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Uniforms For the Help Desk?
An anonymous reader writes "I am an IT worker in a mid sized company with approximately 500 employees. There are 30 people on the IT staff, 6 of whom are on the help desk. Our help desk does have significant visibility in the company, and most people know us by face (some by name). Recently the idea has been floated up the management chain to have these help desk workers wear IT department branded shirts. The idea is to promote visibility and unity. Wearing of these shirts would be mandatory Monday through Thursday. The shirts would not be identical (there would be several styles offered). We would be the only department with specific garments outside of the normal business casual dress code. Is management out of line with the industry in promoting this sort of policy change? Is the singling out of 6 employees as 'the IT guys' a step in the right direction, or does it detract from the professionalism that we are trying to display as a department?"
To me, it's a little close to wearing a fast food uniform. It would bug me.
Lol. Yeah, to hell with that.
You are blue collar workers, get use to it.
The janitors where you work probably wear uniforms too.
The idea is to promote visibility and unity.
What does this mean? So they can blame and harass you in person, give you swirlies, etc.?
Call them red shirts, and remind them what happens to red shirts in Star Trek, because as the saying goes, image is everything!
is the color blaze orange with concentric circles on the back?
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
That's alot IT staff for only 500 employees. Our organization is 13,000 employees with 10 IT Staff.
Does the company have an existing dress code? Do the IT guys follow that dress code well?
Let's be honest: IT guys have a reputation for being a bit sloppy. If that's the case here, perhaps the right approach would be for the team to do a better job of looking professional.
But if the team is already meeting the same expectations as the other employees, this just sounds like a giant waste of time. Money, energy and resources wasted on this would probably be better spent on something worthwhile that would actually have an impact on the team's ability to provide quality service.
Stuff that matters.
Why not - I once had the same idea... All my co-workers agreed but management declined...
I would be upset.
See what happens when you have good hygiene?
Other than to identify you as someone who should be touching their computer, I see no value. How about a special badge (if people at your company wear badges) or a jester's hat? ;->
I haven't had to wear one in almost 20 years, but when I did, I liked it, because then I didn't have to think about what I was going to wear to work.
Maybe they're trying to send you guys a not-so-subtle message that maybe your business casual is a bit too casual?
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
Assuming the company would be springing for the $$ for these "Uniforms" point out better ways for the company to be utilizing their resources/cash. Ultimately, corporate policy (even dress codes) is driven by management and if they see this affecting their bonuses (via EBITDA), well then???
While we're on the subject, I'd like sales people to be readily recognizable as well. Perhaps a red S emblazoned on their forehead with a red-hot branding iron.
If you're like most companies that are trying to keep a "helpdesk-centric" model going, your group is the forward face of IT, and the contact point. Help desks aren't about strong individuality - they're about consistency/uniformity of service. I don't see why the idea couldn't be extended to wearing branded shirts.
When your skills outgrow the help desk - and they should - consider losing the uniform as a perk of advancement.
I recommend something in this style.
It seems a bit odd for doing it with "Just 6 guys", but it doesn't strike me as an outright bad idea. These are the dispatch folks, I assume, who get sent on the floor to deal with customers?
There are a lot of pro, feel-good type reasons why this could be a good idea, but if you're convinced its a step from asking "do you want fries with that?", you're not likely to be persuaded the benefits.
Is the company paying for the shirts?
n/t
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Our IT staff has the option of wearing a uniform, which is provided by the company for off-site work, and they have taken to wearing it Monday-Friday even though it's not required. They do this for the reasons that you mentioned. I don't think your IT staff is going to mind unless they're already harassed by bureaucracy. If that is the case, they'll probably take it as a fascist move. It probably won't do anything to change the atmosphere unless you've got problems with the atmosphere already.
Given how IT staff get harassed to fix everything, and blamed for everything broken, I would suggest an idea floated during my days as a university student.
See, we had these "Programmers On Duty", or PODs, many of whom were volunteers, who would look at your program, and attempt to help you find what was wrong. This was pretty much a thankless job, and anything you broke, and they couldn't fix, was considered their fault. (This was the late 70s era of punched cards, and computer printouts, with actual terminals a rare and coveted tool -- the POD had an office with, you guessed it, a terminal -- a CRT to boot, so one would not have to keep trying to use the back of discarded printouts in the DECwriters. The attraction of POD duty was access to that terminal, in hopes it would be a slow day.)
A bunch of us thought that PODs should be issued distinctive uniforms as well: superhero-style costumes actually. Ostensibly this was to distinguish them as members of a rare breed: people who could debug programs quickly. In fact, the intent was to shield their identity lest the be pestered to provide help while off duty.
In Liberty, Rene
Hopefully the IT helpdesk are professionals. Who else in the company provides support for anything? Are they going to have uniforms as well?
Who is going to pay for these uniforms? The company?
Now lets do a little analysis. There are 6 employees who this will affect. There will be several styles. The word "several" is defined as: "being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind:" (dictionary.com).
So lets assume that there will be 4 different styles. This means that there will not be a "common" uniform, which is the only thing that would "unify" the department and promote it's visibility.
This is different from technicians who go out and support customers in the field. This sounds like a really stupid idea.
In most companies, the shit flows in the opposite direction.
what about star trek uniforms?
greetings earthlings
With conspicious uniforms mandated for your help desk and NO ONE ELSE, I'd imagine it equivalent to taping a bulls-eye to your back on a battlefield.
This may be the desired effect from management but the HD will probably despise it. Every time a coworker passes by you and your neat little t-shirt, it will remind them about that computer problem that just cant wait untill you are done eating...or smoking that cigarette, or taking a leak in the public restroom.
I know that this feeling is already experienced by those of us in IT, but I think this would worsen the problem.
They pay my wage... if they are willing to buy four company shirts of my choice... sure I'd wear them.
âoeAny society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
I believe that in some places the purchase and cleaning of a required uniform is tax deductable. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/relief-tools.htm
I guarantee I would've quit in an instant if asked to wear a uniform. I still would if I were working any kind of job where it would even be considered. Uniforms are a clear marker of a corporate culture going down the tubes.
For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
are they supplying the shirts? are they much different than standard 'buisness casual'
If they are supplying them (and in sufficent quantity per persona) and they donj't look like fast food uniforms, who cares?
IT guys do have a rep for dressing sloppy.
This could also be a trial for your company to go with logo'd clothing for more staff, and they just picked your dept to try it out.
If however they make you buy the shirts, then you probably have a valid beef if they arn't doing it company wide.
paid for by the company, of course. And worn with cotton gloves.
Republican leadership = Idiocracy
I think it's a good idea but I really have not heard of it before. Because IT can get access to some sensitive information having shirts might increase security a bit. At the same time, giving an automatic access to employee just because of their shirt could also be a security whole as in old school phreaking with the phone company.
You have 30 people in IT staff for a company of 500 people?! You lucky bastard!
Bow before me, for I am root.
