This is going to be a pretty long post so bear with me As I go through everything. First the back story. I have been dressing at work for the better part of 2 months. Mainly skinny jeans, blouses and flats of some sort. I wear eye shadow, keep my hair in a high ponytail, and wear dangle earrings. The past week I've been occasionally wearing skirts with the past 3 days being exclusively skirts, all knee length or longer (this detail does matter later on). Today one of the store co-managers called me into the office and told me that the regional HR supervisor says that I cannot wear skirts unless I am transitioning, which I haven't decided if that is something I wanted to do. Now I keep a printout of the company dress code in my locker so I know what it says. Here is the main points concerning my dressing as it pertains to the dress code. In place of the company name I will be replacing it with (*) to avoid any possible legal ramifications. I'm no lawyer but not taking any chances.
This policy applies to all associated who work for (*) ... except for facilities in the following states. (None of the states are Connecticut which is the state I work in so according to the policy itself it is valid in my state.)
Policy
(*) requires it associated to dress in a manner that is both professional and relaxed and appropriate to the facility, as described below.
Appearance Requirements
Clothing
- Clothes, including any company issued apparel, must be neat, clean, and without holes or ragged edges.
- Clothes must fit well and not be too tight or too loose.
- Shirts showing bare midriff are not allowed.
- Pants and skirts must fit properly and may not hang below your hips. Low-rise pants may not show the midriff when walking, bending, stretching, or leaning. Windsuits, sweatpants, and spandex pants are not allowed.
- Undergarments must be worn and must not be visible.
- Closed-toe shoes are required for all associates. Closed-heel shoes are not required, except in certain positions (not mine). Athletic shoes that are clean and in good condition may be worn.
- Hats may not be worn unless required by the work area, or for associates working outside. "Do-rags" and "head-caps" are not allowed.
(In the next section I am omitting everything except the pants/skirt requirements as it is the only part appropriate for this particular post)
Dress Code Requirements
Solid light tan to dark brown pants or solid light tan to dark brown skirts or skorts of your choosing. Skirt or skort length must be no shorter than three inches above the knee.
(The following section is what convinced me to start dressing at work to begin with.
Transgender Anti-Discrimination
Nothing in this policy is intended to violate any state or local laws regarding gender identity or expression. To the extent the policy identifies accessories or items of clothing that may traditionally be associated with a particular sex or gender, the reference is intended to be neutral and non-discriminatory regarding which sex or gender can use or wear the particular item. The administration and application of this Dress Code Policy will likewise be non-discriminatory regarding gender identity or expression in accordance with applicable state or local transgender anti-discrimination laws.
Compliance
The management team is expected to use good judgment and discretion in enforcing this policy for consistency in their facility.
An associate who does not comply with this policy will be reminded by a supervisor to ensure that the associate understands the policy. Associated may be required to change their clothing to meet the guidelines of the policy.
This is where the issue is. The regional HR manager says I cannot wear skirts unless I am transitioning. No where in this policy does it say that. Also, she says that the Transgender Anti-Discrimination section is not valid in Connecticut since there are no anti-discrimination laws in this state. Apparently, according to what I was told today by my co-manager, they didn't have any problems with me wearing the skinny jeans, flats, makeup or earrings, just the skirts. I am trying to figure out how to proceed with this since the HR supervisor is basically contradicting the company's own dress code policy. I'm thinking of having a meeting with her first to bring the issue up and if her answers don't satisfy me I may go above her. In this company they say it is an "Open Door" policy to keep going to the next higher ranking person to have your issues resolved. I think it may be time to see just how open that door is. I'd like to know what you all think about this situation. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to be sure you had all the information needed for this.