What was/were the ridiculous rules where you worked or work? Mine was not being allowed to wear open

[debm55]

Last edited Thu May 25, 2023, 08:32 PM - Edit history (1)

toe shoes without hose or peds!! Also, no more then one piercing in each ear. I had 3 in each ear. I was a teacher. Sometimes you didn't know you broke a rule until you broke it. Also included use of computer for nonwork business. We were also limited to how many copies we could run. Other jobs I had, said you had to work the day before and the day after to receive holiday pay.

[LakeArenal]

1. In a bank no pants with pockets on the butt.

Always panty hose on women.

No DPO for women in pants… (No Definite Panty Outline. )

[debm55]

12. Gee that sounds tough, almost like they didn't want you to wear pants, but didn't have the nerve to

say it.

[LakeArenal]

23. Well, I have seen some unsightly DPO. It doesn't look very professional.

I never minded. But I went to my first interview with a jean skirt with pockets on the butt and no pantyhose. It was a bit embarrassing to be told that I didn’t look as professional as I felt I did.

[debm55]

28. But Lake, what makes you good at your job is your talents and abilities. So glad things have change.

You, my friend, would have been the same in a skirt and jacket suit as you were in the jean skirt. Sorry, you were told you did not look professional. My hair was down to my waist. I was told to get a professional cut. I did and I disliked it.

[OhNo-Really]

2. Slacks at work

All hell broke loose when my assistant wore her slacks to work. She broke the barrier for the rest of us. It was a large stuffy old law firm were we all addressed each other and Miss Mrs or Mister.

[debm55]

10. Have to ask, was that a written law or expected?

[OhNo-Really]

16. It was societal expectation of a staid law firm

In the late 1960s

I was her manager.

I responded to the Managing Partner

“Perhaps if the law firm paid higher wages, this Navy wife could afford a better ward robe.

She actually wore her husbands Nancy’s blue pants to work.

Btw. She looked adorable in them.

And slacks became exceptible.

Pant suits surfaced.

My how times have changed!

Today tatoos are acceptable .

[debm55]

17. I know and body piercing too.

Glad the times have changed somewhat.

[OhNo-Really]

18. Me too.

There are few freedoms youth can find for self expression. Sadly I might add.

I call the “I am” expressions.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. I wasn't aware of any rules like that at my Federal agency.

In my particular office the "big boss" at the time issued a decree that male employees should not come to work in jeans, only because one guy did, but there was not a similar rule for female employees. Women could go bare-legged and -footed in sandals, too!

[debm55]

6. You were lucky. We would have Jean and t-shirt days.One teacher wore those ripped jeans and got sent

to change. It was a private school.

[debm55]

19. My husband worked for the Federal government. When he was out doing fieldwork it was jeans and heavy

duty work shoes(he worked with explosives) Inside was a jersey and chinos.His sick days and personal days were much, much better than mine--I think they called it annual leave.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

20. Yep, annual leave. We got sick leave, too.

[Thunderbeast]

4. 1978...Bell Telephone...

LEFT TURNS PROHIBITED unless three right turns not possible when driving company vehicle. In company driver training class, a chart was shown just in case we couldn't follow how that worked.

[yonder]

7. Wow. I see someones liability reasoning but WOW.

[debm55]

9. How did you get around that?

[TexasBushwhacker]

41. Actually, I think they have that rule at UPS

They found that the time wasted waiting to turn left canceled out any benefit and they were more likely to be involved in accidents vs the 3 right turns.

[jmowreader]

45. When I drove an 18-wheeler...

...we were told in orientation to make three left turns if at all possible. It is FAR easier to turn a 53-foot trailer left than it is to turn it right. "Set up for the turn in the right-hand turning lane if there are two, pull forward until your cab door is in the middle of the lane you want to be in, and crank the steering wheel all the way to the left." Works every time.

Last Monday I was following a semi up Monroe Street in Spokane when he wanted to turn right onto Wellesley, which has a street light WAY too close to the curb. The driver flipped on his turn signal the prescribed distance from the intersection, so when I saw it I slowed WAY down. He pulled into the left-hand turning lane, so I stopped aft of his trailer's tail to block anyone from getting up beside him. (I am positive that pissed off a lot of people, but I did not care.) When the light turned green, the guy just whipped that massive beast right into the lane he wanted to be in, no muss no fuss.

[peacefreak2.0]

5. Women could have coffee at their desk until the

boss came in. After that we could MAKE the coffee but not drink it. Years ago.