The guy who had this idea is right about one thing: it probably will unite you, in the same that a shared traumatic experience unites the survivors, ie. shared suffering. This will probably unite the people who are wearing it, but only because the rest of the company will then separated from you. This seems to be a particularly bad idea for a career track that already has a reputation for causing some mild social isolation. You will have made yourselves into a distinct group but this will also have a price: [b]the reset of the company will not be in that group.[/b]
Like any uniform, expectations and implications will come with wearing it. In your case, more people may see you more as a clerk than an executive. It also might make your appearance slightly more inviting, which can be undesirable.
"You know, the Nazis had pieces of flair that they made the Jews wear."
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
your barcode tattoos? Or rather, if no dress code was enforced, wouldn't you all be wearing black T-shirts that say "No, I won't fix your computer."
This is the first step in making you blue collar workers.
As opposed to interchangeability and lack of individuality?
Why on earth should your help desk boys be forced to wear uniforms by policy when the rest of the office get to dress like professionals? From my viewpoint, the whole question just oozes social stratification.
If I had an IT department I'd make them wear uniforms, most IT guys I've dealt with look like they can't afford to shop at the salvation army.
Branded uniforms are usually only applied to externally-facing positions. It is unusual to wear a uniform if you only provide helpdesk services within the company. But when I have had to do that, I didn't find it that stifling. Especially if you have some say in the design. But... it does seem like overkill.
Perhaps you can suggest an alternative - like a special pin or badge or pocket protector (jk about that last one). That might make management happy without forcing entire uniforms. With uniforms comes the usual complaints about who replaces them if they get torn or worn-out, and having to create a policy for it. It is usually a headache for the company.
We tried that at my company for our engineering team. Learn from our mistakes and use the following formula.
Add each employee's weight and divide by number of employees. If result is greater than 230lbs, do not order polyester blend polo/golf shirts. Go with the 100% cotton ones. Aging men, nipples, and polyester do not blend. Unless your into that kind of thing.
What are most of you DOING? I work for a company with over 800 employees, approximately 600 or so who directly use computers, that has 16 locations in the Eastern USA and we make do with TWO.
Corporatism != Free Market
First reaction is that this is nothing more than flair and you know who else made people wear flair? TGI Fridays! AndHitler.
Second more reasonable reaction: which other departments are required to wear uniforms? If IT is being made to stand out like a redheaded stepchild, that's not cool. I'm trying to think of other businesses that have that kind of uniform/plainclothes distinction. Delivery drivers, pest control people, UPS, the people who go out in the field wear the uniform. They're also the lowest paid of the bunch. McDonalds lets the managers wear a dress shirt and tie. Dealerships have the mechanics wearing uniforms but not the sales people and office staff. Pretty much anyone in uniform is on the lower end of the totem pole. IT is supposed to be a co-equal department, right?
It might seem like I'm making a bit much of it but I think this is really an outward sign of holding IT in lower regard than the other departments. Let me know when Accounting gets assigned jumpsuits.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Second guess, mental laziness. They want to be able to do a hey you, without remembering who you are. it's like being able to locate the janitor because of their attire. To most people your a service, not a person. But then again so are cops, paramedics, and ER doctors.
Storm
The real issue of concern for me would be that many uniforms are associated with either semi-skilled jobs (fast food) or positions that require special garments to perform work (soldiers, firefighters). Most help-desk people that I've known (and the one I used to be) think of themselves as office professionals. What message does the uniform send to the non-IT staff with whom the help desk has contact. Clearly, you don't want to send messages that amount to either "semi-skilled" or "willing to move filing cabinets."
think about it, free T-Shirts, no ironing. Sounds pretty good to me, why would I want to wear out my clothes.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Wear it or wear out - the door !!
Recently the idea has been floated up the management chain to have these help desk workers wear IT department branded shirts. The idea is to promote visibility and unity.
Is the singling out of 6 employees as 'the IT guys' a step in the right direction, or does it detract from the professionalism that we are trying to display as a department?
Better question: Is your Help Desk projecting an image of service or are they too focused as being seen as "professionals"?
It seems to me that your management wants to label your Help Desk staff so that people will be more comfortable in approaching them with issues. This, if it were true, is a HUGE RED FLAG to everyone in your department. If your Help Desk isn't helpful, its just a desk, and it is likely way, way, way too expensive in that light. If the shirts thing doesn't work, expect workforce changes.
Someone needs to recon what your management thinks of the team as a whole, without focusing too much on the dress code issue, before you decide to respond in any particular way. Changes need to be made. Preferably changes to your liking rather than the more heavy-handed flavor.
I'd ask yourselves this question: do you think you need to 'promote visibility and unity'? It sounds like most people already know who you are. Do you need 'unity' then? Is this how you'd prefer to 'promote unity'?
My guess it that the answer is no. In that case I'd ask management to have enough guts to tell you what they really want. If they think you dress like slobs they should tell you so. I have no sympathy at all with gutless management and you shouldn't either.
Whether you wear department shirts won't affect the professionalism.
The right answer depends on:
1) the culture of the company at large, and of the IT group in particular. Heck, if you "have fun" with it, it could be a big plus
2) whether there is some other lurking problem you have not mentioned the shirts attempt to address
Sheesh, where I come from we have 500 employees and only 8 IT workers with 2 of them running the helpdesk. We have a very well equipped datacenter but our IT department runs on a very lean payroll, too lean if you ask me.
This makes me wonder what the average everyone-to-IT ratio is at other companies our size.
having to wear a costume- er, excuse me, uniform- is demeaning, conformist, and totally out of line with the professional attitude i've strived to cultivate as an IT worker.
unless the uniform consists of ripped, sleeveless "megadeth" t-shirts, in which case it's all the same.
Of course, it doesn't go nearly far enough. Aren't they going to make you all get the same haircut and talk with the same accent as well? I assume one of the 6 is female? After all, the rest of you already seem to have had your balls taken away for conformity.
They will be just like Janitors.
Time to find a new job.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Where i work (A utility company in Brussels, Belgium) the helpdesk and lower IT personel are the only who don't have to wear a suit, just a clean neutral clothing, a long non baggy trouser, a neutral shirt or decent t-shirt and/or pullover (no hoods) and leather shoes (no sneakers, sandals or boots) but for the rest we are free. For the few ladies in our department similar dresscode are made.
All the rest are dressed in suit or for the cleaning/technical upkeep staff, a uniform fitted to their job with company logo's on it.
When I worked front-line IT support for UPS back in the 90s, I had to wear dress slacks and a tie. If I was visiting customers I had to wear a suit. This would not be a big deal if the customers worked in offices, but for the most part they worked in the shipping department which was usually in the warehouse which was usually the hottest and dustiest place in the building. Even for internal customers it was a pain. A UPS shipping facility is filthy. There's dust, dirt, grime and it's not air-conditioned. A lot times I was crawling under carts, going up in ceilings to trace cabling, Wearing dress clothes in this environment sucked. Not only did I get filthy almost every day, but my clothes didn't last very long at all.
And I had to walk uphill across conveyor belts to and from school.
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?
The only reason I can see for requiring uniforms where they previously weren't is if the help desk staff aren't already sufficiently professional in their attire. Sometimes that is the case with liberal interpretations and applications of the "business casual" dress code. If they are "client facing", which in this case probably means they actually go to employees' desks to help them sometimes, then I can see it.
