In thinking my manager is hugely insensitive for wearing these things into work?

[Mandarinthyme]

Our department head is very young and glamorous and is fairly new to the company. We know her salary range as it was stated alongside the job advert (a six figure salary whilst the rest of the team are lucky to earn a quarter of that). Every day she swans in to the office like she’s dressed for the catwalk, different designer handbags (the very obvious types - think Gucci, LV etc), Rolex watch, Cartier bracelets, designer belts and shoes. Not to mention the perfect nails, hair and everything else that we just cannot afford these days.

Meanwhile our large team is underpaid and overworked. The recent financial climate means many of us are struggling to heat our homes, worrying about mortgage/rental price hikes and generally having to really cut back. We are all office based and this is something we talk about frequently in conversation, so she’s completely aware of this. She’s previously had the cheek to say that we are all feeling the pinch given the financial situation, which is an absolute insult when she rubs her wealth in our faces 5 days a week.

AIBU in feeling completely incensed by this and wondering how on earth she can think it’s appropriate?! The whole team are upset with this and considering raising it with HR.

The whole team?you're all daft then. A collective of dullards who want to go to Hr over how the manager spends her own wages. Seriously what is wrong with you people?

Quite. His Rolex and sports car would go uncommented.

The whole team are upset at her flashing her nails and (fake) designer stuff?

your team sounds a very toxic environment

you all sound like you are envious and winding eachother up

she can wear whatever the fuck she wants

Lol perfect!!

🦇 💩

Ahhhh did I fall for it?

good one OP

this one is entertaining

I couldn't imagine taking umbrage at someone who earns 4x what I do having more expensive clothes.

Would you prefer sackcloths?

As long as her work is up to scratch ,I'm not sure what can be done really. If she was wearing a short skirt or low top but if she is following guidelines then no case. Maybe a little insensitive but that's not a matter for hr

I worked with an actual millionaire, lovely woman. Very well groomed (obvs)
no one bothered how much her daily attire cost her. she had a real birkin
oh and a driver collected her and brought her to work too

Wouldn’t it be more disheartening to see that however high you climb in your organisation, you’d only ever be able to dress in rags?
Use your jealousy as fuel.

Ok. Will go against the grain.

A manager is only going to get good results if they have a team that is onboard with them. You have to earn the respect of the team who you manage.

This women is an idiot flouncing about and has completely not read the room (as lots of people have been saying for days on threads about the cost of living crisis)

I absolutely would let higher management know that there's an issue. Because it could be the start of a much bigger issue if this young woman doesn't rein things in and treat her team with respect.

Surely she needs you all on board to make her look good in her role?!

(Ps. I would guess though if she's flouncing around as you say, she's clearly an immature dickhead who's probably in visa debt up to her eyeballs and probably wearing a shed load of fake gear anyway. So you could just all be the mature ones and let her dig her own grave - which she will do if you guys aren't on board with her - just a thought)

If Judy think they are probably fakes. And I wouldn't be seen dead in those brands anyway!

I agree with this.

I think your unhappiness about pay should be directed at your company, not this woman. She did not decide to underpay you.

I'll assume she has different qualifications and experience to you which meant she was a candidate for the job - it is just part of life that some people are able to apply for jobs in a higher pay bracket than you.

A couple of places I’ve worked for the CEO and maybe one or two others are 4 or 5x the lowest paid staff in the organisation, but not direct reports. I’d rather we all got enough to live and in can keep my team together than they struggle. Just cleared a payrise for a divorcing colleague because she’s an awesome member of my team and I’d hate for her to have to move on to survive.

I’m offended you used the word umbridge and I had to look it up, why use big words and make us feel stupid? Sure I thought umbridge was your woman from Harry potters

I’m really not sure how that is right. I know some women who are really good at sniffing out expensive brand name fashion items at the thrift store. While it sounds like for her there is no need to do that you don’t know how someone obtained their clothing and items. It also seems unfair to ask someone to change how they dress because of the economy. I remember getting absolutely chewed out for wearing miss me jeans because they thought I was swimming in money. When the truth was I was eating most of the free meals provided at the restaurant I worked at because I was struggling to pay the bills. The jeans were a christmas gift from someone I hardly knew. I didn’t even know they were an expensive item.

Hilarious thread, OP.

Full marks for the most egregious shoehorning in of mental health issues. Why didn't you put a trigger warning on this thread?

I wouldn't flaunt it either, and I kept quiet about some elements of my life because I knew that one of my TAs was and pretty much always had been and will be, unable to afford any of those things.

But OP is seriously thinking that HR should be involved? No. Life isn't equal. OP is entitled to dislike this woman, but she can't report her to HR for wearing clothes that the others can't afford.

Wow, get a grip! How pathetic and jealous. She earns more and can buy nice things - boo bloody hoo.

Maybe you should put your energies into becoming more qualified and better paid rather than bemoaning others doing better than you.

I remember getting absolutely chewed out for wearing miss me jeans because they thought I was swimming in money.

Who chewed you out? You do know you don't have to spend your life wearing clothes that other people approve the price tag of?

You know nothing about her life and circumstances. When I was on £21k fresh out of uni, I had LV and Prada bags because my parents are generous and people I worked with would gossip they must be fake.

No matter how you want to dress it, your jealousy is shining through your posts.