These are five answers to five questions. Here it is…
1. Do we need a dress code because an employee’s skirt is too short?
I work in a small marketing office and am part of the leadership team. It shouldn’t matter, but I’m a woman. We don’t have any written dress code and it’s quite informal. To give you an idea, leggings and tracksuit bottoms are not that uncommon, nor is a hoodie and shorts. But I’m not sure that means we don’t really have any rules. On the extreme end, swimwear and booty shorts will not be appropriate, nor will a t-shirt with profanity on it.
Barbara, a staff member, stands out a bit in the way she dresses – think very short dresses (with tights underneath) and the occasional low-cut top. I personally don’t care for it (and have always mentally marked it as an option, but not one that affects my assessment of her work, which is good, or her character). Lisa, another staff member, has asked if we need to consider tightening the dress code. (I think Barbara was doing something during the break that meant her dress had ridden up, and Lisa behind it had yanked it up.)
One option, of course, is to do nothing. And maybe that’s okay. But there is one condition – no one should see their colleague’s underwear. Should we talk to Barbara about this? If we do, how can it be expressed in a way that isn’t terrible? I don’t think we want to try to create an entire dress code because of this, especially if it was intended only for women or only for “very short skirts”.
I know you don’t want to create an entire dress code just because one person isn’t following it, and you don’t. to pass – You can simply talk to Barbara and tell her that at least one outfit recently exposed her underwear and ask her to make sure she’s wearing clothes to completely cover her undergarments.
But I would argue that it is kinder to point out more formally what is not OK. So far, everyone except Barbara has adopted it, but given that your office has certain expectations regarding attire, it’s not ideal to rely on people setting those expectations themselves. You might be thinking, “Most people look around and figure it out” – but as you see, inevitably some of them will get it wrong. from there Is With a playbook you expect people to use (just an unwritten one), it’s kinder for everyone – and better management – to make it clear.
It does not need to be more restrictive than current requirements. It can simply do what you’ve mentioned here – no swimwear, booty shorts, or T-shirts containing profanity, and clothing must provide enough coverage so that undergarments are not exposed.
Someone still needs to talk to Barbara; You shouldn’t implement a new dress code without telling her what changes she needs to make. But ideally you will do both.
Connected:
Our interns have no idea about our office dress code
2. Construction noise when you’re working from the office
I work in a mixed environment, and our office is located in a multi-tenant building. Over the past one to two months, another suite in the building has been undergoing large-scale renovations for a new tenant. About a quarter to half the time, it involves very loud construction work (concrete boring rather than light drilling), and we sometimes even feel vibrations. I’ve pared down my office days to the bare minimum necessary, and when I’m on site, I rely heavily on noise-canceling headphones throughout the day. It has helped but I still see build up.
How much and for how long is it reasonable to expect office workers to work under such conditions? Management is sympathetic to the disruption, but has not suggested extending our work from home days. Management said they have requested that the most disruptive construction work be carried out outside normal office hours. Is it enough? Should I expect more?
Are they really doing the most disruptive work outside of normal office hours now? If so, this might be the maximum amount you can expect to make if your work really requires you to be in the office X number of hours this week. If it’s not really needed, it’s worth asking if you can extend your work-from-home days until construction is complete (or at least until the most strenuous phase of it is complete). That request will be stronger if it’s based on “the noise is giving me a headache” or “I can’t hear people on the other end of my call,” rather than just “I still notice buildup even with headphones.”
It’s also worth asking what the timeline is likely to look like, as it’s probably easier to bear if you know it’s the last weeks than if you know it’s going to be like this for months.
3. Blessing a meal at an event with staff at my home
I oversee a team of about eight people across several offices, and recently, when everyone was in town, I invited them all over for dinner at my house. I was clear that this was an optional, after-work program. I encouraged people not to bring anything (although some did bring sweets, as people will). When it was time to eat, I said a brief blessing over the meal, which is a tradition in my faith (and something I think we never gave up in our house, although I’m sure the deity I worship would condone it if we had one meal).