Otherwise, it is just a waste of time by someone in upper management who ought to have better things to do. In this economy, I'd imagine almost any company has enough challenges that dress code isn't worth the time spent unless it's a problem.
Free shirts!
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Apart from packing your bags, will you have any say in the decision? If not, it's either get on the train, or prepare to be run over.
I can see pro- and con- for uniforms or a dress code. Yes, it can portray a common front for a department that is often "unseen" by others in positions of power. The users you serve likely know you and your team members well. It could be a move by management to help other senior staff recognize your presence in their departments, too.
I would be interested in finding out the real motivation for the change. Does anyone on your team tend to dress inappropriately or stretch the boundaries of the casual environment too far? If so, talk to your manager to make sure the entire team is not getting punnished for the actions of one. Others have raised the concept of the employer buying the uniforms. That's been done in many places, but don't hold your breath. If anything, it would be reasonable to expect at least one free shirt (I'm assuming pants will still be up to you, but might need to be a certain color or type--excluding jeans, for example). There certainly will be tax rules regarding required uniforms. My employer reimburses for 'x' uniforms a year (I don't remember how many because my department does not use uniforms), and for 50% of required safety shoes for those who need them. Be sure to get all expectations or details of the new policy in writing, especially as it pertains to costs, reimbursements, and expectations.
My personal guess is that one of your corporate officers spent a lot of time in line at Best Buy (or a similar location) before Christmas. He probably noticed all of the associates in their blue polo shirts and tan pants, except for the Geek Squad which was wearing it's black and white motiff. "Management by standing in line" may well be the new "management by magazine". Either that, or someone who can make the decisions has a laid off sister-in-law who just happened to start an embroidery business...
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
This is what happens as the company grows .....
It goes Dilbert on itself.
This is what happens when people too stupid to do any real work and who've been replaced by a bash script gets promoted to middle management because you can't get rid of them due to union rules and stuff.
You know how they got the management position? A: The parkinson law : Upper management doesn't want their job threatened by a younger, smarter, more active, more educated middle manager, so they promote somebody dumber then themselves and the guy under hires some1 dumber then himself and so on
Uniforms is lack a respect for you tech support guys, uniform is a school's tool to reduce violence and bullying by unifying every1 thus eliminating gangs and groups. It's not for a job place, it's a joke to think about it, if they had respect, they would ask you to wear a suit and a tie, but then you would be in par with ur middle management guy, he is not gonna put you on that level, he is also prolly afraid that you'll write another bash script to replace the middle management positions.
Hey while I think of it, a script that creates and assigns random useless task and complains a lot could replace my boss.
every single day, as the one and only developer-IT guy in a manufacturing plant, and not only uniform i also had to use security boots and hear protectors and in some cases dust mask.Everyone hear wear uniforms: the manteinance guys, the operators of the machines and the administrative guys: engineers, production planners & programmers, etc. :)
i see the wearing of the uniform as a bonus because i don't have to buy new clothes and my shoes are less used because they're left alone in my locker
ps: we also get our lunch in the company restaurant, free of charge of course, so for my is no more buying clothes and free food
Slashdot ya no es que lo era!
It's not clear from the original article... is this an internal helpdesk or a customer-facing helpdesk? If you're in a customer-facing position I agree that a look that reinforces your "brand" is good business. If your "customers" are all internal, though, then I have to wonder about management's motivations. Either they're trying to send a subtle message about your current mode of dress, or else they're scheming to get more attention (and resources) from upper management ("We want to make sure they KNOW who helped them out come budget time!")
A more-flexible and less-costly alternative to shirts, though, might be special "help-desk" *badges* that you wear when you're on the clock. These serve the same branding function, but you only have to buy one per employee (if they expect you to wear the shirts four days a week, they damned well better issue at least four shirts per employee!)
Since the IT folks are often the most powerful employees of any company (in terms of how quickly a few people could essentially shut down an entire organization), I would support an idea like this. Of course, I would want something simple like (like this).
In large organizations, anyone with elevated, potentially damaging powers should be distinguishable on sight. The CIO should have to wear a gorilla suit just so it's fair.
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
See if you can get management to go for lab coats with a logo or some sort of jacket. That way, you could take it off easily for that lunch break they are probably timing to the second.
Geek Squad?
Will the company pay for the additional cost of laundry as well?
You never expect irony, do you?
Want to be a professional wrestler? Visit www.iyfwrestling.com
@iyfwrestling
My God. If your employer wants a uniform (or uniform appearance) you wear the shirt. Who cares? They're paying your salary, so they call the shots.
In the grand scheme of workplace complaints this is so low on the list as to be not worth mentioning.
Three Squirrels
Because by my lights (and I run It for 1/3 of a big big company), you're hella overstaffed unless a lot of those people are developers.
And say hell no to the uniform shirts. You shouldn't be cohesive with your IT team (well, you should, but)- you should be cohesive with the business unit. Anything that separates you from the biz makes you appear more severable from the core of the company.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
It seems like this could be best handled by some sort of indication on your badge (if you have one).
My other sig is extremely clever...
I see this as a security opportunity. A local company had a hacker us social engineering to acquire laptops by posing as a help desk employee. The shirts would make a help desk employee more easily identifiable, especially a new hire.
Seriously, when did the cleaning crew get so uppity? Shut the hell up and do what you're told.
If you don't want to wear the uniform there are plenty of others who will. You aren't being paid to think.
Remember kids: You can't spell "janitor" without "IT"!
Quite a few workers hate uniforms and if it is in a situation where creative thinking is involved you can bet that many, good, potential employees will refuse to work there.
If they don't buy polyester crap shirts (cotton is nice), they look half-way decent, only have a little embroidery on them, not some big corporate logo on the back, pay for the damn things and provide either a laundry service or a laundry allowance to cover care of the uniform, it wouldn't completely suck. Saves you from having to shop for clothes to wear. If they are talking about buying little electric black and white VW beetles for you to ride from cubicle to cubicle, scream bloody murder!
Heh, I would view it as an opportunity to fail to comply with management. Historically I have always been on the lookout for such opportunities. I still remember the cool bit of code some joker wrote...first it displayed "Press any key to begin formatting C:", then it waited about 5 seconds, after which it displayed "Just kidding...Formatting...n/n/n" and it cycled through some fake head numbers while making a nice ominous clicking sound through the speaker. I think it would make a comeback if somebody ordered me to wear an IT droid shirt.
Help-desk is an entry level IT position. Generally it is staffed by recent University grads. If you would like to see the dead-sea effect in affect then by all means, make them wear uniforms. Soon you'll find that any with skill have moved on.
Uniforms are demeaning and it's bad enough those of us in IT have to swallow your upper/mid-level management BS.
When I worked in technical marketing, making low six figures, we wore polo shirts provided by the company that had the product names for which one was responsible stitched above the pocket. If your area of responsibility included several products, you could end up with a closet full of free polo shirts. I wouldn't consider that "fast food-ish". Of course, they were nice, cotton shirts that fit well. I would perhaps feel different if they were 100% polyester or vinyl one-size-fits-all monstrosities like I had to wear as a busboy in college.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I think making you wear matching uniforms does three things:
1. Makes you so visible that when you are on breaks or company meetings, various employees come up and start asking you for computer advice and help. This intrudes on your personal space and will no longer get a free moment within the company.
