A woman could not believe her boss’ reaction to her summery outfit in London recently – the sales worker has been inundated with opinions, with many dubbing the outfit as fine, and others totally disagreeing
A young woman was gobsmacked after her boss deemed her long, white denim shorts as inappropriate for the workplace. As temperatures get warmer throughout the rest of spring and into summer, many of us will struggle through the heat at work – especially if you have to wear a specific uniform.
Dressing in lighter clothing is a great way to resolve this, however often some summer clothes like flipflops, shorts or vest t-shirts, might be deemed as unsuitable and unprofessional. One worker, Lauren Rita, could not believe her boss’ reaction to her outfit recently. Lauren wore a black body suit, white denim long shorts from Primark, a black bag, glasses, gold necklace, and curled her hair.
The London resident, who works a 9-5 in the sales industry, could not see the issue with her rather stylish look, and rushed to social media to ask if her boss’ comments were valid.
Lauren, taking to her TikTok page @laurenrita, and said: “My boss said these shorts were not suitable for work, is she wrong?” People rushed to share their divided opinions – while many do not see a problem with the outfit, others agreed with her boss, and some noted it depends on your job role and work place rules.
From Jellycats to Labubu dolls – why are adults so obsessed with kids toys
“Shorts are inappropriate for work, unless you’re a postman,” she said. “They are SHORTS, not appropriate,” commented another.
One other agreed, and commented: “Girl. Office has an elegant and professional dress code. It’s not picnic in the park. Shorts are so wrong. Maxi dress / maxi skirt/ wide linen trousers all summer long.”
“Anything shorter than knee-length is not appropriate for the office,” suggested another. One other pointed out: “In a corporate office they wouldn’t be appropriate, but completely depends where you work. There are plenty of offices where they would be appropriate.”
One Swiss woman said: “It looks absolutely fine to me.” “In Sweden this would be perfectly fine,” added another. “I mean they’re casual, but I wouldn’t say they’re inappropriate.”
Others pointed out that it may be Lauren’s boss who specifically has a problem with them, instead of it being company policy. One insisted: “You need to ask her what specifically makes them unsuitable. If she doesn’t have an answer, they’re suitable.” “She’s jealous,” suggested another.
One other said they have experienced similar, and said: “I’ve had this happen to me working in a café. Plain normal jeans on. Pulled me aside and everything. It’s 100% jealousy. keep wearing them.”
There has been a lot of debate over the years about whether shorts are appropriate for an office setting. Nowadays, many work places have a more relaxed approach to typical workwear, but depending on the industry you work in, what is considered acceptable office wear can vary.
Is it appropriate to wear shorts to work?
Is it appropriate to wear shorts to work?
Popular Men’s UK fashion brand, Moss, best known for its suit ranges, has shared some advice on if shorts are appropriate or not. Stated on its website, Moss said: “The job you do definitely has a bearing on what you wear for work. If there’s a safety issue with you wearing shorts, or your workplace still requires you to wear a suit and tie, then it’s probably a no.
“Certain industries have different standards when it comes to workwear, and your company may want to keep it more on the formal side.” Moss added: “The type of shorts you wear matter too. Gym shorts, sleep shorts or very short shorts? Probably not, unless your workplace dress code is really relaxed.”
Do you agree? Comment below.
