Casual Friday - Corporate Hell Thread

[kerosene]

The jeans thing kind of makes me laugh. Most places I have worked in the tech field have allowed for wearing jeans. Once place I worked was so funny about it. They use to taunt their sales staff by dangling the jeans privilege in front of them to encourage performance. If we make x number of sales this week, next friday you can wear jeans! Yay! I wanted someone to pipe up and say "Sorry, but my commission only affords me this pair of second hand dockers."

[Aliantha]

When I was working in sales I had to dress to a certain standard for the customers benefit (although I don't really think the customers cared). When I went to logistics, dress standards were more relaxed and I wore jeans pretty much every day.

Now I often wear my pajamas since I work from home.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by case

"Sorry, but my commission only affords me this pair of second hand dockers."

Awesome!! I've had the same pair of lame Dockers (beige) that I bought second-hand 5 years ago!!! I happened to be discussing the dress code with a manager when I wore them to work recently........she said that I "Always look so nice" as she came by my room in passing........poor thing was really reaching for a compliment!


I then got to discuss my Dockers with her at that point....I gave her the Docker's history because she opened that window of opportunity! It felt good case....now that really felt good.....I got to say "yeah...I got these second hand...years ago.....". Then I gave her a look telling her it wasn't by choice!!! Haaa! Silly......but I wish you had been there! You probably would have enjoyed it.

Yeah, you and your Prada can get out of my office before I continue to discuss my crusty beige dockers. Thanks......

[ZenGum]

Kitsune, my sympathies. I now personally hate your boss.
"One quarter of you are going to lose your jobs, the rest of you are going to have your workloads increased by a third ... but to make up for this, I'm going to let you wear jeans for a week!"
To suggest that this in ANY WAY makes up for the bomb he has just dropped is insulting to the intelligence and needs of the staff. If that were in a Dilbert cartoon (and it well could be) I would laugh, but in real life ... I'm not sure whether to shake my head sadly or reach for the Molotov cocktails.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Which sooner or later suggests a minor head twitch and flicking the Zippo.

[kerosene]

Cicero, I have always resented dress codes in underpaid positions. It is like saying "Not only am I not going to pay you much, but I expect you to spend more of the money I don't pay you than is reasonable on clothing to come here and work." When I was in the work world, I wore a lot of second hand "business" clothing. I started to look for ways to grunge it up, whilst adhering to the dress code. I have worked in few environments with dress codes, but those I have worked in have been irritating, to say the least. I like your crusty dockers comments. Heh. Can one even find Dockers new, anymore? I don't know because I have never bought them new.

[TheMercenary]

After 20 years in uniform I don't dress up for anyone unless it is a wedding or a funeral.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by case

It is like saying "Not only am I not going to pay you much, but I expect you to spend more of the money I don't pay you than is reasonable on clothing to come here and work."

My understanding is that this is extremely difficult in clothing stores -- workers in those positions are paid very low wages but must wear recently released, name brand clothing in order to help advertise it and "look the part". Second hand Dockers or faded shirts will get you sent home, so part of the sales positions essentially requires you to constantly buy new clothing. Imagine how much money you'd be out if you had to drop cash every time a new seasonal line is released. The company, of course, pays for none of it and the worker is left with very little paycheck in the end.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by case

Cicero, I have always resented dress codes in underpaid positions. It is like saying "Not only am I not going to pay you much, but I expect you to spend more of the money I don't pay you than is reasonable on clothing to come here and work." When I was in the work world, I wore a lot of second hand "business" clothing. I started to look for ways to grunge it up, whilst adhering to the dress code. I have worked in few environments with dress codes, but those I have worked in have been irritating, to say the least. I like your crusty dockers comments. Heh. Can one even find Dockers new, anymore? I don't know because I have never bought them new.

Yeah....my boss isn't like that. She knows that I am only paid one-sixth of what this job normally contracts out for. But the other people here at work have no idea what I do and how much I make.....All they care about is the fact that my hair doesn't look so hot. Because they are ridiculous and stupid(ass-hats)..................Most of their job is "looking the part". Most of my job is actually doing the part. So you don't like my hair? GFY

[nowhereman]

At one of my past jobs, the boss's wife (Argggh) was constantly asking me when I was going to dress a "little nicer". Now, this was a job where on any given day I might go home clean or gunked up from having to do some maintenance on equipment. I got her to stop one day by asking what my clothing allowance was. (This was years ago, in a job where asking for a $.10 per hour raise was like asking for their firstborn). Never bothered me again.

