re 'creative' colleague

[Lydiaatthebarre]

Someone I work with has just had a telling off from her manager about the kind of clothes she wears to work - long hippy type skirts, flip flops, tie dyed t-shirts, huge jumpers with patterns and slogans.

She is now complaining that she is a creative person and her clothes reflect her personality and creativity and she doesn't feel comfortable in the 'type of clothes the rest of you wear' because she's artistic and needs to express this.

AIBU to think she's talking a load of rubbish. There are actually a few genuinely creative people in here who write, act or sell craftwork in their free time. They wear perfectly normal clothes to work, to reflect the job they do.

Oh goodness - I feel very old fashioned and conservative reading this thread

So many people so obsessed with what clothes other people wear. Who gives a shit?

your management should bring in a dress code.

I think without a dress code the manager may have problems enforcing this!

I doubt it. She will either be shamed into conforming, or feel so bad that she leaves, or both. Or option 3, she's stubborn and the manager finds a few other reasons to pick on her till she goes. This is the way it would work where I work.

What work do you all do?

She doesn’t warrant such a bashing on here at all.

How does it affect you OP? It's between her and management. My advice: ignore.

She doesn’t warrant such a bashing on here at all.

Mumsnet is extremely pro-uniform and authority in general.

I hate the way the world embraces tight, uncomfortable clothes and high heeled shoes, for instance, because current society has decided that they are "professional".

Who says professional looking clothes have to be tight and uncomfortable? There's no reason why trousers, shirt or top and blazer that fit properly should be tight or uncomfortable.

Kind of depends on the job, I feel!

If it's a highly professional sort of job, where people are expected to be suited and booted, then obviously inappropriate.
But if not, and there's no dress code, then what's the problem? Unless flipflops are a safety issue.

I used to work in labs - the only dress code there (realistically) was to make sure that you were sufficiently covered and were clean and presentable. We weren't public-facing though, and we wore lab coats over everything, so other than that it didn't matter what we wore.
One guy got told off one summer for only wearing shorts and no shirt under his labcoat (he also stank), but aside of that, most things were fine.

Mumsnet is extremely pro-uniform and authority in general.

It's also obsessed with moralising about things that have precisely no moral value. Assuming the woman's not wearing racist slogans or anything like that, there is simply no moral value in how she chooses to dress. At worst, she's dressing in a style deemed inappropriate for this particular workplace. Yet already people have come out in force to judge her for being up herself, not as creative as she thinks she is (has anyone said "attention seeking" or "common" yet?) and so on and so forth, without knowing anything about her except this one incident from a second hand account.

It might, perhaps, be inappropriate for this workplace, possibly. That's it, at its worst. But it is not a moral issue or a terrible character failing or proof, in and of itself, that she is a boring or uncreative person. It's just a person who might not be dressing smartly enough for work. That's it.

Well it's bollocks but so is having to dress a certain way to be 'professional' so I'm on the fence.

It's also obsessed with moralising about things that have precisely no moral value. Assuming the woman's not wearing racist slogans or anything like that, there is simply no moral value in how she chooses to dress. At worst, she's dressing in a style deemed inappropriate for this particular workplace.

Yes, I think this is fair.

There's either a dress code or there isn't. I'm a senior academic, and colleagues wear anything from nice dresses to year-round shorts and flip flops. My line manager wears handknitted jumpers and handmade patchwork skirts made out of sari fabric. It does not affect her status as a world-class historian or her ability to be absolutely terrifying as and when required.

How does it affect you OP? It's between her and management. My advice: ignore.

Of course it is, but the employee is actively choosing to make an issue out of it by complaining to her co-workers. I don't suppose they want to be involved at all, probably just want to finish work and go home like the rest of us!

I don't suppose they want to be involved at all, probably just want to finish work and go home like the rest of us!

So PP's advice still applies.

Sounds scruffy to me

Aren't flip flops a health and safety issue? They're a tripping hazard.

The appropriateness of her clothes depend on the industry you're in, but ultimately if management wants to enforce a dress code they have to actually create a dress code.

Do you know what she wore when she came for the job interview? I expect she was wearing business attire. If it is the case, it is clear she knows what is expected of her and should be dressing accordingly. The company needs a written dress code.

My line manager wears handknitted jumpers and handmade patchwork skirts made out of sari fabric.

Could you ask her where she gets her skirts and let me know, please? PM me if you prefer. I used to be able to find these and then the lady who made them retired. Thank you.

not sure she would be creating a very professional vibe dressed like that

Some creative people wear business wear and some wear 'creative' clothes like your colleague. But as PP have said, unless your company has a dress code then your colleague can dress as 'creatively' as she likes (barring any potential health and safety issues).

Mummyoflittledragon just beat me to it. If the colleague sees absolutely nothing inappropriate in her choice of dress, she no doubt looked just the same at interview

If, however, she turned up dressed in a more "expected" manner, that would suggest to me there's more going on

I don’t really see how she’s doing any harm and I would feel a bit upset if a rule was invented for me because I wasn’t wearing identikit office gear.

You and your co workers sound a bit jealous tbh op, like you haven’t got the guts to be a bit different and resent anyone that does.

Are secretly lapping up how’s she’s been put in her place.

If the colleague sees absolutely nothing inappropriate in her choice of dress, she no doubt looked just the same at interview

I don't buy that. Plenty of people wear smarter clothes to their interview than they do in their job. That's totally normal. I've dressed smarter to every job interview I've ever attended than I have day-to-day in any resulting work environment.

It completely depends what the job is. If she's in a call centre, then the manager is being completely unreasonable. If she's an estate agent, dealing with clients all day, then what she wears is part of the company image and then it's fair enough. Though if it's that important, there should be a dress code.

I think you should be allowed to wear what you want unless they give you a uniform
The exception would be retail but then you could wear clothes discounted from the store.
If there's no dress code, she can wear what she wants and could have reason for grievance against the boss, if she isn't doing anything wrong.
Good for her I say.