I was a lifeguard at a water park during a summer in college. The uniform for guys was a pair of short blue shorts (very short) with an optional shirt. On cooler days, any blue sweatshirt was permitted, so long as it didn't have any large logos, team names, etc. The employer didn't pay us for any of it; it was a condition of working every day. Normal wear/tear was ok, but later in summer when shorts would bleach, some guys were asked to put on a new pair. I bought 2 at the beginning, they lasted me through the season, but were very close to bleached by the end.
I think a few times someone would show up without a uniform; they'd either buy a new one, borrow, or get sent home. You couldn't wear red guard shorts, had to be specific blue, with company logo. If you were cold and had only a red sweatshirt, you couldn't wear it. If you had any tattoos, they had to be covered, either by clothing or bandages. Quite specific, but our customers knew who the guards were and mostly listened to us.
I really don't see this as any different than someone showing up to work at McDonald's without their uniform (something I did in high school), or showing up to the office in inappropriate attire.
If the uniform is reasonable, then it is reasonable to expect everyone to wear a uniform. If the uniform is not reasonable, then the story is different. I already mentioned the example of women being expected to wear bikinis, and my claim is that there needs to be a one-piece option. It can be the same suit, same color, but in a one piece version, and it will still look like a uniform.
Here is my story. When I was a beach lifeguard back in the 80s, they had us wearing the old nylon suits even though lycra had been around for awhile. ("We've had the suits for decades -- why change?") The men's suits were red and were a reasonable cut. The women's, however, were those old dowdy suits with the flap and the shoulder straps that fell off (I trust some of you remember those). Still, I gamely wore mine. Then a friend of mine told me that the suit was see-through when it was wet. Gee, none of the men I was lifeguarding with mentioned that... hunh. Shortly afterward, I finally met one of the (very few) other women guards. I mentioned the suit, and she laughed and said, "Yeah, they tried to get me to wear that -- but there was no way! I went out and bought my own red suit!" Needless to say, I did the same thing, and no one said a word.
Again, my point is that the suit has to be reasonable, or if not, options need to be offered.
I was a lifeguard at a water park during a summer in college. The uniform for guys was a pair of short blue shorts (very short) with an optional shirt. On cooler days, any blue sweatshirt was permitted, so long as it didn't have any large logos, team names, etc. The employer didn't pay us for any of it; it was a condition of working every day. Normal wear/tear was ok, but later in summer when shorts would bleach, some guys were asked to put on a new pair. I bought 2 at the beginning, they lasted me through the season, but were very close to bleached by the end.
I think a few times someone would show up without a uniform; they'd either buy a new one, borrow, or get sent home. You couldn't wear red guard shorts, had to be specific blue, with company logo. If you were cold and had only a red sweatshirt, you couldn't wear it. If you had any tattoos, they had to be covered, either by clothing or bandages. Quite specific, but our customers knew who the guards were and mostly listened to us.
I really don't see this as any different than someone showing up to work at McDonald's without their uniform (something I did in high school), or showing up to the office in inappropriate attire.
If the uniform is reasonable, then it is reasonable to expect everyone to wear a uniform. If the uniform is not reasonable, then the story is different. I already mentioned the example of women being expected to wear bikinis, and my claim is that there needs to be a one-piece option. It can be the same suit, same color, but in a one piece version, and it will still look like a uniform.
Here is my story. When I was a beach lifeguard back in the 80s, they had us wearing the old nylon suits even though lycra had been around for awhile. ("We've had the suits for decades -- why change?") The men's suits were red and were a reasonable cut. The women's, however, were those old dowdy suits with the flap and the shoulder straps that fell off (I trust some of you remember those). Still, I gamely wore mine. Then a friend of mine told me that the suit was see-through when it was wet. Gee, none of the men I was lifeguarding with mentioned that... hunh. Shortly afterward, I finally met one of the (very few) other women guards. I mentioned the suit, and she laughed and said, "Yeah, they tried to get me to wear that -- but there was no way! I went out and bought my own red suit!" Needless to say, I did the same thing, and no one said a word.
Again, my point is that the suit has to be reasonable, or if not, options need to be offered.
