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AIBU?

Can an employer specific what colour clothes and footwear you wear to work

212 replies

redshoes2017 · 20/03/2021 15:31

I work in an office of 4 women and 1 man. There is no official dress code for the company it's just a given that you wear in smart office attire. We are not a customer faced office we speak with customers by phone only - not sure if that makes a difference to my question........ The general manager has said that smart office wear means dark colours only - blue/black/grey/brown...... footwear has to be black or white only....... is this reasonable to specify the colour of clothing and footwear? Not sure if I'm out of touch as it's been a while since I've worked in an office or this is plain weird , I would be interested to hear what others think .

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SarahBellam · 20/03/2021 15:32

Nope, they’re just making that up. Ask to see the policy.

TeenMinusTests · 20/03/2021 15:35

Well, an employer can but it seems a bit weird for an office.

happytoday73 · 20/03/2021 15:36

White footwear??? With dark smart office clothes...

If they want a particular look they can provide you with a uniform

murbblurb · 20/03/2021 15:36

as long as it applies to all employees, yes. If they were to insist on women slapping up, they can't do that unless the men have to wear facepaint too.

topcat2014 · 20/03/2021 15:38

I haven't worn a suit for years, and the women in the office dress as they wish,

However, most offices would probably have a basic 'expectation' of no trainers and jeans - I would have thought.

Beyond that, these days, that is a bit wierd.

D1sh0ftheweekend4 · 20/03/2021 15:39

The company that I work for has a dress shoe, hair, finger, tattoo & cleanliness code/policy with examples of how to dress
examples of what not to wear

I've noticed that some employees, probably "the favoured ones" get away with more relaxed rules

I have seen some strange work wear in other offices that are embarrassing, like skimpy tops on young women with string straps & belly bare

Also strange coloured hair

Convallaria · 20/03/2021 15:39

I worked in a call centre with a uniform.. not customer facing. Polo shirts were provided but you had to buy your own black trousers/ skirts and footwear. I didn’t question it.

redshoes2017 · 20/03/2021 15:40

Thanks for the replies . Like I said no official policy to say what to wear, I think it's just the current general managers personal preference on colours that's behind the dark colours rule 🤦‍♀️ The footwear colours of only black or white as well seems strange 🤷‍♀️

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RedcurrantPuff · 20/03/2021 15:40

@TeenMinusTests

Well, an employer can but it seems a bit weird for an office.

This

The manager sounds like a bit of a prick to be honest

Sstrongtn · 20/03/2021 15:41

@D1sh0ftheweekend4 WTF is a finger policy??

No it’s odd, smart workwear is the normal rules

ProfessorSlocombe · 20/03/2021 15:41

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36264229

Generally not great for women.

D1sh0ftheweekend4 · 20/03/2021 15:42

Our dress policy is pinned to the wall in the office & available on the PC

No excuse for people to say that they don't know the rules

D1sh0ftheweekend4 · 20/03/2021 15:46

Finger - it says something like, nails should be cut short & kept routinely clean
I can't remember if it specifies anything about colour if nail polish is worn

This policy extends to employees who are not office based as well, but out & about in a wide variety of job roles

FaceyRomford · 20/03/2021 15:55

Aside from undertakers being allowed to insist on black, I can't see why any employer should be allowed to dictate your colour scheme.

FaceyRomford · 20/03/2021 15:57

The only colour dress code I have actually heard of was when DD was waiting tables in a local cafe. What you wore was down to you but it had to be white above the waist and black below.

ExcusesAndAccusations · 20/03/2021 15:58

White shoes???

I’ve worked in some pretty formal workplaces, including one where I fell foul of the “no extremes of fashion” clause due to teal nail varnish. But I’ve never worked anywhere where the two dresses attached would have been unacceptable.

That said, it’s not hugely unreasonable or difficult to achieve, so while you could potentially make a case that it has a disproportionate effect on women I personally wouldn’t think it’s worth the trouble of fighting.

Can an employer specific what colour clothes and footwear you wear to work

Can an employer specific what colour clothes and footwear you wear to work

Beautiful3 · 20/03/2021 16:02

I worked for a company who after a year, said we all had to wear the corporate colours, grey/black with pink!!! Even the men had to. I was not impressed as it meant forking out for a bunch of pink tops.

sleveen · 20/03/2021 16:02

They can actually make up what they like. It's up to you whether it's tolerable.

sleveen · 20/03/2021 16:05

I have worked in both Primark and McDonalds decades ago. You had a uniform. End of that story. We also had rules about tattoos and piercings. In more recent times I have worked in offices with more lax rules.

Hankunamatata · 20/03/2021 16:07

I know few hairdressers that they can wear their own clothes but they have to be black.

Herja · 20/03/2021 16:09

White shoes must look wierd and ugly as hell with formal business clothes... Maybe buy a pair and wear them with everything until they drop their wierd preference as there's no actual uniform policy.

GiveTheGirlAGun · 20/03/2021 16:11

I worked in an office 10 years ago where they had a problem with black long sleeve knee length dress teamed with pink tights and black dm boots. Weirdos.
It upset the director apparently. There was a regulatory inspection and I was pulled to ask I find a pair of black trousers. "They sell them in primark and newlook." Fuck that.

redshoes2017 · 20/03/2021 16:19

I'm not looking to Kick up a fuss at work Its just a pain having to make sure I put dark colours on each morning so I don't fall foul of the dark colour rule 🤣🤦‍♀️ Thankfully the majority of my footwear is black ! Having not worked in an office for nearly 20
Years I didn't know if this colour rule was what most offices had now .

OP posts:

iklboo · 20/03/2021 16:19

I worked in an office in the 80s where women couldn't wear trousers except on half-day Friday and never jeans.

redshoes2017 · 20/03/2021 16:21

@iklboo

I worked in an office in the 80s where women couldn't wear trousers except on half-day Friday and never jeans.

Wow that's shocking!

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