2. The skills you worked at and honed to get this position will now look as valuable as those of fast food attendant and they will try to pay you as such.
3. You will likely be ostracized by other departments as you are now set apart from everyone else because you are wearing a uniform. You will likely have to hang out with the cleaning crew and maintenance workers as they are the only ones that relate to you now.
IT workers should be treated like professionals and not disposable workers that can be easily interchanged.
did something similar to Jews. We all know how that worked out.
free clothing! bonus!
there are 3 kinds of people:
* those who can count
* those who can't
I worked for an organization that did this, and I preferred this to the other option. The other option was that we were to wear a suit and tie. Screw that. I wanted the uniform that was provided and cleaned by the company. It is not too bad
If you're doing it to get department unity, or to get better visibility for your people so you can get the recognition for a good job, it's not a terrible idea. The trick is that you don't want the IT guys to dislike it, or so that users don't start pulling guys away from higher priority tasks due to the new visibility.
I know, I prefer wearing the uniform when I go out on calls (saves me from having to think about my outfit), but our shirts are actually comfortable and appropriate for the weather and clients we're servicing. That and as a small company, we really need to have a professional, unified image.
Having an internal team wear them just to be easier to stick out, or for reasons that don't help your team directly, will brew internal tension.
- Dan
Who else at your company has to wear a uniform? Probably just the cleaning staff, right? Making the help desk wear a distinctive uniform is telling everybody who works there exactly how low on the pecking order it is. If it were me, I'd point that out to whoever came up with the idea, but do so respectfully. Then, if the idea goes through, start sending out my resume.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
Seriously though, a company that requires me to wear any sort of 'uniform' to answer moronic questions about computers for internal staff, is a company I no longer work for.
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
Per the Star Trek uniforms, you should all wear red shirts, as your function is primarily engineering. The manager who floated this up the management chain, however, should wear a gold, V-neck, shirt.
Black pants are mandatory. Skip the minis.
(j/k: It sounds like such a terrible idea I had to entertain the Star Trek analogy.)
Just think of it as management's little way of knocking you down a peg or two by making you look like blue collar technicians thereby making their ignorant selves gain a little bit of social status.
Don't be surprised to be asked to change their oil as well
Your call center is located AT your actual company? In the same COUNTRY? seriously? Well they should all be happy to have a job and wear whatever they're told.
One of the companies i worked at had a standard,
Tan pants and
dress shirt or company logo'd shirt.
But it applied to everyone, even the president.
I'd find it a bit demeaning if it was limited to the help desk only.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Simply put, Help Desk staff assigned to wear retail style "uniforms" will make the users think less of the staff. Doing this you are comparing your Help Desk, to the local staff at the Best Buy/Geek Squad, what have you. This may not be a flattering image you want to portray... especially to your "internal customers"...
I don't know if any of you saw Inglorious Basterds, but I seem to recall the Brad Pitt character having an issue with any enemy who might like to remove their uniform after the war.
I thought of that when I read story, and after some consideration, I've come to the conclusion that uniforms for the IT staff at my workplace, an institution of higher learning, might not be such a bad idea.
At least then I'd be able to see them coming.
You are welcome on my lawn.
>Professional people wear professional attire. Sloppy people dress sloppy. I wear jeans and t-shirts when I'm not working.
The idea that I have a right to dress as I like while someone else is paying me is ludicrous.You are not entitled to wear what you want.
Was the umbilical cord in a knot when you were delivered or are you still experiencing oxygen deprivation?
"Keep at least 3-6 full bottles of hard alcohol on hand, a 2 week resignation notice,..." - Poetmatt
Whether you wear department shirts won't affect the professionalism.
The right answer depends on:
1) the culture of the company at large, and of the IT group in particular. Heck, if you "have fun" with it, it could be a big plus
2) whether there is some other lurking problem you have not mentioned the shirts attempt to address
You hit it right on the nose.
To the OP:
There's the issue of exactly what the uniforms look like. It sounds like shirt-and-tie isn't already required at this office, so if you want to empower yourselves, give yourselves a HIGHER dress code than is required by the rest of the company. If management says you have to wear crappy knit golf shirts, then say, "we'd much rather all wear these better button-down shirts, thank you." If management's shirts are actually nice, then say, "thanks, we're also going to wear ties." Your department is apparently an important part of the company, and a part that has a lot of exposure; dress like you understand that.
Personally, I like ties. I have a large collection of high-quality and unusual ties I've bought over the years at different thrift stores. No, they aren't all ultra thin, and I don't buy crappy ties. I wear one every Friday, partly in reaction to the casual Friday schtick that I dislike, and partly to remind myself that I have a professional position (but one that does not require a tie). A properly sized shirt with a properly tied tie is not uncomfortable at all. Discomfort often comes from the neck size of the shirt being too small.
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have. And also that it is difficult to be overdressed, especially in professional circles.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Uniforms are bad for worker morale and don't look good if you need work on systems / get them dirty.
And they better be free as well having a pay boost to pay to keep them clean.
Couple of things... They're SHIRTS (I assume Polo Shirts), not coveralls or uniforms... and the OP said a variety of colors... If the help desk staff actually makes house calls (cube calls?), then I'd say definitely YES, wear em! Create a sense of team, identifiable to others. These are not military uniforms. Even if phone based, free shirts don't suck.
I've been fascinated how, in the medieval world, everyone seemed to have some sort of dress appropriate to their function. We should have different uniforms we should wear, depending on what do. If we are single, that would make for good ice breakers.. "so, I see you are a botanist, level 2", is a lot better of an opener, then, "hey baby, what's your sign."
This is my sig.
Just the tone of the way you asked this question seems to indicate that you've already made up your mind that it's a bad thing and you're just for fuel for your own feelings.
I think it helps promote the feeling of being a team provided the majority on board with the idea. I once worked for a company that made it clear that they wanted to close my group down. We got summoned to the headquarters, but before we went I offered to have some polo shirts made up for my team - we all wore them to the meetings as a symbol of unity and my boss freaked. That's long in the past now, but we all still remember those shirts.
I would suggest that if you want to avoid this you should suggest some less onerous alternatives. For example, a big ID badge or something similar that is visible enough to distinguish the help desk folk but still allow you to wear your own clothes. Or maybe fancy hats. Or balloons; everyone likes balloons.
I would have to agree with bensode (above). I have been working IT for 20 years now and have ruined many nice silk ties on rough server cases. Switched to "cheap ties" but they still add up. We also have to remove the tie to lift servers onto the server jack and put it back on before continuing with racking - part of the safety protocol. Absolutely ridiculous but required (the ties - I am OK with safety). Always imagine how it could get worse before lamenting what you have - business casual is nice...
--I like turtles...
then why not just issue ID tags and lanyards?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyard#Other_uses
Like most people who work in or around IT I've got a closet full of give-away shirts. T-shits, polo's, and yes... dress-shirts.... all emblazoned with some company's pitch and all screaming "hey everyone... I work in IT". Don't laugh before you check your own wardrobe.
