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ferenYesterday was Jeans Day at $EMPLOYER. But wait, Feren! I hear you say. I thought jeans were verboten at your place of employment! You're right, they are -- usually. Sometimes the ban upon All Things Denim is lifted as a "reward" for us low-level employees, as if a singular day of comfort and style somehow makes up for all the other indignities we suffer. In the case of the 22nd, it was to mark the anniversary of $SUBDIVISION's founding. So at the beginning of the week a memo went out inviting all employees to wear jeans on Friday, "in celebration."
Being the perverse, contrary and generally assholish individual that I am, I naturally chose to go against the grain. I opted to wear one of my suits to work instead instead of the day's "relaxed" code of jeans and polo shirt. The fabric was black with dark pinstripes and I trimmed that out with black shoes (of course), black belt (naturally), a black shirt, a black tie with red, yellow and blue blotches (I joked that the tie looked like a macaw had exploded on it), my sunglasses and my favorite hat (The hat had to come off while I was at my desk, otherwise I wore it most of the day). I received a lot of the expected "Hey, I hope your interview goes well!" commentary, along with the various permutations thereof like "Hey, have you got an interview today?" Only one or two people stopped and asked me "So... what's going on with the suit?"
Regardless of what phrase was used during the opening dialog my answer was always the same. "I'm wearing a suit because today is Jeans Day," I'd tell them, which would net a quizzical look in response. So I'd elaborate on my explanation by adding, "Every day could be Jeans Day, if management wanted it to be. I'm a senior engineer at the corporate office, I don't see our target customers -- ever -- and rarely do I interact with vendors. The same goes for you. There's no reason we need to wear slacks day in and day out. So, this is my political commentary in response to our supposed reward."
Yes, I am well aware that wearing a suit on jeans day is not terribly clever and that doing so is a far cry from anything remotely approaching subversive. Still, as I was growing up, I was told repeatedly that it's the little things in life that count. So hey, if by doing this little thing I can separate myself from the herd for a brief while and, at the same time, thumb my nose at a worthless policy? I might as well make the effort.
Heidi, when a man buys a couch... he loses a ball.
Being the perverse, contrary and generally assholish individual that I am, I naturally chose to go against the grain. I opted to wear one of my suits to work instead instead of the day's "relaxed" code of jeans and polo shirt. The fabric was black with dark pinstripes and I trimmed that out with black shoes (of course), black belt (naturally), a black shirt, a black tie with red, yellow and blue blotches (I joked that the tie looked like a macaw had exploded on it), my sunglasses and my favorite hat (The hat had to come off while I was at my desk, otherwise I wore it most of the day). I received a lot of the expected "Hey, I hope your interview goes well!" commentary, along with the various permutations thereof like "Hey, have you got an interview today?" Only one or two people stopped and asked me "So... what's going on with the suit?"
Regardless of what phrase was used during the opening dialog my answer was always the same. "I'm wearing a suit because today is Jeans Day," I'd tell them, which would net a quizzical look in response. So I'd elaborate on my explanation by adding, "Every day could be Jeans Day, if management wanted it to be. I'm a senior engineer at the corporate office, I don't see our target customers -- ever -- and rarely do I interact with vendors. The same goes for you. There's no reason we need to wear slacks day in and day out. So, this is my political commentary in response to our supposed reward."
Yes, I am well aware that wearing a suit on jeans day is not terribly clever and that doing so is a far cry from anything remotely approaching subversive. Still, as I was growing up, I was told repeatedly that it's the little things in life that count. So hey, if by doing this little thing I can separate myself from the herd for a brief while and, at the same time, thumb my nose at a worthless policy? I might as well make the effort.
Heidi, when a man buys a couch... he loses a ball.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-23 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-23 08:26 pm (UTC)Make sure to wear out the knees of some slacks. It shouldn't be hard. Just keep wearing them on the job as you do all sorts of those manual labor tasks.
Wait for management to complain.
"No, wait," one says, "My job requires manual labor. I am required to wear expensive and less-durable slacks instead of the more appropriate, more durable, and less expensive jeans. And when my manual labor job causes the rapid wearing out of these wholly inappropriate pants that I'm forced to wear, then you want me to go buy more, and more? I'm supposed to spend more on work clothes than someone who regularly sees customers?"
"If you are going to force me to do things that ruin my clothes, then I expect full reimbursement for my work clothes that get ruined."
no subject
Date: 2007-06-24 01:27 am (UTC)A sane employer wouldn't make it necessary to revolt, and just allow jeans for those who crawl around under the floor or in ladder racks.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-23 09:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-24 04:51 am (UTC)