I hate swimming 😂
Yesterday at the pool, I was lucky enough to get a lane all to myself (see photo – no, I didn’t choose the fast lane). I only swim for half an hour a few times a week, so you might want to hold off on that phone call to the Olympic Swimming Committee, to get me to Paris.
Why swim, if I hate it? Well, running is the exercise I love. But the (old) body is recovering from an injury, so needs must and all that.
On my way to the showers afterwards, I laughed at all the signs dotted throughout the change rooms. So many rules. We are becoming a red-tape nation. Most of them are surely just common sense. My favourite? “Complete personal grooming discretely.” My second favourite? See 2nd photo:
🩲 Appropriate swimming attire must be worn.
That one got me thinking about the conversation I had with a roomful of managers at one of my recent workshops. It was “Open Forum” (my favourite session of any workshop) and one of the topics chosen by the participants, was around work attire, casual Fridays, and the many arguments the managers were having with staff who seem to think it’s fine to wear gym gear or open-toed thongs to work. I laughed as I remembered similar conversations from my own experience, including one with a staff member I spotted walking around the office completely barefoot. In a professional law firm. Let’s just say, that conversation didn’t last long.
As a manager, it falls on you to set a standard for workplace attire – let’s call it, the dress code – and to both model said dress code and do so consistently. Now here’s the thing: what you or your company deems to be acceptable work attire is entirely up to you. It should perhaps reflect the type of company or industry you’re in, the culture you want to create, and what clients or customers would expect if they came into your office. What I might think is professional and appropriate, might be over-the-top for your business. Or vice-versa. Maybe open-toed thongs are compulsory where you work? Fair enough (though it does mean I’ll never work there, sorry about that).
As I told the managers in the workshop, this issue really isn’t an issue at all. It’s pretty simple. All you have to do is ask yourself:
👉 WHAT IS APPROPRIATE?
Along with what’s not, of course. Then, you communicate that to your team.
It tends to be what’s deemed “not appropriate” that causes the issues. Some staff will disagree with your decisions. They might even openly argue with you about it. Then, they won’t like you for a while. Some will even gossip about you behind your back, annoyed at “those damn rules – I just want to wear what I want.” Ah well, never mind (that’s my standard response to gossipers; try it, you’ll love it). But if you stick to the standards and enforce them, over time you’ll find that respect grows. Professionalism grows. Culture grows. They are called standards because they involve effort. And I like that. The reality is, as a manager you have to make decisions that aren’t always popular. No matter: make the call. That’s your job.
Tuxedo to the pool, next week? It probably doesn’t meet their appropriateness test. And I’m okay with that. After all, I wouldn’t turn up to the office wearing swimming trunks. Even on a casual Friday.
👇
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