Dress code at work, double standards?

[Freak12345]

Yesterday it was over 30 degrees and I made a mistake, I wore shorts with a blazer but the shorts were tailored and not skimpy hotpants/daisy Duke shorts or anything at all, slightly longer.

Anyway I got pulled into the manager's office and told to not wear them again, which fair enough I understand and I won't.

I was told the code is 'smart casual' however noticed the manager who told me off was in flip flops.

Later noticed the assistant manager had slippers on- well those fluffy slip on slipper-type things, and another staff member was in tracksuit bottoms?

I don't see any of those as smart-casual any more than tailored shorts, maybe they were all told off separately but I'm not sure, just seemed a bit off?

This is the approach I would take.

The answer seems pretty simple - no low cut tops, no skirts above X and no leggings. A dress code isn’t about policing people’s bodies in clothes, it’s about the clothes!

(what sort of masochist would wear leggings to work in a school anyway?)

Side note but I am now looking at a linen blazer with shorts for upcoming meeting in Seville. The only thing putting me off is the creasing!

Isn't it too hot for a blazer???

But define low cut?

What number is X?. Is it the same on a tall person and a short person?

Did you ask the others if they'd been told off too? I'd want to know if someone can wear tracksuit bottoms (which should only be worn in a gym) but smart, tailored shorts are deemed unacceptable! And surely flip flops aren't part of any work attire apart from Lifeguards?! Seeing toes on show at work isn't professional.

Ask for the official dress code. We are smart casual in my office, the majority of people are wearing tailored shorts. The only thing I draw the line at is any sports wear. Our tech services director went through a phase of coming in wearing his gym kit 🤮 I had to have a word, it wasn’t a pretty sight 🫣

Why on earth would you be wearing a blazer in 30°c heat?!

You’d have to define it based on environment which is why I wasn’t more specific, but you could say no tops that show more than the collar bone, no sleeveless tops, no strappy tops etc. Skirts or shorts no more than 2in above the knee. I don’t see how that’s difficult to be honest - of course clothes fit people differently but you can’t have a rule that says, in effect, slim, tanned, good looking people can wear whatever!

Blazer claim = 1/10 trolling

As someone who tends to live in dresses, I really don't see what is wrong with bare legs in he summer. I go to a wedding with bare legs in the warm weather, why not work?

I think smart shorts are much more appropriate in the office than flip-flops or slippers, but hey ho!

I wear the blazer because they blast the aircon all day.

I've always been baffled by the double standard horror at shorts when skirts are perfectly acceptable. Granted, so long as the shorts are tailored, Chino types and coupled with smartish footwear and not boardies and flip flops.
I work in and out or people's homes and occasionally in offices - I'm not going to sweat my tits off because someone wants to clutch their pearls that i'm essentially wearing a skirt with the middle bit stitched up.

Eagerly awaiting someone turning up at OP's work in a negligee and those high-heeled slippers with the feathery fronts.

"not skimpy hotpants/daisy Duke shorts or anything at all, slightly longer."

Slightly longer? That sounds really short for work, still. Might be old fashioned but nothing much above the knee for work.

That said, flip flops etc does seem hypocritical.

Agreed, you should ask for the dress code policy. Equally, they are increasingly outdated. Instead we've implemented a code which is Dress for the day you have aka if you have a client meeting, you would be more formally dressed than say a day in the office in the middle of a heat wave !!!

I think it depends, I think shorts look too casual unless you’re extremely sophisticated looking (Cindy Crawford popped into my head!!) They mightn’t have noticed the flip flops or slippers (or mistook them for candles or shoes and some tracksuits can look like trousers so all depends

My clients are Uni students, if I dressed like them that would deffinitely be a problem 😂

I would be, respectfully, raising issue with this. You wore tailored shorts that were no shorter than a summer dress, is that correct?? But the person who pulled you up on your ‘unsuitable’ attire was wearing flip flops!!?? (I hope they weren’t driving in those) and another employee was wearing a pair of trackie bottoms?! where is the equality in this environment FFS?
Ask for a clear directive on what attire is acceptable and also insist that management lead by example.

Tailored shorts absolutely 100% meet the definition of smart casual. I would be going to HR

Ha sounds to me like your boss is jealous!
But yeah ask to see this ‘policy’ and be prepared to point out the numerous other contraventions that have been ignored.

I don't want to see hairy armpits at work. I don't want to see arse cracks or bra straps either. I suppose it depends where you work - ie for a lifeguard it's ok, but in a corporate office, no.

I think dress codes should be explicit. I started out working in psychiatric hospitals where you had to be very careful about the impact of what you wore on tie people around you, and think it's a good way to think about work in general.

I am all for self expression, and have no issues with armpits in the wider sense. But some things don't belong at work. That viwisnt weird - it's just understanding professional standards.

How long though? Blazer might just be bum length.

Knee length tailored shorts - hard to argue against.
30cm above the knee - too casual for work.