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New Dress Code??

Thu, 06/01/2006 - 23:15 — Bookslut

At my store they've unleashed a new dress code policy. They said that it was company wide and will be in the new June employee handbook. Are other stores going with a new dress code too?

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Fri, 06/02/2006 - 01:21 — Dogma

Somewhere on eInfo they published the changes in the new handbook. My reading of it was that the dress code had to do with managers and that this was really nothing more than they had already been doing.

Wed, 06/07/2006 - 04:42 — ihcuids

Here's what the new dress code policy says: Borders employees are allowed to wear t-shirts as long as they are not offensive, jeans as long as the don't have tears or rips, clean clothes, the shirt has to be tucked in, managers can't wear shorts, no one can wear open toed shoes or hats, etc. Now what it says is for the Seattle's Best CAFE, not a store with a SB cafe, but the actual cafe is black or white polo, khaki or black pants and shorts, shorts and pants can have no more than five pockets, if long hair if can not be tied back a hair net must be worn, no facial jewlery, no visible tattoos, no funky hair styles or colors. Now notice I spilt it between the store dress code and the S.B. cafe dress code, but like my DM, they can say that the SBC dress code is for the whole store. Apparently managers read from a different handbook than was given to us non-exempt employees. It's called the I-can-do-whatever-the-hell-I-want-to-handbook. If they have a policy that they don't like, they can ignore it. I know that this is just about a dress code choice, but if they can ignore that policy, whose to say they won't ignore or change any policy they want. So once again, the managers get gold, and we get shafted. Again. What a load of crap.

Wed, 06/07/2006 - 20:08 — Bookslut

After finally getting the handbook today I pressed some managers on the dress code issue. According to the ones that I talked to the handbook was wrong. We all had to sign a sheet earlier about the new dress code policy. A bunch of BS if you ask me. This is actually different then the S.B. because with S.B. cafe workers would still have been able to wear shorts but now outlawed.

Wed, 06/07/2006 - 21:18 — office monkey
office monkey's picture

ihcuids wrote:
Here's what the new dress code policy says: Borders employees are allowed to wear t-shirts as long as they are not offensive, jeans as long as the don't have tears or rips, clean clothes, the shirt has to be tucked in, managers can't wear shorts, no one can wear open toed shoes or hats, etc. Now what it says is for the Seattle's Best CAFE, not a store with a SB cafe, but the actual cafe is black or white polo, khaki or black pants and shorts, shorts and pants can have no more than five pockets, if long hair if can not be tied back a hair net must be worn, no facial jewlery, no visible tattoos, no funky hair styles or colors. Now notice I spilt it between the store dress code and the S.B. cafe dress code, but like my DM, they can say that the SBC dress code is for the whole store. Apparently managers read from a different handbook than was given to us non-exempt employees. It's called the I-can-do-whatever-the-hell-I-want-to-handbook. If they have a policy that they don't like, they can ignore it. I know that this is just about a dress code choice, but if they can ignore that policy, whose to say they won't ignore or change any policy they want. So once again, the managers get gold, and we get shafted. Again. What a load of crap.

There is no truer an observation then this. By allowing the GM's to do as they damn well please Borders has created an atmosphere of inequality and distrust. If the GM is lieing about this what else are they lieing about?

Wed, 06/07/2006 - 22:22 — NoCoHo

It's possible, I think, that there may have been a misunderstanding about the SBC dress code applying to the entire store. That could easily have changed or as suggested be a management "wild hair," but when cafe conversions first began, my then-supe said that she was not looking forward to our store getting an SBC Cafe because anyone who was cross-trained would have to come to work every day wearing SBC code clothes in case you had to assist in the cafe at some point. SBC Cafe employees had their "preppy" dress code, and everybody else had the standard Borders dress code; only those who might have to be in the cafe at some point during their shift would have to dress SBC all the time just in case.

As far as I knew when I quit a few weeks ago, that was still the case, else why would there be a separate statement of different allowable clothing for the store and for SBC Cafe people in the handbook? But then, when did Borders policy last make sense?

I'd appeal this to corporate HR if you ask for and get clarification from your managers that everyone in your store must follow the SBC Code whether they work in the cafe or not. Generally, corporate was pretty good during my stint with Borders about saying to management, "No, you must follow the handbook, not what you'd rather do." (Now, whether or not that was obeyed was sometimes another matter entirely, which may still be the case in your store.)

Fri, 06/30/2006 - 15:35 — Bubbagump

A sad thing is that a store can "up" it's policy as long as they have approval from the DM or RD. If the store wants everyone in button down shirts, they technically can as long as it's ok'd.

Sorry...my only advice on this is to use the open door policy and talk to your DM.

Tue, 07/03/2007 - 02:28 — maugham.fan

and here we go with a new dress code. i find it a little funny that we scream diversity and then quietly try to make all employees look the same. i will never wear a uniform.

maugham.fan

Mon, 07/30/2007 - 00:22 — Former Borders ...

I've just started working for Macys and they have an all black dress code. I don't know how many other stores have strict dress code policies. Just goes to prove that companies are going corporate.

Wed, 08/01/2007 - 15:23 — Moosecatear

In the UK, us Borders folk have to actually wear uniform.... It kicked in on June 4th :(

Sun, 08/19/2007 - 12:03 — fridrikr

I agree. At the first sign of a hard & fast uniform, I'm history. I worked for Borders in the early 90's when it was as close to an eclectic book store as you could get in the corporate setting. Then I came back after retirement in 2005, to find a corporate bookstore that seemingly wanted to grow up to be B&N. That I'm still here almost 2 years later is because of my GM (a great guy) & a love for books & customers who love books. The "no t-shirts or jeans" policy is one strike, the we'll be like Target" is two. If they bring us "corporate golf shirts" & chinos, like they've tried at some stores, or a hair length rule, I'm sitting on my front porch in a rocking chair.....

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