Does back in the office mean back in business attire?
Dear J.T. & Dale: My company’s dress attire before the pandemic was business casual. Now that we’re back in the office, everybody is truly casual — I mean it feels like anything goes these days. I swear the guy next to me had pajama pants on the other day. I’m actually happy to be back and dressing up again — I was sick of being in sweatpants all day long. But I find being in an environment with everybody being so casual to be a bit depressing. Is it wrong of me to want to go to the boss and ask about tightening up the dress code? — Gabrielle J.T.:
I think a lot of employers are trying not to put too many requirements on employees right now. The pushback they’ve received about being back in the office has made employers concerned that everybody is going to quit. So, anything they can do to make the transition easier, they’re doing. It sounds like casual dress is one of the ways your company is doing that. You could always go to your boss and ask if the dress code has changed and if it’s now OK to go very casual. Based on management’s response, you can then decide if it’s going to stay that way. If so, it just might not be the right environment for you. Then, you can always start to look for a new job where they’re back to the dress standards that you prefer.
DALE: No, no. You’re both thinking about this all wrong. First, casual attire is a job benefit, and if it gets out that you’re pushing management to upgrade the dress code, you’ll be a pariah. Rightly so. After all, coming back to the office is an expense and hardship and to take away another benefit would be hard on morale. Plus, I’ve heard people saying that their pre-pandemic clothes no longer fit. Some used the time at home to get fitter, some used it to get fatter; but, either way, it’s a problem that would require effort and expense for many employees to solve. So, forget complaining. Do this instead: Enjoy looking classy and professional. Stand out. Take pride in being well-dressed and looking like the person who should be in charge. You’ll be sending that message every day, and the company executives will start to think of you as special ... as one of them.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Prior to COVID-19, my company allowed people to bring their dogs to the office. We just started coming back to the office two days a week, and a co-worker is bringing her bird to the office. She claims that it’s just like a dog and that it’s not causing any problems. But honestly, it is. It smells, and I hate the sound it makes. Can I say something to my boss? — Adam
DALE: This strikes me as another case of “your enemy is your Buddha.” Here’s a chance to work on yourself, learning
the kind of focus that allows you to shut out sounds around you. Or, to train your mind to take something you’ve decided is annoying and reclassify it as pleasing. By the way, birdsong is the most relaxing sound in the world. Literally. Somewhere, deep in your unconscious mind is the knowledge that when birds are singing, the predators aren’t around.
J.T.: Or, to actually answer your question, I would privately inquire to your manager if you might be able to move to where you’re not as close to the bird. You can explain that the smell is distracting, as are the sounds, and it’s making it more difficult for you to do your work. If enough people complain, your boss may have to reach out to management to determine what to do. Keep in mind, if your co-worker finds out you were the one that was complaining, it could make for an awkward situation. That’s why I think asking to be relocated due to the distraction is the safest way to address the topic.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “Experiments Never Fail: A Guide for the Bored, Unappreciated and Underpaid.” Please visit them at jtanddale. com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.