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.

Ah that’s it. The NHS and it’s absolutely batshit rules. Will your legs being uncovered affect patient care, staff morale or your efficiency? Nope. Fuck sake. They’re just legs. It’s not like you’re scratching them straight into an open abdominal wound.

well i was unprofessional then linen shift dress bare legs and ballet pumps i thought i looked ok and professional in my meetings!

I guess it depends where you work. But where I work, every woman was wearing a version of what you wore today, including myself.

If your manager was wearing flip flops, I can’t see what is wrong with bare legs and a nice skirt!

I made a twat of myself in flip flops the other day in a sudden downpour in town on a granite walkway so I have relegated them to the garden or beach. I have sandals with an ankle strap and will not be wearing tights with them. No way.

I think a skirt with bare legs is a bit unprofessional in a work environment, sorry. My workplace is relaxed smart-casual and people often wear smart jeans, trainers, fitted tshirts, boho dresses with leggings, pinafores etc. But I've never seen anyone with bare legs unless it's a few inches of ankle with Capri pants or cropped leggings (and the women who go for bare ankles/calves always have hairless tanned skin! I've never seen a male colleague reveal an ankle!) Also no sandals unless closed toe (safety issues).

But what is it that makes a leg with a covering of transparent fabric more professional?!?

Yes bare legs are unprofessional but in the heat you do have to let standards slip a bit. I wear tights as long as I can but the last few days it's been bare legs and summer dresses but never flip flops.

Nude tights just look so old fashioned. Either too shiny or give a weird matt effect that screams 'tan tights'.

I rarely wear socks or tights as I struggle with having anything fabric-y on my feet... it’s a sensory thing. In winter I might wear leggings under a dress, but generally not tights.

So I’m mostly bare legged and I mainly wear dresses and skirts which are on or below the knee.

I also have tattoos on one leg.

I work in a professional job and I’m in court weekly, nobody has ever batted an eyelid.

Nope. You should tell her you have a bad case of thrush and are trying to air things out.

I don’t understand why it would be acceptable to have essentially bare feet but not bare legs.

What you were wearing sounds perfectly fine/appropriate.
Do you have linen cullottes and flip-flops? If so, perhaps wear them tomorrow
Or, perhaps, you could throw a "sickie" like hundreds of workers, nationwide, will do, due to the hot weather

But what is it that makes a leg with a covering of transparent fabric more professional?!?

I'd like to know the answer to this too!

I work in a management branch of NHS. Not only do we routinely have bare legs, we have dress-down Fridays (hoodies & jeans). There's a lady with blue hair & a smattering of nose rings, visible tattoos. Strappy sandals not unusual. Our customers are CCGs, not patients.

tbf, none of the men go bare legged. I suppose hairy legs would be a step too far.

I suppose the difference between flesh colour tights and bare legs is you can accidentally flash your knickers in the latter.

And how many of these workplaces have decent air conditioning so employees can fulfil these obligations without becoming a sweaty uncomfortable mess thus affecting their concentration

No gel nails

How would you even know?

But what is it that makes a leg with a covering of transparent fabric more professional?!?

Exactly. Or leggings with a dress? Bizarre.

It depends entirely on your work place what is acceptable and what isn’t. We have a business casual dress code and whilst bare legs would be ok, a casual skirt and t-shirt would not be. I’d do bare legs but would typically wear a tailored dress, ballet pumps and put on a jacket if going to meetings. However, the hypocrisy of your manager pulling you up whilst wearing linen cut-offs and flip flops is insane!! Unless there’s something you’re not telling us like you’re public facing and she isn’t...

I’m a therapist in the NHS and wore a just above the knee sleeveless dress with bare legs today (and sandas), an outfit which is perfectly normal for my place of work.

Unless you have long enough leg hair that gets caught up in velcro, I can't see an issue with bare legs.

Flip flops usual fail the health & safety test so she’s more in the wrong than you. Skin coloured tights are so 90s.

I suspect Cherry Pavlova is a funeral director.

NHS admin! I'm NHS consultant and have been wearing bare legs in summer (glow in the dark pale as well) since about 2008.

It's not an especially stylish place as a rule.

Your manager is the unprofessional one wearing flip flops.

Re the flashing of knickers surely stockings wouldn't prevent that and tbh that reminds me of when I was in school at a convent the nuns didn't allow patent shoes in case you could see your knickers in the reflection.