[debm55]

8. Yes, no coffee, or water at desk.

[Mr.Bill]

53. In the early 70s I workrd at a retail Super Drug Store.

Whenever we addressed any other employee, regardless of rank, in person or the Voycall speaker system, We always called them Mr, Miss or Mrs. and their last name. No first names allowed, except in the break room. It did give a bit of a professional tone to the place, I guess.

Edit: I meant to adress this to the OP. Too lazy to delete and type over again.

[rickford66]

11. No sneakers or jeans

At a nationally known defense contractor.


Also I had to wear a tie at Prudential Insurance computer center.


None of my employers allowed shorts even in the areas with no A/C.

[debm55]

13. My school had no AC, wearing panty hose was unbearable. We went to school from the end of August to

June. At one point, there was talk of teachers wearing uniforms.

[Freddie]

14. If you were 2 or 3 minutes late you got "talked to" or worse

If you called in sick, no problem and no one questioned it. Paid sick time. Stuck in traffic? Just call in sick, turn around and go back to bed! Apparently the company preferred 0 hours of work versus 7 hours 55 minutes.

[debm55]

15. sure sounds like it. My rule at school was having personal days but having to write out your whole

life story to get it. Why even have it, if they made it so darn hard to get. Oh yes, in our handbook, it did say that personal days were only to be used for medical reasons. Well, what were sick days for. Duh,

[PJMcK]

21. First job, suit and tie

Strict office hours from 10:00 till 5:00. Suit and tie every day. Mind you, this was the music business dealing with creative writers, directors and producers. I always felt i looked like a lawyer or an undertaker.

After ten years, I went independent and poached a couple of clients. New dress code: Whatever. Just be clean and stylish. My firm, my rules!

It’s been a great 30+ years!

[debm55]

22. I like your outlook on work,

[Pas-de-Calais]

24. I was Federal

Guy’s had to wear ties and slacks or khakis. I have around 20 WILD ties ranging from The Stooges to The Scream. When called out, I replied it’s a tie. Others saw what I was doing, loved it but never had nerve themselves.
Later I read about corporate dress down days and suggested it to my boss. $1 per day. Up the chain it went, came back down ONLY Fridays.
I then came up with Dress Down for Xmas. $1 or more per day with total department total $$ to be given to charity. Upper management balked at 1st but relented.

From that a more relaxed dress code slowly crept into our workspaces. But if DC folk came into town, back to ties & slacks,,,

[debm55]

26. You are right about the DC folks and getting dressed up.My husband didn't like. In fact, he liked

casual wear.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. The Computer Thing

But, literally everybody I knew (hundreds of people in 20 countries) paid no attention to it.
I used to sign on to DU from all over the world. No way was I going to carry 2 laptops everywhere I went. So, technically I was "violating policy", but never heard a word about it.
So, it was a rule that wasn't really a rule.

[debm55]

27. Professor, what I didn't like was there were rules for the outsiders which differed from the "pets".

Not everyone was treated with equality. Heck, people were looking for jobs on their classroom computers, filling out resumes and playing games. I kept my mouth shut and did my job. I fell down two flights of stairs. No ride to the hospital, no one to take me their. The higher ups said in wasn't in the rules and I had to drive myself. I had a concussion. Instead of the hospital, I drove 10 miles home, went to sleep. After rehab, I was fired for not being able to keep up. Looking back I wished I would have sued the principal.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. Don't Blame You

Seems like lack of attention to medical care would violate some workplace safety laws.
Sheesh! That's just rotten.

[debm55]

32. I was fired. Received no money for Neurologist or Rehab. I contacted the Unemployment office--I was

fired-so no Unemployment. Also contacted the Workman's Compensation--only witnesses were children.--so no. Finally went to SS and got SSDI at 62. No court, no lawyer, I gave 40 to the Diocese of Pittsburgh and that is how I was treated. When church envelopes come I throw them away. Forgot to add-nonunion school.

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Family Member Had A Similar Experience

3rd grade teacher at a small catholic school for nearly 40 years. Suddenly, she was not good enough. There is zero doubt that she got too expensive. They were, however, paying into a pension fund, so she didn't leave with nothing.
Her husband was nearing retirement anyway, so they're ok.

[debm55]

34. I did get my pension--the little that is.

[skypilot]

30. When I worked at the now-defunct Borders bookstore...

...we were not allowed to read any of the book review publications that were kept at the info desk when we were scheduled to man the desk. Fucking stupid. Borders was run by morons in its final years and we all know what happened.

[debm55]

36. I always wondered about that, because when I had a question, they were no help. No I know why.

Thank you, skypilot.

