Dress codes. The bane of existence for kids in schools all across the world. I used to get in trouble for having my shirt untucked - horror of horrors! My violations only warranted verbal reprimands and never got me kicked out of school but to be sure I didn't like that particular rule. To be clear, I was NOT a fan of the dress code rules!
This young lady apparently didn't take notes in her orientation at her job and missed the part about not being able to wear shorts to work. She said she didn't hear that part. I'd imagine it was probably in writing too so she must've not read it either.
So she quit. They didn't fire her. This article didn't even mention her getting written up over it; it just appears she quit when her supervisor asked her to go home and change clothes. Her position is that dress codes for women are too harsh. She doesn't seem to mind the overall concept of dress codes in general but takes umbrage with the "gender specific" parts of certain dress codes that regulate what is worn by females.
The harsh reality is that if you don't like jobs with dress codes then don't accept the position. You aren't required to work there however if you do accept the employment opportunity then you need to understand there are certain expectations the employer has for those in their employ. She decided to quit instead of comply, which was certainly her right to do so. Apparently that's not enough so now she wants to start a revolution via social media which seems to be the norm nowadays. Undoubtedly that will encourage future employers to hire her since loyalty to company values has now been demonstrated.
As a father to young ladies, I most certainly don't want to see rules of any sort that are unfair to the female gender. That said, I do want my children to appreciate the reality of workplace requirements. Most jobs have some standards covering what can be worn to work. Many of these rules are in place for safety such as fire-retardent clothing in a chemical plant. Others are about uniformity in a place like McDonalds, Walmart or the U.S. Army. Still others have varying rules about what can be worn by whom on the basis of their position, like a hospital where scrubs of certain colors are worn by different departments.
The point, obviously, is that most jobs have guidelines about what you can wear while being paid. You can't show up in a bikini to the federal courthouse as a law clerk! And that's not gender specific either because a guy couldn't wear his basketball shorts there either! Unless he was a judge and it was under his robes - maybe he could get away with it then but the point is the same: jobs have rules!
As far as the gender specific part, I'm guessing that J.C. Penney also has a rule against MEN wearing tank tops and shorts to work. I haven't personally seen their manual but I feel pretty safe in that assumption. If indeed it has separate guidelines basis for males and females, then maybe they need to update the language so it is more gender neutral, especially so since some employees may no longer be sure which gender they are on any given day (am I even allowed to say that ?!?) I'm sure the JCP attorneys will safeguard their future interests with fresh legalese that allows less room for discretionary latitude in personal attire.
I do give this young lady points for one thing though - when she decided she didn't like the rules, she quit. She didn't (or hasn't so far to my knowledge) filed a lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against over this dress code violation. She simply resigned her employment at her discretion. That seems increasingly odd in this society where entitlement seems to insist tort is the settlement of any grievance.
The good news is now she can go find another place to work and I suspect she'll be paying special attention to the dress code part of the new hire orientation. Join me in wishing her best of luck in her future endeavors!
This young lady apparently didn't take notes in her orientation at her job and missed the part about not being able to wear shorts to work. She said she didn't hear that part. I'd imagine it was probably in writing too so she must've not read it either.
So she quit. They didn't fire her. This article didn't even mention her getting written up over it; it just appears she quit when her supervisor asked her to go home and change clothes. Her position is that dress codes for women are too harsh. She doesn't seem to mind the overall concept of dress codes in general but takes umbrage with the "gender specific" parts of certain dress codes that regulate what is worn by females.
The harsh reality is that if you don't like jobs with dress codes then don't accept the position. You aren't required to work there however if you do accept the employment opportunity then you need to understand there are certain expectations the employer has for those in their employ. She decided to quit instead of comply, which was certainly her right to do so. Apparently that's not enough so now she wants to start a revolution via social media which seems to be the norm nowadays. Undoubtedly that will encourage future employers to hire her since loyalty to company values has now been demonstrated.
As a father to young ladies, I most certainly don't want to see rules of any sort that are unfair to the female gender. That said, I do want my children to appreciate the reality of workplace requirements. Most jobs have some standards covering what can be worn to work. Many of these rules are in place for safety such as fire-retardent clothing in a chemical plant. Others are about uniformity in a place like McDonalds, Walmart or the U.S. Army. Still others have varying rules about what can be worn by whom on the basis of their position, like a hospital where scrubs of certain colors are worn by different departments.
The point, obviously, is that most jobs have guidelines about what you can wear while being paid. You can't show up in a bikini to the federal courthouse as a law clerk! And that's not gender specific either because a guy couldn't wear his basketball shorts there either! Unless he was a judge and it was under his robes - maybe he could get away with it then but the point is the same: jobs have rules!
As far as the gender specific part, I'm guessing that J.C. Penney also has a rule against MEN wearing tank tops and shorts to work. I haven't personally seen their manual but I feel pretty safe in that assumption. If indeed it has separate guidelines basis for males and females, then maybe they need to update the language so it is more gender neutral, especially so since some employees may no longer be sure which gender they are on any given day (am I even allowed to say that ?!?) I'm sure the JCP attorneys will safeguard their future interests with fresh legalese that allows less room for discretionary latitude in personal attire.
I do give this young lady points for one thing though - when she decided she didn't like the rules, she quit. She didn't (or hasn't so far to my knowledge) filed a lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against over this dress code violation. She simply resigned her employment at her discretion. That seems increasingly odd in this society where entitlement seems to insist tort is the settlement of any grievance.
The good news is now she can go find another place to work and I suspect she'll be paying special attention to the dress code part of the new hire orientation. Join me in wishing her best of luck in her future endeavors!
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