Leaders inspire. Many people grow up believing that protesting is the same thing. But at its foundation, it is resisting leadership direction. Managers are p

Leaders inspire. Many people grow up believing that protesting is the same thing. But at its foundation, it is resisting leadership direction. Managers are people too- and at some point you have to cut your losses if you lose hope that you will be able to inspire your employees. The managers know they are asking extra from the staff with dress codes in this day and age. It doesn't happen naturally, so they write policy. They expect to deal with resistance, and sometimes they are seeking out policy resistors for promotions. But a mass uprising is a huge fiasco to deal with. You are missing the crux of the problem when you say they wrote a letter suggesting an alternative. They drafted a petition against leadership direction and had almost everyone sign it. That is a protest. It is a serious problem for management and it requires action: capitulate to airhead interns who won't be here next year or cancel the program? These kids should have known this, but like many young people, they had an opportunity to learn a lesson the hard way.