[skypilot]

39. I guess they thought that...

...we'd get so engrossed in a review of the latest Oprah Book Club title that we would ignore the customer standing in front of us. Shows how much faith in and respect for their employees they had. And, of course, they paid shit wages.

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. When I saw your first sentence, I knew you must have been a teacher

I was a teacher in Texas in the 80s. We were required to wear hosiery. At the time, that meant panty hose, which were hot and expensive. One young teacher played tennis during her time off and had nice, tan legs. She REFUSED to wear stockings and went bare-legged in defiance.

[debm55]

35. Did she get fired?

[TexasBushwhacker]

40. Nope

Frankly, her tanned legs we so perfect, you really couldn't tell she wasn't wearing stockings. They would have had to touch her legs to tell, and that wasn't happening.

[debm55]

42. That is so funny.

[Upthevibe]

43. debm55 ..............

In the early days of my career - (mainly the 80's) I wore dresses/skirts with panty hose.

I was in the Hospitality/Hotel Industry. I worked my way up from being an Administrative Assistant to becoming a Director of Convention Services. I was at a four-star luxury hotel in Texas when I moved to California in '88 where I worked in a number of positions with the pinnacle being Conventions Services Manager and also Front Operations Manager.

Then in the 90's (and for most of the rest of my career) I was in the career college arena. During those days, I wore nice pant suits.

Now, as a substitute teacher, we can wear anything! I normally wear nice black jeans with a professional blouse. We can have any tattoos and piercings we want (I have no tattoos and only one piercing per ear). I'm at probably the most progressive and coolest high school in the state of California! I love it there.

The teachers on staff wear shorts, t-shirts, jeans, and basically what they want. The way things are now an average school day can involve us climbing over and under desks to deal with computer situations, helping students with projects that require we be more leisurely dressed, etc.

I feel incredibly fortunate!

[debm55]

48. Oh, and I was the Art Teacher. I asked many times to wear jeans. Answer-no. They were not

professional.

[Upthevibe]

63. debm55............

May I ask what year and what state?

[debm55]

66. PA , I taught from 1978 to 2018. Nonunion catholic school.

[Emile]

44. Not being allowed to wear shorts driving an 18 wheeler for

my last employer. First rest area I would change into my shorts anyways.

[jmowreader]

46. I used to work at a Glamour Shots studio

The dress code called for black, white or fuchsia clothing (fuchsia is also known as magenta), leather shoes with no more than 6" heels, styled hair, earrings and full makeup. (If you don't know, Glamour Shots is a photo studio chain that puts makeup on all the clients.) Makeup wasn't required for male employees but lots of their male employees wore foundation, powder, clear lip gloss and contour.

Since they didn't pay us hardly anything, a lot of us were going to work with no makeup at all and using the product that was there for use on the customers. Then the company came down with An Edict: "Employee use of Company-owned makeup for personal use is a termination offense."

The worst part of the job was the time constraints put on us. You had:
30 minutes to style the customer's hair
15 minutes to apply a full face of makeup
15 minutes to allow the customer to choose four outfits to be photographed in
15 minutes to take four pictures in each of the four outfits
15 minutes to sell a photo package to the customer

If you needed 30 minutes to fix all the customer's acne scars before sending them into the camera room...nope, you don't have it. If you needed 45 minutes to get sixteen borderline-pedophilic poses out of a five-year-old, you don't have it. (I photographed A LOT of child beauty pageant contestants. Trust me on this: the only thing worse than putting your kid in a quarter-inch-thick layer of makeup and having glamour shots taken of her for her pageant portfolio is being the underpaid worker who has to do it.)

This was WAY before digital photography reared its ugly head, so the proofing system was a video camera bolted to the side of the film camera. It would put these big white circles around the customers' eyes. The only way we were able to sell pictures to anyone was to talk bad about the proofing system. Then we got An Edict: "Talking badly about the high-quality photo preview system used by Glamour Shots is a termination offense."

On the other hand, there were some fun customers. I had this one lady come in about 7:30 at night when I was the only person in the store. Turns out she was an A-10 mechanic from Pope Air Force Base. "Oh, can you do my pictures?" Sure! I gave her a non-GS-style makeover (read: she could have worn this to work the next day without getting sent to the latrine to take some of her makeup off), did her pictures while talking about A-10s, and sold about $500 worth of 8x10s to her. A week later when she came in to pick the prints up she was made up exactly the way I did it. Turns out she went to the NCO Club on Pope after leaving the store and her friends were so happy with how she looked she did it herself every day from then on out. The store manager is all "YOU can do makeup?" Yes ma'am, that's pretty much how I got hired here. I mean, come on: back in the Golden Age of Hollywood artists were called "makeup men" for a reason.