Have you ever worn one of these to work? Even once? If so, what's the difference? If you are willing to advertise another company's brand why shouldn't you be willing to wear your company's logo?
Of course, this is predicated on the idea that the "uniforms" in question are tasteful, button-down, collared shirts in a non-neon color and intended to be worn with your existing dress slacks. If you would wear it in public, then it shouldn't matter. As someone else has already pointed out it can be liberating to have a limited wardrobe to select from and financially beneficial to have someone else pay for it. If, however, you would NOT wear this in public, you have a very different decision to make.
For the past 28 years I've been an Information Technology Professional. During that time I've watched corporate America transform IT from a profession staffed and managed by technologists into an outsourceable commodity managed by MBA's. The uniform suggestion is an idea worthy only of ridicule. Why not suggest to the MBA who floated that idea that it be mandated all MBA's working in IT departments wear big floppy shoes and a bright red shirt to work Monday thru Thursday so they can more easily identify each other as clowns? The rest of us already know who the clowns are.
I don't need no estinkin'
Jeepmeister
Sounds like many Management teams that consider their Help Desk staff to be no different from The Geek Squad. I think it's insulting.
Just because someone works the Help Desk doesn't mean they have a lack of talent. It's an entry-level position where you often have to "pay your dues" (even if you have the knowledge or skill) to move to positions of higher responsibility.
I'd suggest that the Management team all wear uniforms with the phrase "Management" emblazoned across them "to convey a message of unity" that the Management is all one team. Doubtful, but it may change their tune.
I'd work there for the free shirt
"I'm with Stupid" T-shirt
+0 Meh
If I were the IT manager, I wouldn't want extra visibility for the IT guys, because it seems to me it would encourage users to circumvent the proper helpdesk channels. Whenever a uniformed IT guy walks by, I can just hear the one-off requests/questions, that would be completely untrackable.
Besides, I always thought in the best-run shops, you never knew that IT existed. :)
They don't grade fathers, but if your daughter's a stripper, you fucked up. --Chris Rock
they would give you guys a more credible look. Dunno if that's a win or loose but uniforms do have psychological effects on people.
Desk side techs? Or Helpdesk (aka Phone and E-mail Support) techs?
As long as management provides 1 shirt for each day of the week, plus a backup - then it shouldn't be a problem.
Usually - techs that provide desk side support and are not direct employees of the company receiving services wear shirts with their company name. This makes sure they aren't stealing soda's or ink pens and paper.
VERY IMPORTANT, ya know...
Hollywood Video once had the real bad uniforms and even the customers did not like them and now they don't.
And the less IT looks like the geek squad the better.
If they give them to you and you don't have to go out and buy work clothes, then I'd wear one!
" I'm Lovin' IT "
These Help Desk people should feel privileged that they're amongst the first to receive the long-awaited and apparently over-promised beasts of legend! Think how majestic they'll appear as they make their way from tech emergency to tech emergency, astride the most resplendent beast in all of history!
Wait, what?
Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
"Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
buy (or rent) your team a set of matching white, one-piece overalls.
make a point of walking around the office, as a team, near the management's offices carrying some tools. if you can align that with 'bring your favorite industrial power tool to work' day, all the better. hard hats, goggles & walkie-talkes make nice accessories.
Uniforms are used as part of the external face of a service business. I wonder if this isn't an indication that they've started to think of your group like an outsourced service business. You know, the kind where everybody that comes in is a replaceable cog and is required to meet your every need, while all you have to provide in return is the cash: no benefits or respect required. I can't see any other reason they'd think uniforms for an internal group would have any purpose or meaning. I wouldn't be surprised if the next step is that they start firing the highest paid people and replacing them with interns whose resumes include lines like, "Set up grandparents new Dell Computer and DVD player."
Most military uniforms come with either a modern pistol/rifle or a ceremonial sword.
So, do you get the BOFH shotgun or the ninja katana sword?
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Ever so often, in my company, one department or another makes a purchase of shirts (or mugs, or other) and "gives" them to the group. They include appropriate logos of the department or the project they are working on. People just wear them because they are good quality, look good, and show that they got the gift at some point. It is more of a reward.
I certainly wouldn't like being in the position of having to wear on of the red shirts. Does a real number on your choice of wardrobe too. Here is my suggestion: before the pronouncement comes down, get the help desk (and maybe even everyone in the IT department) an inexpensive lab coat. These can be purchased cheaply from most uniform supply companies. Add a company logo if you wish and there is a budget for it. People can continue to dress as they see fit, and wear their lab coat over their choice of clothing when doing help desk stuff. It can even be very handy if help desk stuff includes crawling around under desks looking for that lost cable and such or working on a computer with a fresh litter of dust bunnies. But your staff can still take the lab coats off and go to lunch without looking like some geek squad rejects.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Making you wear a uniform is effectively a change in the terms and conditions of your contract. Therefore you have to agree to them before they can make the change. If you don't agree, they can't make you wear a uniform.
Or at least that is how it is in the UK.
Usually I tell him that I want to go the whole mile then. Rank insignia, DOS (6.2-ME) and Windows NT campaign (NT4.0-Vista) ribbon, MVP and MCSE medals...
Anyone got a good idea for a cap badge design?
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."
I was at a meeting with my boss a year ago for a presentation from Cerco. There was about a dozen IT professionals in the room, and three guys from Cerco who were pitching an offer to us to be over-flow tech support if they ran out of their own guys.
Me and my boss were only half interested in the presentation (which turned out to be a farce), we were also interested in seeing what other IT competitors were in our area. The thing that stuck out to me, was that all the Serious Looking Professionals wore not a full suit, but smart looking clothes, well presented, and were armed with a leather-bound notepad or something similar.
The other types there were a young married looking couple, or middle aged man, with polo-shirts bearing their company name in machined stitching. They looked like amateurs.
The company that now owns the local repair shop I run offered me company shirts, and I refused, saying that our customers wanted to see a smartly dressed engineer behind the counter, not a guy who's been given some shirts to make him look smart.
If your company wants you to wear shirts and good trousers, that's a good idea, I'm impressed when I see smartly dressed IT pros, but uniforms are not impressive IMHO...
Why don't you just make them all wear the letter L on their foreheads too? Whoever thought of the uniform idea should be shot dead in front of their children. "See kids. Here is what happens when you are stupid. BANG!" That is an insult of monumental proportions. Selecting a single group to be outcasts. Bravo.
White sleeveless dress shirt and black tie.
Classy and sexy all at once!
Don't just game, Dungeoneer
If... you don't mind being seen as a peon. I'd only agree to it if other departments had to wear some sort of uniform outfit also. Perhaps management could wear something with an embroidered bib since, evidently, they are drooling idiots. Tell em to fuck off.
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
wearing a uniform = no respect and lower paid jobs
wearing a tie = respect (deserved or not) and higher paid jobs
Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
I see the point.
I worked for a large Insurance company as part of the facilities management department.
it was my job to help the employees with any issues they had with furniture, set up new workstations, set up/take down conference rooms and the like.
