Unfriendly word from on high

[scottishlass]

First, I should mention that I'm working under "At Will" conditions in the US as a programmer.

After participating in Kilted Fridays for nearly 2 years with hearing nothing but compliments, I got a visit from my manager, not my supervisor, yesterday. Our COO has decided that kilts are ok to wear to work, however I've been forbidden from appearing in any customer facing meeting while wearing a kilt. It's not clear if that would include the customer stopping by my office or not (which often happens).

My manager said I'm embarrassed to have to even have this conversation. My co-workers who know about it are very supportive and thinking it bogus.

I'm not sure what I should or even can do about this, but at this point, I'm consulting our employee handbook, and polishing my resume.

What I would do is consult with Human Resources in regards to it emphasizing that it's your cultural heritage and that in the past has not effected your job performance. If HR says that your manager can make those requests then unfortunately, you may have to live with it. You could claim it is discriminating against your cultural heritage but if I were the HR manager reviewing the case, I would be asking you why your cultural heritage does not include the other four days of the week.

At the end of the day, ask yourself this: Is wearing the kilt on Friday's more important than earning a paycheck at this company. I know that's harsh and brutal but sometimes you have to look at things like that. Not every company is cool.