My manager has banned all vests, skirts and shorts

[itsjustthepricewepay]

I could cry right now.

I understand banning thin strapped vests but surely thick straps are fine? She’s also banned all shorts (including knee length) and skirts that sit at the knee. Basically we have to go down to ankle length trousers.

AIBU to genuinely consider quitting my job? Her office is air conditioned but we’re in a horrible hot sun trap!

I think you should ask for some air con to be installed. They can get plug in temporary air con. Ask her to come into the office where you work for an extended period to see why people have been dressing more casually.

If she wants you to look professsional, then the work environment needs to be professional too and sweatshop conditions are not.

Maybe they’re occasionally getting up for a mass rendition of YMCA? Otherwise no idea…

Would you rather sweaty pit stains?

Exposed arm pits 😂 A normal and non-sexual part of the body that naturally grows hair. If it’s that they smell, the office shouldn’t be hot enough to be making everyone sweat enough to smell

Nobody at your office ever reaches up to a shelf, or stretches during a phone call at their desk?

im surprised this hasn’t been an issue in the past, I’ve never had an office job where vest tops have been smart enough to wear - although sleeveless blouses usually are ok.

what you need OP is some midi dresses with flutter sleeves so they’ve not tight round your armpits.

Cotton or viscose, polyester will be too sweaty and linen will need too much ironing in this heat. Do you have a Sainsbury’s near you? Something like this would work: https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc148014311

This! To me they're about as offensive as the curve at the back of a knee 😂 (mind you some people on this thread also find knees offensive so... 🤷🏻‍♀️). Or maybe some people smell with their eyes?

Vests and shorts shorts definitely reasonable to ban them. The knee length shorts or knee length skirt would be fine in my office. The issue is that if you say no strappy vests but allow others you'll get people who push the boundaries and the poor boss ends up being clothes police rather than doing their jobs. Sometimes rules have to be a bit blunt to avoid those who will take the Mick.

Well it's clearly not fine, since your manager has had to implement rules about vests. I think PP was being polite and I agree that a tailored top would look smart enough, even if sleeveless. A cotton t-shirt type top is just about fine (depends on condition/thickness/bobbling etc). Combine the two so you have a casual cotton sleeveless top, and it starts to drop under the threshold for office appropriate. IMO. And obviously in your manager's opinion too.

Seriously, although there is no maximum workplace temperature in the UK, the WHO recommends 24C as the maximum temperature for working in comfort, so above this, employers should be taking measures to mitigate heat impacts. Employers have responsibility for their employees’ health and safety.

Personally I think that there is nothing unacceptable about knees, shoulders or toes anyway and to ban cool clothing in a non-customer facing job is ridiculous. But it’s definitely ridiculous that your boss has an air conditioned office but expects her minions to work at 35C. Push back!

omg, so glad I work from home now. I'm wearing a strappy vest top and short shorts. No one bats an eyelid on our work video calls.
If you're not customer-facing, why does it even matter?!

Staff (not me, I have to say) wear boob tubes at my place of work sometimes (a university). No one bats an eyelid

Some people are stuck in the 1950s

I agree that there are business-like sleeveless tops which look great for the office.

I guess it's a matter of definition - some people wouldn't get the difference between these and vest tops.

Personally I find,rather than revealing lots of flesh, by far the coolest things are loose cotton shirts or dresses. I've never found 'reveal as much as you can to feel cooler' very effective.

I think this boss is being unreasonable because the weather conditions are horrendous for working at the moment. It's something that workplaces need to consider carefully for the future.

But I also know that with some people if you give an inch they take a yard!

The last thing I want is sweaty blokes in the office wearing shorts and vests. Grim.

I think it's deeply unfair of her to impose that while her office is the only air conditioned space .

It's subjective isn't it though. Back in the 90s a community midwife came to my house in jeans and stripy top, yellow Souwester and very dangly earrings. She came off as very unprofessional and didn't listen to my history.

FWIW I have banned sight of bra straps and thighs and flip flops. We are customer facing though.

When I started work in 1980/1 in the City the rules were thus for women:

No trousers
No sandals
No bare legs
Arms covered to mid upper, preferably elbow
No thick tights; tights to be natural shades.
Smart appearance at all times.

I recall a secretary being sent home fkr wearing a trouser suit and a banker for wearing brown shoes.

How times have changed.

Would you prefer them even sweatier in warmer clothes?

I don’t work in an office but surely out of the office we all manage to interact with each other in normal summer clothes without swooning with horror at the the sight of an uncovered armpit for maybe one second once a day or once a week or whatever?

If you're NHS, have a look at your uniform policy. Every trust will have one, and your manager will not be able to dictate otherwise. I've just had a quick look at ours, and it says no spaghetti or thin straps, but sleeveless tops are acceptable. Also, we can wear skirts that cover 'most of the thigh' and shorts between April & September.

I'm in an office right now with two men in shorts and tshirts.. its not affecting me in the slightest and wouldn't even if they were wearing vests

Well yes quite. It still surprises me how outdated some approaches to work are here. My nhs boss used go on and on about how she had to wear tights in the NINETIES as if that was still somehow relevant from 30 years ago. She was a total bully though, telling people off for earrings or shoe color.

My current COO came in in Birkenstocks. We all do our jobs really well. And not having to worry about measuring my skirt allows me to focus on work.

It’s like that weird thing where apparently feet are now inherently offensive to many people.

Minions at 35c

I work in a hospital in a hot country, we have a “not uniform” dress policy for all staff which includes no jeans, no short shorts, no singlets, shoes must be enclosed etc.
The rules are due to a mixture of health & safety and expectations of the tax paying public that we’ll look respectable.

My Dr was wearing a sleeveless top the other day, with a knee length pencil skirt.

Didn’t concern me in the slightest.