As part of my duties, I was wandering throughout the entire building. My shirt that had Facilities Management embroidered on it let people in the building know who this person was, that was walking through their work area.
And, yes, most people knew me by sight, if not by name. But, there were always new people working, or someone who doesn't interact much.
So, I don't think it's too far out of line.
It just lets the other employees know you belong where you are, and are allowed to be on someones computer.
Seriously - doctors, nurses, mechanics, police officers, firemen, geeze, a *bunch* of legitimate professionals wear uniforms, many with pride. Now, you're thinking "I'm an office worker, I'm above that". I don't know. Being in a service industry (and that's what IT is within your company - an inward-facing service division) I think a uniform can actually make some sense in this case. I'd like to know more about their reasoning, though. As others have said, maybe it's just a way to get you to dress somewhat normally.
How about a trade-off - you wear the uniform but you also get a company car?
Do you have ESP?
Some places make you buy the Uniforms and pay to keep them clean.
This could be a good thing, if everyone can agree to wear the "uniform" with pride. If you do this, try something like lab coats, not shirts.
It is subtle, but think what respect Doctors command by simply marking themselves out with a white coat. What they wear is functional,
but also is a signal as to who is in charge. Likewise, the hat the drill sergeant wears is unique, and many Boy Scout leaders adopt wearing
a red jacket to signal who is in charge.
Perhaps you have noticed that private security personell will wear a distinctive blazer.
Choose a professional looking coat or jacket for your on-duty "consultants" and exhibit friendly pride in your distinct appearance. You may
be pleasantly surprised at the almost instinctive respect that your uniform can cause.
Wear a collared shirt and tie, pressed slacks, and dress shoes every day.
Get fired for this, and then let a jury hear about it.
Retire with your millions.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
It's a dumb idea. That said, it's also not worth getting worked up about if management is going to pay for the shirts and give you enough of them to get through the week with clean shirts without having to do extra laundry. Is it demeaning? Well, sure, but no matter what you wear, non-technical personnel are going to think of you -- as they think of all of us -- as some kind of mutant idiot-savants. Until someone writes software to replace non-technical managers, it's something we unfortunately have to live with.
Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
There's no way in hell I would make my team where uniforms. It's insulting and demeaning. We already have enough trouble with disrespectful customers who think that just because they are some VPs secretary someone who makes three times what they do keeping millions of dollars in equipment running properly should come fix their broken cupholder immediately. The key to running an effective helpdesk is building relationships, in a professional environment being uniformed is an impediment to that. We aren't a bunch of mindless grunts just following orders.
You might as well go to Yahoo Answers and ask if there should be a minimum intelligence level to use the internet.
I'd pretty much consider that a deal breaker.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Instead, perhaps you could suggest beanies with attached propellers. People could choose a particular beanie style (rainbow, striped, solid or camo) that fits them best. I'm guessing that this is the way your management would like IT to "stand out".
Guess its harder to pretend your the new Helpdesk personal if you don't have a t-shirt. ;-)
So maybe its not great but it enhances security a bit
Companies are actively segregating employees, ranking them by their "importance" to the company. Why? All the way from the quarterly reporting on gross revenue/employee to justifying the summer picnic expenses to making the business more salable.
We have 'uniform' shirts where I work. We travel to many customers, so I actually like them as an identifier. This is not the case you're in as your question states, but it's really not far off with a company location that size.
In our case, they are optional - We are expected to wear something professional or wear one of our work shirts. The boss came in with a catalogue with many different types and styles of shirts that get our logo sewn on, and that's it. It took a bit, but nearly all of us wear the work shirts. They are a style WE have chosen and WE can choose not to wear them, so, being a bunch of geeks, of course we do.
Besides, we barely have to dress ourselves that way! It keeps the bizarre color choices we come in with to a minimum.
-- I really need to bleed off some of this
Getting matching shirts with the department mark on them is awesome. You get singled out as being special, and everybody will know all of them by name, by face, and by reputation. It's not just a shirt, it'a freaking badge, of the professional ism you mention. If one department gets them, I bet some others will want to also.
FREE CLOTHES d00d. So what if they match. They don't come out of your paycheck.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
Management view: you are not a person; you are a number. Get used to it.
One reaction to this would be to accept, but then play the "casual labourer" role to the hilt. So insist on playing the radio full-blast wherever you're working. Whistle and sing loudly and obnoxiously. Holler at your colleagues on the far end of the office and refer to everybody by disparaging nicknames. Wear low-slung stonewashed jeans which force everybody to stare at the floor whenever you bend over. After all, if they don't treat you like professionals, why should you act that way?
There is a solution, join together and buy these T-shirts:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/itdepartment/388b/
go into work and then indicate you were happy with the uniform idea.
There will probably be multiple reasons for not being asked to wear a uniform the next day.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
What a load of bollocks.
I've worked in the IT industry for over 10 years now working both sides of the fence both in IT Maintenance/Comms and in Software Engineering. It pretty much boils down to 1 real factor as to why they would want you to wear a uniform while on a helpdesk. Helpdesk personelle are generally socially ostrecised in most organisations, after all they will be one of the most lowly paid employee, and almost anyone can do their job or be trained to do their job. By wearing uniforms it can make everyone in helpdesk feel that they are socially part of the company rather than just "phone jockeys" who are just there for a pay cheque. The other reason may be that your manager will be guiding investors through the place, if they see sloppy helpdesk staff (the front line to their customers) then it makes a good impression on them if they are wearing uniforms.
Grow a pair and wear the uniform.
Having a uniform takes the usage out of my own clothes. Christ the number of ruined shirts I had when I worked for EMC because of the times I ended up crawling in some crappy floor space to pull a cable through.
However we had to go onsite in suit and bloody tie. I'd have loved some 'free t shirts' - hell, give me half a dozen and that's my dad sorted for Christmas ;)
Hell i loved School Uniform when i was a kid because I didn't have to care that I wasn't following the latest fashion.
A uniform in an IT company, where business casual is the norm, is insulting. If they want you to appear distinct, issue badges, or neon lanyards, etc.
Want to make yourself look less valued and more like a McDonald's worker? Wear a uniform. Look, not only for yourself and your career, but for the entire IT industry, do not accept this, at all, EVER.
How does something that separates them from the rest of the company promote unity?
Either way, wouldn't something like a different style for the id badge do the same thing more cheaply and without resentment?
Why would anyone balk at a chance to wear lab coats in a 'professional' office?
Erutangis ym si siht.
with all the advantages and disadvantages. people will see you like a wizard and respect you for that, but they will also think you are from some secluded, hard to understand, even sometimes scary group of people.
Read radical news here
If you're visible to external customers and serve their needs, then it makes sense. If you're only visible internally, then it's a stupid idea designed to make a manager look like he's busy and somehow contributing. It's also a waste of company funds. Tell them that if they really want to put that money to good use, implement a dress code and purchase a decent vending machine instead.
*** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
It could also be the precursor to outsourcing your services.
Make you guys wear uniforms until people are used to looking for the uniform, then when they replace the workers, people no longer have to look for you, just the shirt.
Reeses
I was on an IT team about 6 years ago and then uniforms got ordered... I quit, because I only wear jeans and a t-shirt. Well I now wear jeans and a t-shirt making triple the salary.
