce the code) do not. I still feel a little "nekkid" not wearing nylons w/my sandals.
Posted By: GenerousLife
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/18/06 08:01 PM
I'm relatively new to the world of pedicures so now I'm noticing the folks with "feet that should be covered at all times". I'm not talking about physically unattractive, I'm talking about jagged nails and crusty heels. Yuck!
Hose requirements have a whole new meaning now.
Posted By: mck401
Re: dress code and hats? - 08/18/06 08:35 PM
AMEN!
I have a more than one new appreciation for the winter months