[slang]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

I looked over to see a co-worker's head hit the table in frustration. I threw my pencil across the room, knowing that my contract position was guaranteed to be eliminated. Those that lost their jobs were in for a world of hurt while those that were retained by the company were going to be completely swamped by a mountain of work.

That was the day I changed. From then, on, I knew I could never treat a job at a major corporation seriously ever again.

Modern American companies cannot be trusted any further than you can throw their corp grounds over your shoulder.

If you are a contractor you are also eligible to end the contract and to move on to another one.

If they are laying people off and your work increases, you have options. As a contractor there are times that they are perfectly willing to give you a bit more because you are contractor, ie overtime even for engineers.

It's not romance, it's engineering.

Don't get comfortable in the US in an engineering job. Ninely percent of the world's engineering will be done in Asia by 2020. Know the trends and where you fit in.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

At one of my past jobs, the boss's wife (Argggh) was constantly asking me when I was going to dress a "little nicer". Now, this was a job where on any given day I might go home clean or gunked up from having to do some maintenance on equipment. I got her to stop one day by asking what my clothing allowance was. (This was years ago, in a job where asking for a $.10 per hour raise was like asking for their firstborn). Never bothered me again.

Welcome Nowhere!
This reminds me of what one of our long-timers (Lumberjim) here said to do about people that correct your pronunciation- as I think it might also work for this type of scenario. Ask them about their breath problem. Or ask them if they have a mint and avoid actually taking one.

[limey]

When I worked in The City (financial district of London) I and my colleagues loathed the introduction of "dress down Friday" when we were told we could wear "smart casual" clothes to work. None of us had "smart casual" so almost everyone (especially the guys, as it happens), went out and bought special clothes for Fridays. Me? I just ignored it and wore the usual smart stuff. My home clothes (jeans, T shirts, scruffy sweaters) were a long, Long, LONG way from what I wore to the office (skirt suits, heels, statement jewellery items) and was not going to pay out extra money for clothes to be worn one day of the week only.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by slang

As a contractor there are times that they are perfectly willing to give you a bit more because you are contractor, ie overtime even for engineers.

That's priceless.

"You can't bill for more than 40 hours."
"But you made me stay here until I got the job done."
"Yes, but overtime is not allowed."
"Great! I'm leaving early, then."
"You can't, you have to be here during core hours. Comp time is not allowed."
"...but then I'll be here over 40 hours. Should I just leave the next time I'm in the middle of an outage when my time is up?"
"No, you have to fix the problem even if it means staying over."
"I have to bill for the time I worked, which is more than--"
"You can't bill for more than 40 hours."

(wash, rinse, repeat)

I have no plans to ever be a contractor, again, if I can help it.

Originally Posted by slang

Don't get comfortable in the US in an engineering job. Ninely percent of the world's engineering will be done in Asia by 2020. Know the trends and where you fit in.

Really? Most of our software engineers are over there (>75%) and the quality of the code they produce is ass (not to mention the frequent problem of data theft and rapid turnover), so they've been busy moving some of that functionality back. A couple of significant "incidents" made them rethink the whole "offshoring is so cheap, nothing can possibly go wrong!" idea.

Almost an engineer.
...until I saw how they are treated.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by limey

When I worked in The City (financial district of London) I and my colleagues loathed the introduction of "dress down Friday" when we were told we could wear "smart casual" clothes to work. None of us had "smart casual" so almost everyone (especially the guys, as it happens), went out and bought special clothes for Fridays. Me? I just ignored it and wore the usual smart stuff. My home clothes (jeans, T shirts, scruffy sweaters) were a long, Long, LONG way from what I wore to the office (skirt suits, heels, statement jewellery items) and was not going to pay out extra money for clothes to be worn one day of the week only.

I am being lent on to buy a Halloween costume that will be worn five times in total. I might try that clothing allowance line. At least it will get a laugh.