No one seemed uncomfortable, but after the fact, I wondered if it was an exaggeration. On the one hand, team members are of different religions (or no faith at all), and I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. I would never raise religious issues in the workplace, and I have no desire to proselytize in front of my supervisors. On the other hand, it was an event in our house and we were (briefly) following our normal customs. What advice would you give in the future?
Yes, ideally you should avoid it when it is a work meeting, even if it is at your home. But how religious was this blessing? If it was a “In the name of Jesus we pray” type of blessing, it is more likely to make someone uncomfortable (and inappropriate for a work gathering) than if it were a fairly general praise for the food without mention of specific sacred figures or scriptures.
4. I keep missing morning meetings due to side effects of medication
I work in a team of three people. Until a year ago, my team worked mostly or completely remotely. My boss, Rachel, still does this, because she lives in a completely different time zone. The third member of our team, Phoebe, and I would check-in with Rachel individually on a weekly basis. But our company moved to a new location and started requiring all employees within a certain radius of the office to come in on a hybrid basis. Employees outside that scope are allowed to stay away entirely. Phoebe and I are mixed, and Rachel is remote.
We started doing team check-in, Phoebe and I were in a conference room and Rachel was coming in. Phoebe and Rachel are both morning people, starting work at 7 a.m. my time (Rachel is often online even earlier because she’s in a further time zone). I am not. I arrive at work around 9:30-10, with 10 being the latest allowed by the company. We settled on a check-in time of 9:30.
Fast forward a few months and I am taking a medication that has side effects on fatigue, which has had a very bad effect on me. I’m still in the office by 10, so I’m within company rules, but there have been times when I’ve fallen asleep again in the morning or overslept and missed a 9:30 call. I have explained several times that this is a side effect of a medication and have apologized profusely. But I can tell Rachel is angry, even though she always says it’s okay.
I missed the call again today. Phoebe is on sabbatical right now, so it’s just me and Rachel. Rachel’s temporary solution is for me to pick up the phone at 9:30 at home, then come to the office, but we’ll need to figure out a more permanent solution when Phoebe comes back in a few months. Rachel notes that she and Phoebe prefer early check-in, and in fact Phoebe and I will be in the office together, so there’s no point in returning to separate check-ins.
I know the problem here is me. I’m the one who keeps missing calls. And I feel like a child every time I have to say that I overslept or missed the alarm. But I’ve talked to my doctor and there isn’t much she can do without giving me a different medication, which has the risk of causing even worse side effects. I feel like I’m not being heard, that this is something that has a very easy solution. If we had called an hour later, it wouldn’t have been a problem. How can I present this and make it clear that I need a later check-in time? At least until I find a solution that will help me get out of bed in the morning.
Consider it a medical accommodation: “I’m just as frustrated as you that this keeps happening and because it’s medical, at this point I’d like to ask if we could move our meetings to 10:30 or later as a medical accommodation if you prefer that? I can talk to HR about a formal accommodation if you think I should do that, but I thought I’d check with you first if you don’t think it’s necessary to go that route.”
5. Working a full-time job and a part-time job for the same employer
My organization allows full-time employees to hold a part-time position in the same organization. I don’t understand how the organization doesn’t get in trouble for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with respect to non-exempt full-time employees.
If I work 40 hours at my full-time job this week, how is it allowed that I can come back and work 12 more hours on the weekend as a part-time position and do something completely different and not earn 12 hours of overtime pay? It’s the same company, and the same money, that pays everyone. Am I missing some crazy flaw?
No, it is illegal.
If an employee is non-exempt (meaning not exempt from overtime) their employer must pay overtime (time and a half) for any hours over 40 a week, even if the employee is working two completely different jobs for the same employer. This is true even if a part-time job would be exempt; If their “main” work is non-exempt, the additional work is also considered non-exempt. (The only exception to this in the law is for government employees, and only if the part-time job is occasional or sporadic.)