Why wear a uniform when you could just require everyone toss on a colored nametag/id? It would make them stand out just as much, and not be nearly as annoying. Bonus points if you give them color coded neck band holder things.
IMHO, cool shirts are cool; lame shirts are lame. My company gives every new employee a blue and/or white polo shirt with the company logo on it. These shirts are NOT mandatory attire at any time, but are still frequently seen around the office, and occasionally seen outside the office.
If it's a shirt you would wear by choice, then it's not a problem.
It could always be worse.
I think having special shirts would tend to alienate y'all from the rest of the company if they were sufficiently different from what everyone else wears on an everyday basis. Not to mention that they would be like a target on your backs, as several other people have suggested above.
Badges, on the other hand... those might work. They're 1) less obvious; 2) removeable (in a way that a company-logo uniform is not); 3) quite stylish if done right. Plus, have you heard the phrase "badge of honor"? They might give your department some swagger!
....."approximately 500 employees. There are 30 people on the IT staff".....
That's a LOT of IT people, from what I've been told. For 120 employees, we did well with 2 IT staff (1.5 on help desk and 0.5 on development).
By that ratio, you'd need a total of 12.
Anyone else think this number is a bit high?
The red shirts, okay. The fake nose and clown shoes, no way.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is insufficiently documented.
I used to walk around (from task to task, that is) with a cd-rom (drivegenius or other toollike cd-rom) in my hand, some cat5 dangling from a pocket and nearly ALWAYS whistling in the hallways the theme of Goofy (from Disney). People knew I was there without me needing to show up only at trouble and they didn't even need to see me. But I can understand the distiction needed from hoi polloi: isn't there a cool thing to get recognised by? A Bat-belt or something?
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
30 IT people for 500 staff???
A uniform isn't always a strict mandated set of clothing provided by the employer though, in a lot of cases its a level of dress, since management feels they need to enforce a uniform restriction on you (the original poster) I am guessing you (or one of your colleagues, or all of you) have not been living up to the the expected dress code for your position. The mandated uniform will of course give you some idea where you (or your co-workers) went wrong.
...
It could be much much worse, as in having to wear dress shirts and ties and shiny shoes and dress pants. I think you are getting off easy.
Every department in the company in there to serve other departments and/or customers in some capacity or another. Why should the "IT Guys" have special uniforms? It's insulting!
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
Uniforms are a clear marker of a corporate culture going down the tubes.
Yeah, UPS and FedEx have realy hit the skids since they adopted uniforms. They'll be going under any day now.
Lets be honest. What bugs people about this isn't individuality, but professional pride. A uniforms says you're a blue collar worker. Skilled, necessary, but not on the same level as the accountant. Well, that's IT now. It's a utility service, unless you're a programmer or project manager. The help desk guys are the equivalent of phone company types that come to troubleshoot why you don't have a dial tone. The days where "working in computers" guaranteed you a prominent place in the company are long gone. IT truly is a commodity now, in terms of services.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
Wow!! talk about a boneheaded management decision -- this is the first call for "unioninizing" of IT -- initiated by management!!! -- there are some serious "pro labor" bills in the works -- many companies are scared silly to the point of holding anti-union mtgs & trying to stay union-free -- tell your mgt that you are doing them a huge favor by discarding this idea -- and if they do push you folks into "uni"forms, then you get pretty close to being able to "negotiate" a higher pay as a "group"
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
This is absolute BULLSHIT! What we have now is a whole lot of people fucking around trying to impress everyone else with their fashion sense rather than actually accomplishing anything noteworthy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who bases their decisions on the fashion sense of those around them is a sheep and deserves to be treated like one (i.e. most people).
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
Dress like fire fighters.
What a stupid FUCKING IDEA, some dipshit in HR came up with this huh? So are the execs suppossed to dress like used car salesman to represent themselves as the scum bags they are? Or the Accounting folks suppossed to dress with pocket protectors and glasses to look like bean counters?
Fucking ass tards
Is management out of line with the industry in promoting this sort of policy change?
Ummm, are you out of line suggesting that management of the company that pays your salary can't tell you what to wear when you show up for work?
Who cares anyway? It means they will be paying for part of your wardrobe, it means you don't have to wear a tie, it makes you more useful, since people know who you are and why you have a job, and it probably isn't a bad idea that the guy lunking and lurking around IT assets is identified as okay to be messing with them. It's not a badge, but it does provide some pseudo-authentication.
IT is a Grey Collar occupation. I install and troubleshoot hardware in the field. I also spend countless hours in front of a screen administering servers remotely. Without question, Mike Rowe would classify some of my client work as a dirty job.
Per Wikipedia
Life is not for the lazy.
Do you like your job? If not look for another job (assuming any are out there). If you do want to protest it while appearing professiona, wear a suit or a sport jacket and slacks M-Th and see if it generates complaints. Now that would be ironic.
There are plenty of times and places where uniforms gain respect. In many civilizations, wearing a military uniform was very much a sign of respect, certainly a high ranking one anyway. Lots of people still respect firefighters and police officers today. At one time government officals all wore uniforms as a mark of position. Also as noted, suit and tie are definitely a uniform of a kind.
Uniforms gain you respect IF the institution they represent is respected. So it can be a benefit (IT, those guys are great) or a problem (geez, another IT goon). In all cases it sets you apart and puts you in a class.
Also the surrounding culture matters. If you are surrounded by suits, wearing a uniform will likely pull you down the totem pole. If the standards of dress are very lax, then it might make you stand out and appear to have your act together. Management will still view themselves as above you, but you might gain over all organizational respect.
So a risky move that might pay off if you understand your culture well.
we were given shirts and a jacket but there wasn't any hint of a suggestion that we had to wear them.
when I started they said they'd give me four or five polo shirts with the MIT IS&T logo on them and a fleece jacket with the same.
Sometimes I wore them sometimes I didn't. I liked the fleece and still wear it sometimes and I left my job at MIT several years ago.
In a meeting someone fairly high up asked the group how they could get the physical plant guys to wear uniforms. I told them to give them jackets that they would want to wear every day and I think they ended up doing just that.
Who's paying for the shirts? I hope that the boss is. But if she isn't, then ANY clothing which is required for continued employment is tax deductible as an unreimbursed employer expense.
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
I would like to suggest that, rather than having only a few IT personnel be singled out for facile identification, all IT staff and management wear mediaeval style monks habits with appropriate tonsure according to station. This would make them readily identifiable by the laity in order that they be afforded due respect and deference without focusing undue attention on a minority of the sect.
hey all,
We did something similar to this at my work this was done as a team effort and an slogan and logo was designed by the IT team now the whole IT department wears these shirts and this seems to help foster a good team spirt and make IT more visable to the business as a whole. no bad thing in my opinion :P
cheer
daniel
I think IT and Help Desk people should:
work in the basement.
all have personalized coffee mugs.
and have english accents.
Codifex Maximus ~ In search of... a shorter sig.
