Welcome to my second installment of "Casual Friday," my humorous look at something in Human Resources, Management, or Business. Today I want to talk about an experience I had some time back with the dreaded Non-Conformist. Please take a moment at the end of my post to comment on any of the Non-Conformists in your own workplaces.
Sandals Guy
When I was working in Center City Philadelphia several years ago, the company I was working for had a business casual dress code. For men this meant a button down dress shirt, Khakis or black slacks, and a nice pair of shined dress shoes. Everyone followed this dress code except for someone in the office that was known in some circles as "Sandals Guy". Sandals Guy would dress in business casual except for the fact that he always wore sandals.
This person worked in a different department than ours, as I had heard that management had tried to address the issue. Unfortunately, the other department did not see a problem with it and would not correct him. As such, we were forced to see his big bare toes every day. This man was a dedicated Non-Conformist. He wore sandals in the summer and in the winter. He wore them in the rain. I even saw him in business suit wearing them once.
Sandals Guy was also a bit of a disruption at work. Some people complained that if this one person can wear sandals all of the time, why can't we wear sneakers. The answer typically given was, "Because you aren't Sandals Guy". How and why management let him get away with it is beyond me. It's been years since I crossed his path in a cubicle filled hallway. I do not know what ever became of him, but I bet this person is out there still rocking the world with his sandals.
And remember all of you Human Resources professionals: Be Human... Be a Resource... Be a Resource for Humans.
Sandals Guy
When I was working in Center City Philadelphia several years ago, the company I was working for had a business casual dress code. For men this meant a button down dress shirt, Khakis or black slacks, and a nice pair of shined dress shoes. Everyone followed this dress code except for someone in the office that was known in some circles as "Sandals Guy". Sandals Guy would dress in business casual except for the fact that he always wore sandals.
This person worked in a different department than ours, as I had heard that management had tried to address the issue. Unfortunately, the other department did not see a problem with it and would not correct him. As such, we were forced to see his big bare toes every day. This man was a dedicated Non-Conformist. He wore sandals in the summer and in the winter. He wore them in the rain. I even saw him in business suit wearing them once.
Sandals Guy was also a bit of a disruption at work. Some people complained that if this one person can wear sandals all of the time, why can't we wear sneakers. The answer typically given was, "Because you aren't Sandals Guy". How and why management let him get away with it is beyond me. It's been years since I crossed his path in a cubicle filled hallway. I do not know what ever became of him, but I bet this person is out there still rocking the world with his sandals.
And remember all of you Human Resources professionals: Be Human... Be a Resource... Be a Resource for Humans.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are by the author Trevor Stasik, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any employer or any other organization. Please note, this information is based on my understanding and is only to be used for informational and educational purposes. Do not take what I am writing as advice. Seek your own legal counsel and/or see a tax accountant before making business or personal decisions. The author of this post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
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