We had this "contest" box where you could sign up in hopes of "winning" a free sitting. In reality what happens is we cold-call everyone who puts their name in the box. Well...one day it was my day to do the cold-calling. The store manager handed me the box and said to call the first ten names in the box. Me being both a trained intelligence professional and a kind-hearted soul I decided the best thing to do would be to pick ten people who wouldn't be at work in the middle of the day...so I took all the slips and sorted them into three piles: those who would be home in the morning, in midday and in the evening and called only the people who would be home when I was calling. The store manager saw me and started screaming about how she told me to just call the top ten names in the box! Well...I had ten names in my midday pile, so I just grabbed it and got five appointments out of the ten. "How did you do that?" So I showed her how to analyze the slips. Three days later the district manager showed up for a block of instruction on analyzing these forms for maximum response.

[femmedem]

47. Thanks for writing so vividly about what it was like to work there!

It seems like it would make a good setting for a sitcom, even though it was anything but a fun place to work. Also: you're a fine writer! I felt as if I was there.

My contribution to the thread that probably nobody but you will read: Way back more than half my life ago, I worked as a semi-topless dancer. Semi-topless meant that we were fined if we didn't wear tiny squares of scotch tape on our nipples.

[debm55]

50. Hey, I read it!! That's funny.

[debm55]

49. I remember Glamour Shots--had one at the local mall. Never tried it. I didn't like all the make up

that was applied. Sorry for saying that.

[jmowreader]

51. We could do as much or little makeup as you wanted

We did a decent trade in real estate agents. None of them wanted much product.

[debm55]

52. Oh, didn't know that. Thanks for letting me know the make up could be applied like the customer

wanted. Question for you--why did they go out of business. They always seemed crowded?

[jmowreader]

55. That style of photography has gone out of fashion

I can think of six reasons why that particular chain went under.

Problem 1: Pick Your Own Package. Most studios have portrait packages: for X dollars, you get a 10x13, two 8x10s, four 5x7s, and two sheets of wallets. GS prices their pictures in units: anything that’ll fit on an 8x10 sheet is one unit, a 10x13 is 2 and so on up to 30x40, which I think was 40 units. You would buy units and pick prints that fill the order. The company sold this as free choice, but the customer saw it as confusing.

Problem 2: not great value for money.

Problem 3: the pictures were kinda cheesy. We were dressing the customers in, essentially, thrift store clothing and these massive plastic clip-on earrings. I would ask my customers to PLEASE bring in their own jewelry!

Problem 4: we didn’t do manicures. People got it into their heads that “makeover” meant you would get your nails done. When we didn’t, a lot of people would look at the previews and say, “I don’t want these, my nails are too plain.” So you’ve got a huge amount of labor from two different people on you, and you don’t want to pay for it because of something completely within your control.

Problem 5: people felt really rushed. Remember the deadlines we were required to meet.

Problem 6: Joe Blasco Ultrabase. You have 15 minutes to go from bare face to full glam. The ONLY way you are gonna get there is to absolutely bury any imperfections the customer has under a thick layer of industrial-grade foundation. Hence, we were probably the largest customer of this particular brand of theatrical greasepaint. You know those little knives people use at cheese tastings? That’s what you use to get this product out of the jar. I can’t give a “it’s like this” example for Ultrabase because it is the thickest thing I’ve ever seen. We used it on everyone - children, teens, young women, mature women, boys and men - and it has exactly one positive attribute: it works. Other than that… You can feel it the entire time you’re wearing it, it’s borderline painful to have applied, your skin can’t breathe, your face can barely move and it almost has to be sanded off. I don’t even think they use this on Broadway anymore. I wore it once. If I had to wear it again I’d think about applying a layer of Elmer’s Glue under it so it could be peeled off. It would be more pleasant to wear house paint. But…that’s what we’re sending people out of the shop in. Word gets around.

[Wolf Frankula]

54. I worked at a place where you had to speak English

except in the Spanish lanes where you had to speak Spanish. I was reprimanded for speaking Afrikaans in the English area, and another worker was reprimanded for speaking Spanish in the English area,

Wolf

[BlackSkimmer]

56. When I was in the Air Force, they made us wear uniforms.

Had to have shined shoes too.

If you missed a button on that uniform or had a crooked name badge, woe betide you.

[debm55]

57. Did you work in an office? What did they do if the uniform was not up to standards?

[BlackSkimmer]

58. My uniform was always up to standard.

So I'm not sure what would happen. Didn't matter if you worked in an office or on the flight line.

