4 ms·

Easy fix: Mandatory dress codes. Men in suit, with tie from the time you enter the office until the time you leave. Women in suits, pants or skirts. Or go who

by huffmsa 10y ago

Easy fix: Mandatory dress codes. Men in suit, with tie from the time you enter the office until the time you leave. Women in suits, pants or skirts. Or go whole hog and require everyone to wear grey coveralls when in office. Institutions with dress codes generally have less BS distractions because the distractions simply can't exist.

PhasmaFelis 10y ago
That's a reasonable accommodation in a high school, where students are expected to have out-of-control hormones and not-fully-developed judgment. In a professional office, if you have a grown-ass adult who is critically distracted by the sight of bare arms, that's their problem, not anyone else's. If they can't manage the barest scraps of self-control, they need to consider a different line of work.
- huffmsa 10y ago
  It's not just high school, I'll use professional sports as a quick (but not all-inclusive) example. The Bill Belichick and Nick Saban enforce strict behavior and dress codes for their employees to simply eliminate distractions. Break the rules and they fire you. They're the most successful "mission oriented" teams of the past two decades. Uniforms contribute to the sense of "unity in direction" that the best companies have. They should be something that you're proud to wear as a signifier of your work, see IBM in the 70s and 80s.
  - user5994461 10y ago
    So, distribute clothes to your employees. Bonus: You set the message by choosing to give tshirts, shirts or suits.
    - huffmsa 10y ago
      I'd certainly be happy to offer discounted tailoring / suiting and other clothing purchases. "Look good, feel good, play good." -- Deion Sanders
  - js8 10y ago
    > Uniforms contribute to the sense of "unity in direction" that the best companies have. They should be something that you're proud to wear as a signifier of your work, see IBM in the 70s and 80s. Do people really believe this? Funny, at my workplace, we effectively don't have a dress code (we did have at a point, but nobody really cared much, so it's pretty much dead). But my company is probably very embarrassed if I tell somebody my salary, because it doesn't want me to do it. So, until I can display my salary proudly, then we can talk about wearing my "uniform" proudly. "Dress code" is a tool for social control, and people are slowly wisening up to that.
Neliquat 10y ago
This is an easy way to drive away talent. Myself, and I feel, many others, would gladly take a similar job where the culture and dress were relaxed, instead of fixed. The fix is to hire socially competent people, and be clear to them when they are pushing it early and often.
- huffmsa 10y ago
  "Naw man, I'm not going to work there because I _need_ my bedazzled dungarees to code well." Please.
  - st3v3r 10y ago
    Most other things being equal, and they usually are, I'm going to take the job with the more relaxed dress code.
  - ceras 10y ago
    It wouldn't stop me from joining a company that's clearly better than the rest. But engineers have a lot of comparably good options in hub cities, so it's reasonable to be picky about small stuff - we can afford to be. A formal dress code does have real downsides: it (1) costs money, (2) wastes closet space (it's a premium in NYC!), and (3) makes biking to work or otherwise living a pre-/post-work active life more of a pain.
    - huffmsa 10y ago
      The mistake you're making is that "work clothing" needs to be separate from your "after work clothing". NYC there is no excuse for not finding good and reasonably priced tailors. You might get dirty looks from those who look worse than you, but suits do in fact make the man.
      - ceras 10y ago
        I'm fairly active and don't care for feeling hot in the summers or restricted in general. Feel free to rock your own suit, but it's not a "mistake" to disagree with you.
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mahyarm 10y ago
If tech companies were to ever have a dress code, it would be jeans, a graphic tee and a full sleeve hoodie. Or a collared shirt. The hoodie might still be required.
- huffmsa 10y ago
  Because IBM wasn't a tech company who's (unofficial) uniform was blue suit, white shirt, red tie, brown wingtips for nearly two decades. Come now child, learn your history.
sudosteph 10y ago
- Times I've ever been distracted by a coworkers outfit: 0 - Times I've ever been distracted by conversations/music/movement/laughter in my open office: 9000+ Yep. Outfits are the only cause of BS distractions that can exist in offices...

by huffmsa 10y ago

PhasmaFelis 10y ago

That's a reasonable accommodation in a high school, where students are expected to have out-of-control hormones and not-fully-developed judgment. In a professional office, if you have a grown-ass adult who is critically distracted by the sight of bare arms, that's their problem, not anyone else's. If they can't manage the barest scraps of self-control, they need to consider a different line of work.

huffmsa 10y ago
It's not just high school, I'll use professional sports as a quick (but not all-inclusive) example. The Bill Belichick and Nick Saban enforce strict behavior and dress codes for their employees to simply eliminate distractions. Break the rules and they fire you. They're the most successful "mission oriented" teams of the past two decades. Uniforms contribute to the sense of "unity in direction" that the best companies have. They should be something that you're proud to wear as a signifier of your work, see IBM in the 70s and 80s.
- user5994461 10y ago
  So, distribute clothes to your employees. Bonus: You set the message by choosing to give tshirts, shirts or suits.
  - huffmsa 10y ago
    I'd certainly be happy to offer discounted tailoring / suiting and other clothing purchases. "Look good, feel good, play good." -- Deion Sanders
- js8 10y ago
  > Uniforms contribute to the sense of "unity in direction" that the best companies have. They should be something that you're proud to wear as a signifier of your work, see IBM in the 70s and 80s. Do people really believe this? Funny, at my workplace, we effectively don't have a dress code (we did have at a point, but nobody really cared much, so it's pretty much dead). But my company is probably very embarrassed if I tell somebody my salary, because it doesn't want me to do it. So, until I can display my salary proudly, then we can talk about wearing my "uniform" proudly. "Dress code" is a tool for social control, and people are slowly wisening up to that.

Neliquat 10y ago

This is an easy way to drive away talent. Myself, and I feel, many others, would gladly take a similar job where the culture and dress were relaxed, instead of fixed. The fix is to hire socially competent people, and be clear to them when they are pushing it early and often.

huffmsa 10y ago
"Naw man, I'm not going to work there because I _need_ my bedazzled dungarees to code well." Please.
- st3v3r 10y ago
  Most other things being equal, and they usually are, I'm going to take the job with the more relaxed dress code.
- ceras 10y ago
  It wouldn't stop me from joining a company that's clearly better than the rest. But engineers have a lot of comparably good options in hub cities, so it's reasonable to be picky about small stuff - we can afford to be. A formal dress code does have real downsides: it (1) costs money, (2) wastes closet space (it's a premium in NYC!), and (3) makes biking to work or otherwise living a pre-/post-work active life more of a pain.
  - huffmsa 10y ago
    The mistake you're making is that "work clothing" needs to be separate from your "after work clothing". NYC there is no excuse for not finding good and reasonably priced tailors. You might get dirty looks from those who look worse than you, but suits do in fact make the man.
    - ceras 10y ago
      I'm fairly active and don't care for feeling hot in the summers or restricted in general. Feel free to rock your own suit, but it's not a "mistake" to disagree with you.

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mahyarm 10y ago

If tech companies were to ever have a dress code, it would be jeans, a graphic tee and a full sleeve hoodie. Or a collared shirt. The hoodie might still be required.

huffmsa 10y ago
Because IBM wasn't a tech company who's (unofficial) uniform was blue suit, white shirt, red tie, brown wingtips for nearly two decades. Come now child, learn your history.

sudosteph 10y ago

- Times I've ever been distracted by a coworkers outfit: 0 - Times I've ever been distracted by conversations/music/movement/laughter in my open office: 9000+ Yep. Outfits are the only cause of BS distractions that can exist in offices...