work related opinions please!!

i work for a credit union. so in this credit union we of course do not have uniforms, but do have a dress code policy that we all abide by. dress to casual dress attire.

now in a month and a half we are switching to a new system. to make this "exciting" our company has decided to use a construction theme for the conversion. this means we must decorate the branch and post signs about the upcoming changes. now they are telling us we HAVE to wear these silly yellow hard hats all day everyday until they decide "thats enough".

a bunch of us dont want to do it. we already wear laminated lanyards advertising the conversion. this may sound petty, but if we do not have a uniform and only a dress code and are in a union can they MAKE us wear these hats all day everyday? because i just dont think thats right.

Originally Posted by RiffxRaff

if we do not have a uniform and only a dress code and are in a union can they MAKE us wear these hats all day everyday? because i just dont think thats right.

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Your company sets the dress code, and it's within their right to change it. Are they making a request that people wear the hats, or is this a change in their dress code? My advice is to check with your union.

no it is not a dress code change. its only temporary but they are requiring us to wear them for the time being. our union rep says its not a union issue.

Wow that truly sucks, I hope you don't end up having to wear them!

I don't know that they can MAKE you wear them, but I suspect your performance evaluations could be affected by not doing so...on the up-side, gimmicks like that rarely last more than a couple weeks - the marketing impact is lost after that.

One thing you might be able to do is suggest something less annoying as an alternative...maybe a construction vest? In my experience, managers are often more willing to work with people who come with a compromise. Of course, if Corporate is telling them it has to be done, there might not be much room for negotiation.

Originally Posted by RiffxRaff

no it is not a dress code change. its only temporary but they are requiring us to wear them for the time being. our union rep says its not a union issue.

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If they are now requiring you to wear them, even if only temporarily, then it is a change in their dress code and IMO you have to wear it or risk losing yuor job or getting a bad review in the future for not being a team player.

I like the idea about proposing wearing a construction vest if not a hat, but I wouldn't make a big deal about it. I'd be happy about the business casual deal - a lot of employers prefer significantly more conservative dress, especially in the financial services field.

I would think that you will probably have to wear them. There are so many people out of work that they could consider not wearing them as insubordination which is grounds for dismissal and I'm sure they could get new employees with little to no trouble.

Personally, I would just wear the hats in good spirit for the short (hopefully) length of time required.

Unfortunately, I think you will have to have hat hair for a couple of weeks. Go along with it and be a team player. It probably won't be more than a few days or a couple of weeks.

Have fun with it. Decorate your hat. Put flowers/ribbons/ect on it. Make them easy on/off so you can change it everyday! You WILL get noticed and have fun at the same time.

(I would HATE to have to wear a hat but............better to have a job that asks you to wear a hat then................no job).

Kim

Yes, if you want to work there you must do what they say!

A hard hat really? Has the person(s) dreaming this up ever worn one for more than a few seconds? They are not really comfortable and if you have to bend down or move your head around you will end up banging on the walls, doors, etc.... There is an inner band that has a knob than you can turn to conform it more to your head but what a pain!

Hopefully it will be a very short lived idea. Cutesy but really impractical.

we dont HAVE to wear them she says now. "i cant fire you for not wearing it" were her exact words. its not from coporate, it was just an idea from someone at our branch. so without asking everyone if they would be willing to wear them they spent the money to buy them for everyone...except drive thru..which makes no sense. if its REQUIRED (but not mandatory..which again makes no dang sense to me. i thought those words were interchangeable) then why doenst EVERYONE have to do it? the girls in drive up can be seen from the lobby and outside bc of the huuuuge window they sit behind.

she also said that anytime the credit union has a big change and we hand out fliers and post posters, members still come in a month to even a year after the change saying they never got any information, they had noooo clue it was coming. the hard hats are supposed to be the big conversation starter so we can tell them about the changes. but im sorry, if we have posters, fliers, huge signs on the windows and doors, balloons, a concession stand, games, and party decorations in the lobby..im pretty sure a yellow hard hat isnt gonna be the first thing to spark their interest.

but if the time comes and i feel like wearing it, ill wear it but if not then they can get over it.
i work 40 hours a week, plus overtime, plus covering peoples shifts bc we are so short and they cant spend the money on hiring enough people to fully staff us, plus running back and for from lobby to drive up as needed (which is every freaking day bc we are so short), plus ive helped train (bc im the closer) all the previous new people. i think my performance, outside of wearing these dumb hats, is way above and beyond what is expected. i also am getting ready to go back to school and search for different employment that will allow for that so i really could care less at this point.

we dont get paid enough, our union is more in favor of the company than the people that pay it monthly to protect them, and thanks to our new headquarters branch, that is the slowest yet most extravagent and most expensive, we cant afford to hire anyone, even after a large handful of higher-ups have up and quit after being here for years with no notice (very fishy). i dont plan on moving up here. i dont plan on persuing anything here more than what i need right now, a job to pay the bills.

If it's the branch and not corporate, suggest wearing something else like the constructions vest, or even the construction tape they put around sites. You could wear it like a Miss America ribbon. I really don't think construction hats would comfortable or practical for work (unless of course you were DOING construction), but then again, I've never worn one lol.

I agree, best to comply than to cause a disagreement. Maybe one of your co-workers will take the risk and argue. I have to say though... what a stupid gimmick.

If you have to work drive up part of the time, and the drive up people don't have to wear the hats, that could be your out. Hair looks really bad when you take the hat off, so you could say you don't want to make a bad impression on the clients who see you through the drive up window.