Asked not to wear a Rolex to work…

[Hydrangeajp]

I've been with my current company for several years in a senior legal role, managing a team. The company's struggling lately - redundancies, pay freezes, and bonus cuts. My own manager recently left, and their replacement (board level), joined last week. After a positive initial face-to-face meet, she scheduled a meeting later that week about the Rolex watch she noticed me wearing into the office.

She told me it was inappropriate and insensitive, given both my seniority and the company’s current situation, and ultimately requested that I stop wearing it to work. She essentially said that "most senior staff already know to avoid wearing expensive, flashy items to work”.

I’ve had this watch for years and wear it daily. I’ve never given it any thought and would think most people wouldn’t even notice it's a Rolex. Am I the completely deluded and inappropriate one here? I was so taken aback and put on the spot that I simply agreed not to wear it, but since then I can't stop thinking I should’ve stood my ground (not because I’m desperate to wear the watch, rather, the whole ask felt excessive and inappropriate?) WWYD? I’d really appreciate an honest outsider’s perspective.

My brother works in the City and this is a huge problem. He and his colleagues all generally wear their Apple Watches and Garmins to work because there is so much targeted theft of expensive watches off people's wrists. A good friend of his was badly beaten up by thieves who were after his AP Royal Oak. It was a fake.

just wear a seiko or something save your rolex for business meetings and going out - actually scrap the latter you'll get robbed lol.

I'd buy another one to wear on the other wrist at the same time.

This is bat shit crazy - it could be an inherited watch for all she knows. Since you’re in a senior legal role I would expect you can respond with grounds to contest this stupid and offensive request. The world is going mad.

I once worked at a charity that was known for it's super low spending and when my new manager turned up in a Merc they asked her to park it down the road and not outside the office

So, what else is a senior manager supposed to do with all the other stuff they've previously bought with the money they've rightfully earned from their job in teh past?

They supposed to start sleeping rough in an underpass near the office instead of going home to their 6 bed detatched house in a leafy private estate? Only bring in Asda Smart Price noodles for their lunch instead of higher priced highly quality food items? Turn up wearing a burlap bag?

How far do you want senior management or anyone for that matter to have to self-flagellate in the office as some sort of performance piece to attempt to appease people who work below them, when it has no bearing on them, or is none of their business?

I'd find it far more insulting, if someone on a senior level was trying to masquerade as something they're not, especially when everyone already knows who they are.

If folk have nice cars have they not to bring them to the car park?

No M&S sandwiches for lunch, just some cold gruel!

It's utterly ridiculous.

Bizarre request! I worked in public sector so not particularly highly paid, but I wore my rings, which combined have a value of over £20k (the most valuable one was inherited), and never had any comments about it being inappropriate.
I do get it if someone is being very flashy about the value of what they have, or are hopelessly insensitive as to their privilege. I'm reminded of the tone deaf director who spoke to a meeting of our women's network, earnestly saying that she understood people's concerns about childcare difficulties as she had only managed it by having two nannies!

Most Rolex are automatic 😅

Its a watch - its meant to be worn outside the house otherwise whats the point?

Yes, exactly this! I've no idea what brands of clothes people are wearing, unless they tell me or there's a noticeable logo, and I don't care about their watches, shoes or cars, either. I quite often wear a pair of small diamond ear-rings which were given to me for a special birthday, as I love them and they mean a lot to me and I have very few places to go where I dress up for the occasion these days and life's too short not to enjoy special things. I suppose were I in the OP's position, I would have said (after the initial being blindsided) that my watch was a fake from Florence or my diamonds were cubic zirconia (I actually can't tell the difference, anyway, and if my ear-rings didn't have a certificate with them, I wouldn't have known for sure what they were). I mean, if the OP had rocked up yesterday with a brand-new Rolex which she was flashing all over the place and telling people how much it cost, that would be a completely different matter, given the current climate at her company. But otherwise, her manager is strange, or, more likely, jealous. Why would someone complain about it just now when the OP has been wearing the same watch for years?

I used to alternate a large Micky Mouse watch with a Swatch in the 80s

Perhaps the Micky Mouse would give a suitable impression of your firm to clients?

This is some nobody trying to assert authority, like those people who make you snake around the rope barriers rather than walking to the counter when there's no-one there.

The company having issues is not your issue. If you had a BMW, would they be telling you to sell up and buy a Model-T because here are lay-offs?

Unless it’s expressly written into your contract (which I doubt!) tell them to take a running jump. Where does it end? Can’t drive an expensive car to work? Can’t talk about a holiday you are going on, the garden you are having landscaped or the fancy loft conversion? Politely tell them you will be wearing it unless they get HR involved and refer you to the piece of company policy or your contract that says you can’t.

Sack cloth and ashes! How dare you have anything nice! The manager is bonkers.

🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏

Years ago on a training day at my newish job, we had a pep talk from the manager who said that as we were working with "disadvantaged" people we should not wear a lot of (real) gold jewellery. Henwas really out of touch because it was our "disadvantaged" clients whi came in dripping in gold, wearing designer clothes and with the latest mobile phones! (It could all have been fake or stolen of course)

She's bullying you and trying to undermine you. She obviously feels threatened by you. I hated having female bosses.

In fairness it's common sense. It's not about you. It's about people losing their homes, being able to feed their kids, all those valid and terrifying concerns people have when they fear they will lose their jobs.

I get you have worn it forever and it wasn't an intentional slight to anyone. But have some empathy. It can be very very tough in those situations. Just don't wear it for a few months and then you don't risk being the arsehole or pissing off your new boss.

i am quite flabbergasted that with the level of awareness most professionals have these days on not discriminating against anyone on the basis of age, gender, race, appearance, socio economic background and much more, RIGHTLY so, that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would know that it’s entirely inappropriate to comment on what an Individual chooses to wear in terms of their jewellery. Unless you are going to work in offensive or inappropriate attire (too casual for a client facing role etc) then you are being discriminated against.

There are more ways of looking at this;

1. my boss wears a Rolex , I want one too. Maybe I should work towards a promotion.
2. My boss is classy.
3. maybe the company isn’t doing too badly, maybe there is hope.
4. it is of nobody’s business.
5. the Rolex could have been gifted to you.
6. how you spend your money, is entirely up to you. You are still in your job, therefore you get paid. How to spend that pay, is YOUR business.

My dad always wanted a Rolex and was very pleased when he could finally afford one. He comes from a very poor background and most people probably assume it's fake! It also costs a fortune to maintain. It's not the sort of thing I notice and I'm very surprised you were pulled up on it. As you've agreed you can't really go back on it.

Same policy would need to apply to anything expensive, like a car, to make sense.

Or, as has already been mentioned upthread, expensive engagement rings!

This is crazy. I’d have told her it was my go to daily watch I’d worn for years and intended to continue doing so. Very insensitive of her actually since she’s no idea how you cane by it or what it means to you.

This is mad, what about nice cars or nice shoes or people with expensive engagement rings... I'm not sure where it stops! The only thing I wonder is, has someone mentioned it or is it actually much flasher than you realise. I think now you've agreed you have to stick to it, personally I'd passively aggressively mention "in passing" how it was a gift from a dearly departed grandparent and the only nice thing you own or similar, to make a point... depends whether you want to stay working for this person for a while, as they sound a bit much, if you are happy there you might just have to lump it and accept their very involved approach.
My husband is making people redundant this week, he's sad and sensitive to it, but also just got back from Mexico because we are lucky enough to go there. He isn't rubbing it in anyone's face, but he also didn't change the plans or lie about it to anyone - there needs to be a reality check that some people can afford some things and that's ok....