Like it or not, we’re all required to wear clothes at work. I know, shocking! Whether it be a specific uniform to make you look all the more presentable for those well-paying clients, a specific uniform to prevent a tragic accident from happening, or a special uniform because HR said so.
The last option is particularly important for the story we’ll be delving into today. A Reddit user, nicknamed itcoop, shared what happened a couple of years ago, when a worker and HR got into a disagreement about dress code. But it’s never as simple as that, is it? It definitely isn’t, as a case of good ole malicious compliance followed! She was kind enough to answer some of Bored Panda's questions regarding the situation.
Make sure to leave all your thoughts in the comments section below, and tell us—has something like this ever happened to you? Were you ever asked to change what you were wearing in honor of the dress code? And if you find that you’re craving another malicious compliance story, I’ve got you covered. Now let’s get into it!
More info: Reddit
Lots of companies have a dress code—a set rulebook for how an employee should present themselves—yet sometimes things get out of hand
Image credits: Cadeau Maestro (not the actual photo)
Getting dressed for work every single morning can get exhausting really quickly, especially when you get a case of ‘I have nothing to wear-itis.’ In that case, having a set work uniform and a clear dress code can be helpful in not looking like a toad inside of a castle; some things are just not meant to go together.
However, when management and HR get super set on everyone looking perfect, especially when it comes to targeting a pregnant worker for not wearing clothing from a special store, one must ask themselves whether things are getting a little bit out of hand.
Reddit user itcoop, who was put in the middle of such a situation, shared the story on the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, garnering an impressive 13.6K upvotes. Let’s have a closer look at what exactly took place. Spoiler alert—there’s a happy ending coming!
One Redditor shared a story where a pregnant employee was pressured to comply with strict dress code rules, leading to some malicious compliance
Image credits: itcoop
Not only had her privacy been compromised, but a member of HR came up with highly specific dress code rules that saw her unintentionally breaking them
Image credits: Vanessa (not the actual photo)
According to Indeed, a dress code policy is a document that outlines the appropriate dress code for a company’s employees, varying from company to company, so as to represent the culture and industry type.
Usually, the main rules include wearing clothing that’s in good shape, clean, and without holes (although some more fashion-forward companies would potentially ignore this one). One must maintain an acceptable level of body hygiene, so as to not chemically poison their coworkers with horrid B.O. Not following it can end up getting one fired.
Employers can even take it one step further by requiring employees to wear specific uniforms. A study by L. Moody concluded that uniforms can provide the wearer with a sense of community and team belonging, as well as a sense of professionalism and pride. If the right uniform can influence how an employee feels, their happiness and their ability to do their job, it in turn is likely to influence performance and productivity, which is essential for a business to thrive. However, if uniforms are not well thought out, they can hinder performance.
Employees’ appearance can still qualify for legal protection in some situations, despite what is being asked of the dress code. Certain matters such as disability, religious requirements, or other case-specific issues, may require accommodations and flexibility on the employer’s part.
In this case, we have a very difficult situation that deals with both workplace bullying and the invasion of personal privacy.
Image credits: itcoop
Thankfully, the manager had her back. She came up with a clever plan to use the company’s own rules against itself, in an act of malicious compliance
Image credits: Tim Gouw (not the actual photo)
Let’s start from the beginning with the fact that Kelly should have never told the OP that she was pregnant, nor about her issues with her mom. Secondly, the pressuring of a pregnant woman to wear a very specific style of clothing seems incredibly inappropriate. A new wardrobe, especially when considering the fact that a woman’s body changes throughout the pregnancy, can be a costly investment to begin with, and some will not be able to afford branded maternity clothing.
For instance, loose-fitting maxi dresses, flowing skirts and tops, oversized button-down shirts, large sweaters and cardigans, and jersey-style shirts and dresses that are soft and stretchy all work well on pregnant bodies; however, those may not meet the strict workplace dress code guidelines.
itcoop, the Original Poster (OP) believes that it was a mixture of the policy and the HR department being unsophisticated, as well as the personal/family issues Kat and Kelly were dealing with. "This was 2005 or 6. The CEO wanted to restructure the company culture using policy as the hammer," she told Bored Panda. "HR was on a long leash and was being unreasonable in other areas too, leaning towards zero tolerance and vague policy language in every case."
"My goal was to show the risks of zero tolerance policies that were written as prescriptive, descriptive, and restrictive," she continued. "A descriptive policy leaves room for management discretion; prescriptive leaves no room and mandates what must be done. Restrictive policies are the easiest to follow and understand because they are short and make a clear point about what is not allowed. The HR policies were poorly written because of their design approach. In my opinion, this was the root cause of this from the company angle."
Image credits: itcoop
The OP revealed to Bored Panda that both the policy and Kelly wound up being replaced. "Kat texted me, 'The wicked witch is dead!' when Kelly was fired shortly after I left the company," she said.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, itcoop has some advice: "Follow the policy as best as you can and talk to an attorney. If you're working for a well-to-do company, attorney's are worth the money when there's a slam dunk case like this one..."
And the lesson from this one: don’t work with family friends, especially if they’re working in higher positions than you are. They know too much, they have too much power, and they can turn on you in a second just to get what they want. And you can’t escape them after work.
Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments. Has something similar happened to you or someone you know? Enjoy the responses from fellow netizens, dear Pandas, and I shall see you in the next one!
TL;DR—don’t work with family friends or relatives as they may use their power to make your life hell. Many people online supported the way this was handled
However, there were those that believed this was handled poorly. Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!
