Scruffy

[threemonkeys]

Is there is anybody reading this out there who works in a corporate environment? What I want to know - are casual Fridays a thing of the past? Have people been losing them or is it as strong or stronger than ever?

I really want to know. The reason is that we have just lost ours. Not a big thing on its own maybe, but it certainly wound me up. Should I really be so annoyed or is it an inevitable trend in the workplace. Of course it may be all the things that have gone before that have wound me up.

Comments

[capnoblivious.livejournal.com]

We have casual fridays - in the PS it was muted (You'd maybe wear jeans instead of slacks), here it's a bit bigger (casual shirt, no hint of tie, shorts in summer).

Of course, at the patents office the dress code was so relaxed that you couldn't be more casual if you turned up naked...

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

We get told when there is one and you have to pay $2 to do so to some charity or other.

Sometimes if I know I don't have meetings, I do a casual friday thing all by myself.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Ours was charity related - each month we would get a list of the charities our mufti money was going to with the chance to opt out when desired. Now we have been told that even the charity option is verboten.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

so relaxed that you couldn't be more casual if you turned up naked

Not sure I needed that visual - not you but my colleagues. |-}

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

so no jeans then

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

No jeans, no tee shirts etc.

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

:-(

[stephanie-pegg.livejournal.com]

My office still does them. (Tidy casual, that is.) Although we're all fairly scruffy at the best of times, except for the managers who might have to see clients.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Although we're all fairly scruffy at the best of times

Us too :-)

All my clients are internal ones so we are all on an even basis. Ditto the rest of the team.

[capnoblivious.livejournal.com]

Well, I had some colleagues where...

Nevermind. :)

[cricketk.livejournal.com]

Corporate gear all the time for us.

Occasionally some of the staff who never work with clients wear tops without collars!

I have retaliated by wearing quirkier and quirkier 'corporate' stuff. I just bought a pair of pants that are still very definitely mean 'business', but are made of heavy, draping material with mutiple vertical folds in a wrap around style.

working for the man

[thoatherder.livejournal.com]

I work for the government and the dress code doesn't require ties at any time and we definitely still have casual Fridays. I'm sitting here in t-shirt and black jeans.

The thing is were I work we don't have any client facing staff, so there is no good reason to look like corporate drones all the time. Mind you our employment conditions explicitly mention facial piercings!

Re: working for the man

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Your environment and conditions sound almost exactly like ours right down to the facial piercings. However from today forward, no longer and no real reason has been put forward.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Ihave retaliated by wearing quirkier and quirkier 'corporate' stuff.

Good for you! This seems to be something women seem to find easier to get away with than men - a generalisation I know, but it is an observation made to me by a number of women I have worked with over the years.

Re: working for the man

[thoatherder.livejournal.com]

Start looking for a new job. It sounds like your organisation/company is in trouble. Management typically responds to stress by running around in ever decreasing circles. As they are generally unable or incapable of fixing whatever problems have beset the company, they take action the only way they know how by making changes over things they can control.

For example rebranding the company is always a good thing as it takes up lots and lots of time, gives management something to do, and allows them to be seen to be doing something. It is of course utterly ineffectual in fixing any woes the company might have. But it gives the illusion of activity.

What you appear to have is managment under stress looking for ways to relieve that stress by controling the workers. If this is the case then restructuring or worse is likely to be in your future.

Re: working for the man

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Restructuring has already take plase - this is part of the fallout. I'm not ruling out more however.

As for looking for a new job - don't worry, that is already on track. Although I haven't ruled out the possibility of just quitting and taking a break. I can afford it and there are plenty of jobs out there for when I want to re-enter the workforce.

[darthsappho.livejournal.com]

Go on strike. Or at least, get all your colleagues to agree that casual Fridays will resume, irrespective of what management has to say about it. The important thing is collective action, anyway. I'm assuming that just firing the lot of you isn't a realistic option for management, of course.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Oh I so wish. I actually made the suggestion I was so wild and you should have seen the eyes go down and the mutterings of "well it isn't really that important". While I like them as individuals, this workplace is so meek that they take what they are given or they are actually into the whole corporate oppression thing - hardly anybody is a member of the union (Finsec). Anybody with backbone has already gone and now even jellyfish me is going too - this, although minor, was the final straw of many abuses and I resigned a few days later - sort of anyway - see later posts.