Into The Breech - Kilted at Work

[Riverkilt]

Finally just decided to kilt up and show up for work.

Two days in a row now...only flak came from my supervisor with a bunch of nervous comments, and the CEO with a nervous comment. Everyone else ignored it except for some compliments on how cool they looked.

Started with UKs, tan original yesterday, black workman's today (complete with my peace and love carabanier dealies). Tomorrow the olive mocker.

Off to the Arizona Ren Faire and Highland Games Friday, so kilted all this 4 day weekend. Plan to show up kilted next week.

I've got 20 some of these things now with three more on the way...seems silly not to enjoy wearing them.

My lurking fear is that some misguided manager would sit me down and tell me "no" for some silly reason. But when I think it through don't think that could happen since there's so much emphasis on recognizing culture and diversity in the mental health field these days. AND, I spent a kilted weekend last fall at a conference with a super honcho from the regional mental health authority and she loved the kilts.

So, as much as I detest Nike, maybe their slogan is the right one for this....just do it...

Only down side so far has been realizing the need for some accessories, like matching sox, color coordinated shirts...guess I can do some shopping while in the big city this weekend.

Ron

[MACKAY]

Wonderful News!

I wish my employer was as open minded ... I have been told flat out that the Kilt, in any form (traditional or otherwise) is not proper "Business Attire". Seems the dress code has that little clause in it that is open ended enough to make it not worth my while to challenge. After all, it is that same employer who signs the check every two weeks that pays the mortgage and pays for more kilts.

Now if we can just get that EOE (equal opportunity employee) clause to include …. “We do not discriminate against any person based on religion, gender, sexual preference, disability or predisposition to the wearing of the kilt" :P

Brian Mackay
'Manu Forti'

[Graham]

predisposition to the wearing of the kilt"

now that is a clause I would like to see added.

Well done Ron, I'm glad you can now enjoy wearing your kilt to work, I enjoy it with my work.

The other day I had to go to a workshop and work on a large CAT earthmoving machine.
It was parked right out in the yard next to where a bunch of mechanics were having lunch.
I noticed a few sniggers as I climbed onto the machine in the wind, but I was happy and comfortable, they were sitting there is dirty overalls!

I hope you enjoy you work and don't get any grief from management.
What do you do?

[Riverkilt]

Brian, would be interesting to research - if your company has been around that long - if they once prohibited women from wearing pants...?

Graham, I'm a licensed professional counselor for a rural mental health agency. My clients are mostly alcoholics and drug addicts referred by the courts, probation, and parole. I also treat some sex offenders and mental health clients. See clients individually and in small group settings.

Guess my agency is very tolerant. There is no formal dress code, but the boss has said, "Don't make us develop one." But he was referring to some therapists who come to work dressed for a day of heavy gardening.

Consider I am 60 years old, tattooed, have long hair down to my tail end - which I wear loose, usually wear ZCoil shoes (www.zcoil.com for the curious) and have had my name usurped by the hamburger folks...add a kilt to that and its a testiment to the agency's diversity.

Of course I still worry about what effect, if any, being kilted would have/has on clients. So far just the usual curious questions I get around town.

Of course it doesn't hurt that the CEO comes to work on Halloween in full drag and is often making joking remarks as if he's attracted to male staff. He complimented me on my legs yesterday in a humorous way.

The look for today is olive UK mocker, brown wing tips, cream kilt hose, white shirt, and Pendleton vest in Chief Joseph pattern. Think there's a pic with a similar look in my gallery only with my forest AmeriKilt.

Ron

[MACKAY]

Brian, would be interesting to research - if your company has been around that long - if they once prohibited women from wearing pants...?

Interesting thought! I work for a very large German company with multiple divisions and offices here in the states. The company is over 150 years old and is very conservative in their values, etc.

Surprisingly I would think that Europeans (the company is a US subsidiary, but managed at the C level from Germany) would have a broader view of diversity in dress. Perhaps I should buy a pair of Lederhosen and see what happens!

Brian Mackay

[GMan]

Matching sox

Well done Ron, keep up the good work you do, especially kilted.

[KiltedHuntsman]

I work for the Defense Department, and my office doesn't care at all when I show up in a Kilt. They're used to my eccentricities...

[Geoduck]

DOD doesn't mind, huh? that kind of surprises me, and I'm not sure why...

For me I work in an office where the boss wanders around w/out shoes on most of the time, so our dress code is rather lax. Our retail area out front is getting remodeled though nad yesterday when I showed up in jeans one of the ignorant contractors asked me where my skirt was. I just looked at the bastard and said "Kilt." He laughed (not in a supportive way) and said "oh, that's what you call it, huh?" At least they're only here for a week or so. Whatever, my co-workers loved the traditional tartan much more than the UK's, but either way, dress code is definately lax.

Glad to hear that more places then not will let you dress as you like.

George

[macwilkin]

The only place that I couldn't wear my kilt is the battlefield where I work as a park ranger, because of the uniform regulations obviously. The library where I work and the two previous ones before were "kilt-friendly" (especially the genealogy section of the public library!), and I've never had any problems with the library director -- but then again, my office is covered in all things Scottish, and they're used to my "eccentricities"! :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Todd

[Alan H]

Every place is different and every work situation is different. In my previous careers I can think of times when being kilted would have been fine and times when it wouldn't work at all.

For instance, I used to do double duty, teaching Marine Science (http://www.sfbaymsi.org) on San Francisco Bay aboard an 86 foot boat. It gets windy out there, and the classes that came out were mostly 5-8th graders. A kilt would not be an appropriate choice for work attire. The same goes for teaching sailing on small boats, which I did during the summers while I worked for MSI.

I used to teach Biology, Health Science and Anatomy/Physiology at the community college level. A kilt would be just fine for that sort of job. However, and this is sad but it's true...three times in four years I had to fend off young women who suggested to me that a trade of sex for an "A" would be just fine with them. If I'd ever wound up in Union arbitration or even worse, in court over that, I can see how the kilt might have been an issue.

I also have spent a few years in the biotech industry. I would hesitate to wear a kilt in the lab, but on days when I was in group meetings or at a conference, sure...why not?

In my current job where I do computer tech support in the University libraries, if I know I'm going to be crawling around under peoples desks running wiring or installing a new machines, a kilt isn't my choice for work wear. Or days when I go to meetings or run shotgun on the bunch of students that I supervise, or spend most of the day sitting at my computer writing documentation, being kilted is fine. I'm glad that my management is open-minded enough to not raise a fuss over me wearing a kilt to work. In fact folks are getting used to the idea that "Wednesday is kilt day" around here. When I wore it on TUESDAY instead of Wednesday this week, I got questions!

Sometimes reality limits what you can do, though and if the management won't go for wearing a kilt to work, then you just have to deal with it. I think it's wrong, but you have to deal with it. It just takes sensible judgement.