Work uniform issues

[OhBotherSaidPoo]

I work in a public service, its quite niche role and mostly work from home with occasional evening and weekend working 'in the field'. I work adjacent to the police, but not for the police if that makes any sense.
When doing field work, we've always been told to dress business smart, think comfy shoes (not trainers), trousers or skirt (not jeans) and we generally blended in to whatever situation we found ourselves in.
The work isn't dangerous, but it can be if you don't know how to handle yourself if you catch my drift. Some sections of society absolutely hate our presence, a smaller section will do us harm.
The powers that be have decided we now need to wear a branded uniform with our employers logo across the breast, and must wear those awful polyester trousers, we look like street cleaners!
My grievances are a) no womens specific sizes, I've been given a man's fit shirt, and which reaches mid thigh and looks awfully tatty. I have asked if womens sizes will be issued, and it was a straight up no b) we're now marked targets, a colleague wore his shirt out recently and experienced street harassment walking down a shopping street as per his job, he'd never ever had this before, and c) because of the risk of harassment we're not allowed to wear it on public transport yet in London it's the only way we get around as we need to be very mobile and driving is no where near agile as you'd think, so they expect us to get changed in a public toilet before starting whatever activity we're doing and changing back into civvy clothing once done. I have asked where they expect me to store a second set of clothing, or do I have to carry it around with me alongside our other equipment.

Am I being unreasonable or is this utterly ridiculous?

My understanding is if you wear uniform but have to change then you should be provided with lockers. Which isn't possible if you're moving around!
Do you have a union? They need to realise the H&S implications.

So you’re a duty social worker? About time you were all identifiable in public when you have so much power over people’s lives, just like the police have a uniform. Not surprised you don’t like being seen. If you don’t like hearing public opinion, think about what you could take forward into your own practice or help change to make people think better of you.

Nothing like social services, although judging by your reply I'd hazard a guess that any prior involvement you've had was completely justified.

I thought traffic warden or store security!

Traffic wardens and security don't work mostly from home, would be brilliant if they did.

Think Gov agency looking into things similar to labour abuse and money laundering. Most people have no idea the agency I work for exists, but those in the know will know because they've had someone like me knock on their door and piss them off.

Get on to the Union and if you are not a member join.

I would start by suggesting that your employers need to do a proper risk assessment as a hazard has been recognised but not addressed.

Talk to the Health & Safety team.

I would also contact HR about the fact that the uniform is only in 'mens' sizes and it makes you look untidy and unprofessional

OR raise a grievance in which case they will have to address these points.

Is it just one manager involved?

This might be useful even though you are not a train driver

https://aslef.org.uk/publications/best-practice-guidance-drivers-uniform-and-ppe

in particular

Drivers’ uniform including PPE needs to be issued in gender appropriate fit, cut, and sizing taking into account the requirements of all genders. For example, simply issuing women with men’s unform in smaller sizes is not an acceptable approach.

Senior leaders, who all happen to be women, are pushing this.

It's very bizarre.

If you tell me what you do you will have to kill me afterwards

I agree with both your points OP. I spend so much time arguing against making women wear men's fit clothing when it just doesn't fit.

No-one would ever make men wear women's fit clothing so why should it be OK the other way around? Not one single 'unisex' item of clothing has ever been made to fit women, who are not small men.

Plus they (ie 'the government' aka our employers) wittering on about security and confidentiality and then they expect you to wear clothing in public that tells the world about what we do. Why can't the logo be something generic such as just the King's crest if they want you to be identified as a Government employee? Where are they expecting you to find all these public toilets?

Hi OP, I do get you regarding unisex uniforms!
I work in a hospital & we’ve been issued with the new NHS countrywide uniforms which include unisex trousers.
The problem for us women is that the trousers are cut to fit men’s er, bits so very baggy in that area - I now have to wear chub rub shorts under my work trousers as they just do not fit properly!
Meanwhile the male staff are complaining about the colour of the unisex tunic that all us Band 3 staff have to wear- it’s bright lilac!! So the men hate it!! & so there are a Lot of (unhappy) male band 3 staff in our hospital.
Whoever decided on that colour is a complete numpty.

Plus we are also expected to not wear uniforms on
the way to / from work unless covered in a huge coat - but there are v few v small single sex changing spaces & personally as a size 16 I dislike changing in front of others. On our ward we have access to lockers but are often redeployed for various shifts.

Absolutely.
Right after a martini, shaken not stirred of course.

I jest, its no where near that level, still pretty interesting and worthwhile.

Why are you being so mysterious about what you do? I never understood this on MN, ridiculous!

Basic personal security

Are you a spy? 😂👀

This is territory women in construction have been in for years. Customised clothing is hardly more expensive in women's options, it's just lack of imagination. I get this issue because it's ordered by the facilities team who never go on site themselves.

I would send in some photos showing how badly it fits (rolled up trousers, bulky shirts) and major on health and safety in terms of your personal safety. If they wanted a logo item they could give you a gilet that's easily removed.

Look up Bold as Brass on LinkedIn for a long story on this!

Suddenly imposing a uniform requirement where none previously existed can amount to a change in custom and practice in UK employment law, and doing it without consultation can put the employer on shaky ground. But whether it legally counts as a contractual change depends on the details. If you have always worked without a uniform, and this has been the established way of working for a long period, that can become an implied contractual term through custom and practice. Changing it - especially if it affects comfort, dignity, or how you perform your job - in this case safety - is usually treated as a change to terms and conditions, not a trivial instruction.

Failure to consult doesn’t automatically make the change unlawful, but it weakens the employer’s position and strengthens any grievance or challenge. If the uniform is highly recognisable to the public and exposes you to harassment, hostility, or unwanted attention, then the employer is not just changing custom and practice - they may also be breaching their duty of care, health and safety obligations, and equality/harassment protections.

A uniform that makes staff identifiable to the public and increases harassment risk is very likely to be considered an unreasonable instruction until the grievance is resolved.

@OhBotherSaidPoo I work for a public body and need to wear uniform from time to time. Uniform has been available in women’s sizes for at least 10 years, but we had to fight for it. Employers are not allowed to treat women less favourably than men, so expecting women to wear poorly fitting uniform, uncomfortable uniform falls under this. You have an Equality angle here, under the Equality Act.

There is a fine line between representing your organisation, being available for the tax-paying public to see and speak to and putting yourselves at risk in controversial situations. Our staff can wear plain clothes for covert operations. I’d risk assess your field work activities whilst wearing the branded uniform, and escalate. You have and Health & Safely angle here.

Women’s PPE & uniform is a massive big bear of mine. Good luck in resolving this - in the first instance I’d speak to your Union rep if you have one, or ACAS.

Somebody I know has been a spy & has an MC for it, while someone else showed me a picture of their new born nephew at their TA Barracks -Artists Rifles!!

(Territorial SAS)

Ah!

On the aspect of being instructed to wear men’s clothing, ask to see the Equality Impact Assessment for the policy.