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 I'd go to local charity shops and seek out the most outlandish, colourful, garish, migraine-inducing meringue of a dress and wear that, as long as it was below your knee you'd be good. Madness! Although I agree about the armpits.

Pirates are wearing wellies these days??

We can’t wear vests or opened backed or toe shoes.

skirts and shorts have to be knee length.

I think banning them is horrendous. Dress code - yes.
But utterly unpractical - no.

do you have a union? You may be onto something if she’s in an air conditioned office and you aren’t and this is risky the health of employees.

Wow! I also work in a University, and yesterday I wore a summery dress (cotton, calf length, cap sleeves), and today loose linen trousers and a floaty short sleeve top. We've no aircon or fans, but I dug out my little neck fan I used last summer, and it's good for when I feel too hot.
My colleagues here are all wearing similar to me, and no-one is in shorts (even the IT guys!)

Some would argue that a light shirt and trousers are cooler. Like men would wear in southern Europe.

No need to see those hairy, sweaty armpits in the office.

😂😂😂

on me that neckline would plunge very very indecently & id be tripping over the hem.

Don’t get me started on the shoes. My feet are so hot

See we're allowed smart shorts in our staff dress code policy (I'm NHS too) so the inconsistency is just daft.

Mind you I'm community in a part of the Trust that usually gets forgotten about so no one is on our cases - and yes I'm wearing flip flops on client visits today and no, I don't care, and my line manager is fully aware of what I'm wearing cos I was sat next to her in the office - before we both declared it too fucking hot and went to do Teams calls from home all afternoon. Metal roof in the sun like this, and lots of glass windows = fucking no way!

Vests, I personally don't like and won't wear myself (I hate my arms), but I see no issue with other people wearing them. Shorts - likewise - not for me outside of the garden but if you like them crack on. I tend to wear jeans and smarter jumpers most of the winter as well - management know full well how our community teams tend to dress and have never raised it as a concern.

Ankle length skirts are casual/hippy!!

Is she devoutly religious?

And can she impose arbitrary rules in one dept?

Perhaps- but say someone's woken up to a heatwave, doesn't have that in their wardrobe, and its a choice between sweating in a suit or (shock horror) wearing shorts to the office... I know who I'd rather be sat next to.

(Signed, an ex-EA who spent many a hot summer sat in a stuffy boardroom next to a senior leader who'd sweat through his suit jacket and smelled like a charity shop)

Have people been taking the mick and coming dressed as if for the beach? Strappy vest tops are not suitable for work.

Men have to suffer in long trousers and sleeved shirts however hot it is.

@itsjustthepricewepay

just to highlight this very helpful post !!

Always worth reading the policy when you work in the NHS with some of the toshy ways management can interpret it (or make shit up)

I'm not saying they wear boob tubes because of the weather, its just because there is no dress code and people wear what they like (as it should be, imo)

I'm really lucky to work in a building with aircon, the majority of campus doesn't have it. Some rooms on campus get to ridiculous heat at this time of year, but people can work from home if they want to

I don't want to see anyone's breasts either, though I completely understand that some women's morphology is much harder to cover elegantly than others and we need to be realistic.

People here would be horrified by what a male student is wearing outside my office atm 😂

I personally think that wide legged trousers (and there are lots in the shops this year) and a long sleeved floaty top cover a multitude of sins and are very easy to work in.

Heaven forbid someone could possibly get a glimpse of........shock horror.......ARMPITS..........everyone flee

You wouldn't expect an animal to endure 35c. Yet the Ops workplace is just that temperature. In Spain max office temperature is 27c.

A friend worked in a commercial laundry years ago. When the staff fainted they were carried outside to recover. She took a picture of the bodies lying in the shade to prove it.

I don’t want to cover my “sins”, im not ashamed of them anymore

Okay, but what if she'd worn the top with nude leggings, or bum scrunch gym shorts? There is nuance here. Most people naturally understand workplace expectations.

If you’re NHS surely you are a trade union member? They should be able to dig out the official trust policy.

Neither of those are a skirt though…

My point was that some items of clothing are work appropriate, and some are work appropriate in the context of an outfit. Obviously a knee length pencil skirt first in the first category. It is absolutely plain that OP's colleagues are not wearing smart pencil skirts.

I actually think this is a wind up. I suspect OP is trying to goad someone into commenting on body types.

Cheer up, getting cooler from tomorrow!
When I was the staff representative on the school's governing body I was asked by the men to talk with the male Head about taking their ties off during weather such as we're having now and he totally refused to allow it. When I pointed out the standard of dress of some of the female teachers, at all times not just in the heat, he more or less said he would be attacked by the feminist mafia in the school if he tries to set standards for the women!