Sexism in England? Shocking!

The Bank of England recently issued a memo to its female employees regarding dress code for them.  Some of the choicer bits include:

‘looking professional, not fashionable; be careful with perfume; always wear a heel of some sort — maximum 2 inches; always wear some sort of makeup — even if it’s just lipstick. Shoes and skirt must be the same color. No-no’s include ankle chains — “professional, but not the one you want to be associated with;” white high heels; overstuffed handbags; an overload of rings, and double-pierced ears.’

There are so many things wrong with this I’m not even sure where to start – the blantant sexism, the inappropriate jokes, or the bad fashion sense. Not only are they attempting to tell their female employees how to dress “like a woman”, they are apparently attempting to get them to dress like their maiden aunts.

Now obviously, men and women are different. Men who work in finance do not often wear skirts, heels, or makeup – except perhaps very late at night – and allowances should be made for gender differences in professional attire.  But in this case the executives of BoE went too far in describing exactly how they believe females should dress.

I also understand than there has been a lapse in dress code standards in many fields, and banks and other fine stuffy institutions do not want employees of either gender to dress inappropriately. Personally, I don’t care if my teller is dressed like streetwalker as long as she counts my money correctly, but I realize most people prefer to be served by those wearing more formal outfits. That’s fine, and an employer should be able to dictate standards within reason, as long as they are not obviously discriminatory.

So, for the benefit of those poor managers who clearly had one too many over lunch the other day, I present an example of a memo on dress standards for all employees that should help keep things looking spiffy over there, with the added benefit of hopefully preventing any class action lawsuits. They are welcome to use it, free of charge, in order to prevent any future missteps of language they may potentially cost them millions of dollars.

“Dear Bank of England Employees,

All employees must dress professionally at all times, in a manner consistent with current standards of formal business dress. Employees must present a clean and neat appearance at all times, and must wear a suit  (either with trousers or a skirt no shorter than knee length) and matching shoes. Heels are acceptable when appropriate, but may not be any higher than 2 inches due safety concerns in the event of an emergency. Visible piercings other than a single set of the earlobes, excessive amounts of jewelry, and visible tattoos are not permitted. Ankle chains are right out. Employees will refrain from wearing strong scents which some customers may be offended by. Make-up is permitted to the extent that it enhances the professional appearance. We don’t care what kind of handbag you bring, as long as you keep it off the damn counter!

Thank you for your cooperation,
Bank of England Managers.”

And what, you ask, are they going to do when a literal minded and enterprising gentleman shows up to work in diamond studs, heels, and Chanel? Tell him to put on some lipstick, of course!

~ by lycaon on February 3, 2009.