But anything not in order on your person is considered "out of uniform" and probably just a word from your sergeant the first time, but any subsequent violations would be frowned upon, to put it mildly.

Now in Basic Training, a mistake would usually earn you a VERY loud lecture from your TI in front of all your fellow airmen. You would NOT make a second one without repercussions.

[debm55]

60. Sounds very strict, but I guess in the military you have to be. FIL was a Marine. Everything had to

be perfect. Just wondered if they made them do pushups. etc. Thanks.

[BlackSkimmer]

68. No, no pushups after out of Basic. And that wasn't an Air Force thing when I was in.

Once you've left Basic and Tech School, you got to your duty assignment and essentially it's like any other job.

But you do have to wear a uniform, and you live in the barracks when as young as I was. That's where I met my first gf, and figured out I was gay lol.

The Marines are different in many ways. USAF BMT was only six weeks back then. USMC is three months I think. Very different regimen.

I actually GAINED weight in basic training; I remember being amazed at the low physical standards we had to meet. I was an athlete in high school, and stepped it up before Basic, thinking I'd be challenged.

The physical part was a joke. and I found myself frustrated at the amount of standing and sitting we did since I was an active kid all my life prior to that.

Sadly, many women in my flight could not even meet the pathetic standards even then, and now they've slackened them.

Of course it was strict; that's kind of the military thing lol.

I was on a SAC base, and you could actually be heading for the gate for the weekend...and if the sirens went off, the gates closed, and there you were until they let you leave.

Ah, memories.

[debm55]

69. BlackShimmer, you flew a plane, That is terrific. Thank you for all your information. My FIL was

stationed on one of the Japanese islands during WWII and never would talk about it. You have my deepest respect. Thank You.

[BlackSkimmer]

70. No, no, no. lol. I did NOT fly any aircraft lol.

My job wasn't not flight related at all. A SAC base has many working parts. My section had security clearance, but we had nothing to do with flying airplanes.

My boyfriend (before I figured out who I was) was a boom operator on a KC135, which is a tanker. I would spend time with him in what was called "the alert shack" when he and his cohorts were on alert, as all the flight crews would be in rotation.

The stories I could tell of the parties up there with the guys on alert. Lol, no doubt they've got a better handle on it now, but hoo boy...we had some times.

Nope. I was an 18 year old who had a very different job. It was a small base, so I could SEE the runway from my office (if it had only had windows), but no, no flying for me.

I was an airman, which is an enlisted rank. Officers fly planes.

As far as I know, there are still no teens flying aircraft. Or enlisted personnel. Enlisted personnel operate the booms, fuel the fighters from the tankers, run the flight line...but no...no piloting.

[debm55]

71. Thanks for setting me straight. During the Vietnam war, my BIL was drafted--went into Army. My

husband, who is only 10 months younger, decided to enlist in the Air Force to avoid Army. He eyes are so bad that the Air Force didn't enlist him as a pilot. He could have done other work, but waited for his number to be called. It didn't.
You were only 18? I thought about it but was at that time afraid to fly. And if I was stationed overseas, well I didn't think I could ask to stationed stateside. Thank you for serving. Your life sounds very interesting and exciting.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

67. Shined shoes? In the Air Force?

Are you sure you weren't in the Army or Marine Corps?

(Just kidding. Salute.)

[Paladin]

59. Having to back my vehicle in every day, not just in the company parking lot....

...but also in the commuter lot where I parked, most mornings. Even though the commuter lot was at least 40 miles from the company. I was told I had to do this, because "it was the company way."

[debm55]

61. Paladin, did you follow that at the commuter lot?

[Paladin]

62. Yes. I needed the job and the money. (nt)

[Niagara]

64. My memory is like swiss cheese.

And it only works when it wants to.



I remembered once when I worked as a lunch lady at a public school, we had a kitchen lead that informed us employee's that were not allowed to use the restroom more than once during work hours.


This was back in 2015.


I raised my hand during this little pow wow and was called on and I replied, "It's illegal in the State of New York for any employer to tell an employee how many times during a shift that they're allowed to use the restroom. We can call Company's 1-800 number and confirm what I just told you."


Needless to say I was placed on the L7 list. (L7 is a rock band was known for a song called "Shitlist&quot

[debm55]

65. I live in PA and it is illegal here. We had rules in my school that teachers were not allowed to use

the student's restroom. We not only had to walk to the other side of the building, but had to have someone watch the class. The student restroom was right across from my room. I used it. It was either that or pee my pants.