Background Info
I'm a male and have been working for a corporate manufacturing company as a Systems Administrator for the past 5 months. I am housed out of one of their subsidiaries. About once a month I have to go to Headquarters, show my face, and work with my boss and the other IT person.
Dress code is business casual.
Event
I was supposed to go to HQ last Friday (I didn't, but that's unimportant). Preceding my scheduled arrival, my boss was told by the VP that I am not allowed to wear the following belt, citing it's not "business casual." My boss has no issue with the belt, but, ya know, chain of command and all that.
(Please do scope out the belt company, C4 Belts. They are an awesome charitable organization. Image is a hotlink.)
Thoughts
For more than the past 3 years I have gotten countless compliments from Faculty, staff, students, corporate co-workers (at HQ and otherwise), and, just last week, from a manager at one of the subsidiaries. It's hardly a belt I'd consider offensive. My job has called for business casual my entire career and I've worn all sorts of belts throughout the years: one with silhouette foxes, the above, and, in current replacement, a cloth one with anchors on it. Sometimes my work calls for jeans, as well. And, remember, I've been wearing this belt for the 5 months I've been in this role.
Is the VP's request a thinly veiled homophobic one?
Is this really outside the realm of "business casual?"
How would a belt be any different than colorful socks or a tie? Women wear non-conventional belts in the business environment, but that is more generally accepted.
My boss has zero qualms with the belt. Do I only wear a more traditional belt when going to HQ or all the time? I don't know what the repercussions would be if the VP were to visit a site and see me stylin' and profilin'. (Woo!)
The Dress Code is really long and I hesitate to add it to an already long post. I will in a follow-up post, if necessary. I could find no instances of a clause that explicitly applies to this, but I'm not HR.
I have conformed the the request. I'd love to hear others' thoughts/opinions, though.
I'm a male and have been working for a corporate manufacturing company as a Systems Administrator for the past 5 months. I am housed out of one of their subsidiaries. About once a month I have to go to Headquarters, show my face, and work with my boss and the other IT person.
Dress code is business casual.
Event
I was supposed to go to HQ last Friday (I didn't, but that's unimportant). Preceding my scheduled arrival, my boss was told by the VP that I am not allowed to wear the following belt, citing it's not "business casual." My boss has no issue with the belt, but, ya know, chain of command and all that.
(Please do scope out the belt company, C4 Belts. They are an awesome charitable organization. Image is a hotlink.)
Thoughts
For more than the past 3 years I have gotten countless compliments from Faculty, staff, students, corporate co-workers (at HQ and otherwise), and, just last week, from a manager at one of the subsidiaries. It's hardly a belt I'd consider offensive. My job has called for business casual my entire career and I've worn all sorts of belts throughout the years: one with silhouette foxes, the above, and, in current replacement, a cloth one with anchors on it. Sometimes my work calls for jeans, as well. And, remember, I've been wearing this belt for the 5 months I've been in this role.
Is the VP's request a thinly veiled homophobic one?
Is this really outside the realm of "business casual?"
How would a belt be any different than colorful socks or a tie? Women wear non-conventional belts in the business environment, but that is more generally accepted.
My boss has zero qualms with the belt. Do I only wear a more traditional belt when going to HQ or all the time? I don't know what the repercussions would be if the VP were to visit a site and see me stylin' and profilin'. (Woo!)
The Dress Code is really long and I hesitate to add it to an already long post. I will in a follow-up post, if necessary. I could find no instances of a clause that explicitly applies to this, but I'm not HR.
I have conformed the the request. I'd love to hear others' thoughts/opinions, though.
