My manager has banned all vests, skirts and shorts

Staff (not me, I have to say) wear boob tubes at my place of work sometimes (a university). No one bats an eyelid

Some people are stuck in the 1950s

omg, so glad I work from home now. I'm wearing a strappy vest top and short shorts. No one bats an eyelid on our work video calls.
If you're not customer-facing, why does it even matter?!

Seriously, although there is no maximum workplace temperature in the UK, the WHO recommends 24C as the maximum temperature for working in comfort, so above this, employers should be taking measures to mitigate heat impacts. Employers have responsibility for their employees’ health and safety.

Personally I think that there is nothing unacceptable about knees, shoulders or toes anyway and to ban cool clothing in a non-customer facing job is ridiculous. But it’s definitely ridiculous that your boss has an air conditioned office but expects her minions to work at 35C. Push back!

Well it's clearly not fine, since your manager has had to implement rules about vests. I think PP was being polite and I agree that a tailored top would look smart enough, even if sleeveless. A cotton t-shirt type top is just about fine (depends on condition/thickness/bobbling etc). Combine the two so you have a casual cotton sleeveless top, and it starts to drop under the threshold for office appropriate. IMO. And obviously in your manager's opinion too.

Vests and shorts shorts definitely reasonable to ban them. The knee length shorts or knee length skirt would be fine in my office. The issue is that if you say no strappy vests but allow others you'll get people who push the boundaries and the poor boss ends up being clothes police rather than doing their jobs. Sometimes rules have to be a bit blunt to avoid those who will take the Mick.

This! To me they're about as offensive as the curve at the back of a knee 😂 (mind you some people on this thread also find knees offensive so... 🤷🏻‍♀️). Or maybe some people smell with their eyes?

im surprised this hasn’t been an issue in the past, I’ve never had an office job where vest tops have been smart enough to wear - although sleeveless blouses usually are ok.

what you need OP is some midi dresses with flutter sleeves so they’ve not tight round your armpits.

Cotton or viscose, polyester will be too sweaty and linen will need too much ironing in this heat. Do you have a Sainsbury’s near you? Something like this would work: https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc148014311

Nobody at your office ever reaches up to a shelf, or stretches during a phone call at their desk?

Exposed arm pits 😂 A normal and non-sexual part of the body that naturally grows hair. If it’s that they smell, the office shouldn’t be hot enough to be making everyone sweat enough to smell

Would you rather sweaty pit stains?

Maybe they’re occasionally getting up for a mass rendition of YMCA? Otherwise no idea…

I think you should ask for some air con to be installed. They can get plug in temporary air con. Ask her to come into the office where you work for an extended period to see why people have been dressing more casually.

If she wants you to look professsional, then the work environment needs to be professional too and sweatshop conditions are not.

😂Okay, Mary Whitehouse 😁

Vest tops are indecent 😂😂😂

Vests are not smart or even decent.

While a sleeveless top can certainly be smart, probably just easier to have a blanket ban than have people making their own interpretation and getting it wrong. It’s a shame but I imagine it will be a small minority pushing boundaries that’s ruining it for the rest of them.

I have minimal sympathy though, in my line of work I often need to be in full length trousers with waterproof over trousers, wellies, parlour top and out in direct sun!

I'm not allowed to wear sleeveless tops, or low cut, high neck is preferred, also nothing above the knee and no footwear that shows toes. I do work with sex offenders though

What are people doing at their desks if you are seeing armpits?!

Edit: Not that I care about seeing armpits, I'm just surprised anyone is actually seeing them

What’s wrong with an exposed armpit?

FFS people like you are pathetic.

I'm so glad to be in my airconned office wearing shorts and a vest!

'Office wear' is the absolute worst

I don’t think dressing well has the slightest impact on performance or work ethic, to be honest.

I think people work best when they’re comfortable, and as happy as they can be. Which sweat beads dripping onto your desk isn’t going to give you.

NHS is really clear about rules. Technically you should have rights with any skirt and must be knee length - hot weather tights can be removed but only with chief nurse’s permission (this is for nurses but as agenda for change pay covers nurses and admin, rules are the same). I’ve known variation in managers but if nurses can cope on the wards, admin can cope. Men still wear trousers in nhs admin roles.

I don’t have an aversion to armpits, but I don’t particularly want to see people’s armpit hair in an office.

That would be horrendously intrusive to write a policy about, so I think probably better to just say no sleeveless tops for anyone!