To think bare legs at work isn’t unprofessional

[Basketofkittens]

I work in a non customer / public facing role in an office. Today as it was hot I wore an nice knee length A-line skirt and a T-shirt. All very respectable. Think White Stuff style. With ballet flats.

One of the more senior managers pulled me up and said that bare legs and a casual skirt weren’t appropriate. She was wearing linen culottes and flip flops.

In my last job I would wear a maxi dress and sandals in the heat but there was no formal dress code. I looked at the dress code for this workplace and it’s smart-casual. Knee length skirts and smart tops are in the acceptable column. Flip flops are not.

Normally I would wear a smartish work dress with tights but it’s just too sticky and the office has poor ventilation.

OP your manager is a tit. I’d just ignore her if you are within the bounds of dress policy. Or bring it up with HR. You are lucky really. I run an office in a production environment where I really can’t have bare legs because of the acids, fuels and oils (and other nasties) used. So it’s fry in polo shirt, jeans & safety boots for me.

I’m a lawyer. Bare legs in the summer with a knee length smartish skirt/dress would be acceptable. Flip flops definitely not. Have actually seen women remove shoes and walk barefoot round office in summer which I think is grim. Only once been told about dress when I was in my early 20’s.... in hindsight it was a bit risqué but I hadn’t really realised. Was told it could be “distracting” to the male partners. Was mortified.

Threads like this make me glad I work in engineering, where I'd have to grow an extra head for anyone to take notice of my appearance.

Things that make me professional: being f*ing good at my job, and turning out high quality reports on time.
Things that have no bearing on my professionalism: make up, tights, heels.

God we’re not in the 1950’s were the little woman has to wear flesh coloured ‘stockings’ (WTF actually wears them? And why would you? They look so dated.

You sound adequately dressed for work.

Your line manager on the other hand... flip flops are not acceptable. Maybe ask her to state what the dress code is?!

I think bare legs are smarter than flesh coloured tights. They're quite frumpy imo. I'm usually in black tights due to being v pasty but in hot weather, bare legs under a dress, skirt or smart culottes looks professional.

i onced worked in two places where you had to wear steel capped boots and a boiler suit in 50c heat. You could only get to an AC every 6 hours if you were lucky or 12 if you carried on working.
The other site made you wear high boots and a boiler suit to make sure you didn't get bitten by flies, mosquitos, large ants, a few spiders and the odd snake.Some even wore ties and were sweating from 06.00am till 6pm. Now i find our warm days easy to handle and it's visitors that complain.
I had one visitor that loved the sun and would go on holiday and spend all day soaking up the rays.On this visit she went on a half mile walk on the first day, says she nearly fainted, it was a cold 115 degrees and spent the next 6 hours in a hotel lobby under the air conditioner before calling a taxi to take her home.
When it hit 50 centigrade she wanted to die, she couldn't take it and never asked to visit again.

I would have just stared long and hard at her flip flops. Presumably she wasn't wearing those with tights, and how are culottes any different to a skirt? (I do know the answer to that but they look the same for the most part!)

YANBU. Tights are so sweaty and horrible. I can't bear wearing them and haven't for years. I see nothing wrong with bare legs all year round (kneelength boots if necessary). Flip-flops do seem like a H&S hazard in an office. She sounds like an idiot.

It’s not an NHS thing. I’ve worked in NHS admin all my life and this isn’t a ‘thing’.
It’s a Manager who’s power has gone to her head.
Nothing wrong with bare legs IMO, unless your skirt’s up your arse

only in extreme heat do I think bare legs and sandals are acceptable in the work place unless you are a lifeguard or work at the beach!

Bare legs are NOT unprofessional. This is 2019 not 1919. As long as skirts cover your thighs, I can’t see why anyone would be offended by bare calves and ankles. OP your outfit sounds lovely and professional. It allowed you to carry out your professional duties comfortably and without offence. Your boss sounds ridiculous in both her attire and attitude. Flip flops aren’t shoes, they’re just for the beach or poolside. Perhaps her cankles were too swollen for shoes 😂? (Sorry reasonable cankle sufferers!!)

Culottes are not only unflattering, most of them are sweaty polyester and shapeless, rendering them unsuitable for the office.

I’m horrified at so many judgmental people on here saying they’d judge an interview candidate, client, etc! Interviews are scored on how well the interviewee answered the questions and demonstrated their experience - you could cost your business the services of a great employee with your prejudices about bare legs! Time enough at induction to introduce your outdated dress code!

Our 93 year old monarch doesn’t approve of royal ladies going bare legged on official duties, fair dos. I doubt Charles will give a monkey’s when it’s his turn.

Lighten up people. Enjoy the sunshine and soak up all that free vitamin D!

☀️ 🥵

I wouldn't pull any of my staff for bare legs. I regularly have bare legs myself. It's far too hot for tights!

I remember my mum who trained in the 60’s moaning about my bare legs in the 90’s, but I thought that sort of thing was old fashioned then, never mind now..

OP I work in a government office in a Muslim Country and I wear exactly what you wear. No issue. At all.

Tights are for nannas and unsexy people. Sorry. Tell her if its in the dress code manual then you will oblige. Ring head office infact go over her tight wearing legs. (i mean head)

Flip flops in a office. Im sure thats a health and safety issue. Anyway who wears flip flops for work???

So the relevance is.....

They should have informed you of the dress code when you started there if there were specific rules. Flip flops and vests in an office environment are always a no no.

Bare legs!! I hate to say this, but depends on the legs, your age and length of skirt/dress.
I think we all know what we look like and I personally only feel comfortable if my legs are a bit tanned. However it sounds like you looked ok and weren’t wearing a mini skirt.
If she was wearing bare legs I don’t know her problem. Can’t have one rule for you and another for her.

I haven’t read the thread, but I think the ultimate authority on this is offered by Dilbert:

dilbert.com/strip/1997-10-12

I saw an HR Advisor today. I was wearing the same skirt with a different but similar top and sandals. We went through the dress code together and it’s smart casual. Knee length skirts and smart t-shirts are on the acceptable list, smart sandals are fine, flip flops are not. She also complimented my skirt!

Most of the clinical staff had bare legs today!

I am sorry, i don't think that bare legs look as good as many of you think that they.look.

Pasty white legs don't look personally pretty or professional to me.

My legs are my worst feature.

I am old. And i know that it's the fashion to have bare legs as well as a shaved ().

Both sad fashions to me.

But, OP, ignore me, I'm simply jealous that my legs look like stubbly stumps.
(Still think that bikini waxes are a bridge too far, although nicely groomed is good.)

Bare legs are totally fine. I work in a fairly formal office with two very high-powered (I cant think of a better word for what I mean 😄) female execs who have bare legs all the time. They wear Hobbs, LL Bennett, Jaegar, Whistles etc, FWIW.

I hate tights with a passion!!!

And, no, it's not unprofessional not to wear any. At all.

Today, I negotiated a 20-year strategic partnership with bare legs. The gasp! They still signed the deal.

I like to think I'm at my best professionally when I feel most at ease and comfortable.

And, yes, I do honour social conventions. E.g. I will shave my legs. And I will blow dry my hair.

But tights? It's not 1967 anymore!!!

Fainting because you've over-heated as you're over-dressed for the heat would be even less professional than bare legs IMHO.

Her flip-flops are hardly professional, either.

Madam needs to get a grip.

“I am sorry, i don't think that bare legs look as good as many of you think that they.look.”

Cats I don’t know about anyone else, but for me it’s not so much about what looks good as the extent to which I will tolerate being told what to wear 😄