I like the fast food reference. Reading the description reminded me of the totally degrading hamburger hats that the fast-food workers at "Burger Shot" in Grand Theft Auto are forced to wear. Why a T-shirt? Why not go all the way with a hat that looks like an open laptop? "Jenkins?, where's your mini-tower hat? Come see me in my office!"
It shows that management values conformity, rules-following and teamwork over creativity, individualism and the ability to think outside the box. It could be argued that some or all of those are desired but the group would need a mixture of these to be successful.
Otherwise you risk becoming a mindless Burger Shot droid like in GTA San Andreas.
BTM
That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
Your lucky I wouldn't mind having a branded IT shirt for all to wear. We have to wear a tie and its a pain working on things with a tie around your next and so uncomfortable. But they won't budge from this!!
There's a reason that most of the 2nd looies removed their bars - the ones that came back anyway
Getting hall-jacked is never fun and uniforms only make it worse. With all best business practices pointing all IT service requests to a central authority for routing and accounting it actually flies in the face of sensibility.
Just because someone manages to tackle you in the hall with their iTunes problem doesn't mean they are the highest priority IT issue your group has to deal with.
In fact they are very likely derailing you from issues that have been properly submitted and documented.
If the IT folks in uniform can only answer "I can't help you until you call the help desk and put in a ticket." the new shirts certainly won't improve your "image" with the non-IT herd.
If your ability to get IT support at your job is governed by your prowess at playing hide and seek your organization is fatally flawed - work on your resume.
It's a bad idea. If it's the best idea your managers can come up with to improve your contribution to the organization then they are out of ideas. Now might be a great time to bring some real IT-related ideas to the table to really cut costs and save energy in your organization. Pick up a copy of CIO magazine or whatever, drop a couple buzz words you find there around your bosses-bosses and who knows - in a couple years maybe you'll be the one sitting around coming up with half-assed ideas for twice the pay.
Come the hell on. You sound like some old-fashioned 80 year old lady with a newspaper column on etiquette that she's been writing for the last 50 years.
I tend to think that if management is pushing this down, then there's probably been an issue with the IT team dressing appropriately.
I've been in large companies over the years and some of the IT people really pushed the bottom end of "business casual".
You have to think about this though:
The outsourced company they could hire to replace your department will almost definately wear some sort of team shirt when they are in the office.
In fact, I bet they'd be happy to.
In my current job, the entire network engineering team was given a full set of various style company logo shirts. We are to wear these
when visiting customer and vendor sites, or perhaps on days when there are meetings with various in-house departments.
I don't have a problem with it. It isn't a hard rule to follow. There's nothing wrong with projecting a consistent professional company image
when interfacing with the public or other companies.
The shirts are also good to wear on days when visiting head-end buildings working on racks or running wiring or fibers along the rails where :)
all the nasty dust bunnies are. No sense in dirtying up personal clothes
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
This is absolute BULLSHIT! What we have now is a whole lot of people fucking around trying to impress everyone else with their fashion sense rather than actually accomplishing anything noteworthy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who bases their decisions on the fashion sense of those around them is a sheep and deserves to be treated like one (i.e. most people).
Reality would strongly suggest that you are wrong. Inter-personal relationships are, like it or not, based in great part on our appearances. That's why uniforms work. If you chose to be a slob, then you have to be far more talented to get the job that the fellow next in line who is better dressed.
Try wearing a suit some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not a crappy fitting suit that looks like it's 20 years old, but one that fits well, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot easier.
Me, I work for a fellow who is in charge of a department of 30 people with a budget of 300 million dollars. It would have to be an emergency for me to not wear a least a button down shirt, slacks, and a tie if not a suit when going to his office. Do you really think you would be taken seriously if you showed up in a similar office wearing a t-shirt and jeans?
Remember, uniforms exist because they work. It's social engineering.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
I've been thinking about this issue recently in the context of highly intelligent, customer facing, problem solving employees, and I've come to the conclusion that uniforms, or at least the idea of a "virtual uniform" is one that has value both for the company *and* the employee.
The uniform is a means toward conformity, and as such both attempts to mold the individual into some standard and also serves as an indicator to others that this individual has certain abilities and responsibilities which set their expectations before an encounter has begun.
If you're not wearing a uniform, then you're on your own as an individual to impress your customer. You will take any comments they make personally, and you may feel compelled to act "cool" in a "Yo, what's happening, I'm so awesome" kind of way to try to protect your own ego. This is all really bad from the customer's point of view.
When wearing a uniform, you're taking on the persona of that uniform and what it stands for (your company) and to a great degree you *are* the company when you wear it. This means that if someone whines or complains at you, they're not really attacking you but the company. This can allow you the freedom to act in the ways the job requires, which may include being subservient to your customers (oddly enough we usually work for them rather than the other way round, no matter how much we like to think otherwise). You can leave your own ego and attitude at home and feel ok doing things, and behaving in ways, that you as an individual would not be comfortable with. If you make a mistake, the uniform even takes some of the blame off of you the individual.
Smart techies encountering a new customer often expect to immediately be treated with respect and reverence, when in reality such respect has to be earned each time. Wearing a uniform helps with this too, as respect you build will apply to everyone wearing that same uniform and so the next person who has to deal with that customer will get more benefit from the relationship you've already created with them.
So I think there are definite advantages to being able to hide your self/ego behind a uniform at times. The uniform doesn't even have to be an actual physical thing. Just understanding the concept that when you're working you're not just Joe The Individual, but Joe of YourCompany, can help you deal with a lot of the ego/respect issues that arise when you're serving whoever your customers are.
G.
Ive worn uniforms in many IT Jobs as System Integrator as even as Senior Network Analyst, it is good for support staff who have to get under desks and get dirty around comms cabinets, it gave me a feeling of pride and also its a good excuse to increase what little power IT departments usuall have in an organization, now im working for a Government body its uniforms all the way....
You could always buy your staff the "No I will not fix your computer t-shirts.."
Personally, I like ties.
I like them, too. When other people are wearing them. It allows me to more easily indulge in the fantasy of choking the living shit out of them - when they are being assholes, which is often - if they have a convenient bit of attire to focus my imagination on ;)
(It may or may not be statistically relevant that of the people I have met in life who wear ties - or finery of that sort - on a daily basis, a much higher proportion have been assholes who deserve to be throttled than not. I would suspect that this is mainly due to my own personal bias if I had not encountered many other people who think in similar ways... ;) )
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
Unless you are dealing with customers outside of your company's staff don't do it.
Problems with Mandatory Uniforms:
1. They make you look like an external vendor. You may soon be come one.
2. Unless other teams have some uniform requirement your staff will resent it.
3. Your team is already among the the lowest paid in the company. Don't make them feel like the janitors.
4. Mandatory is something that really rubs people the wrong way.
Presumably, you already have some sort of dress code. If IT looks like slobs enforce what you already have.
An alternate suggestion: If you already have a dress code of button-down shirts or ties, just give your help desk guys some company/IT logo shirts polo, button-down, t-shirt, or whatever and say these are also acceptable as part of the dress code. You'll see them fairly regularly if they aren't horrible without going the route of making them mandatory. Hell, going this route the team may see getting the shirts as a good thing.
"Likely the real reason for the uniform is so that you will stand out, so when your walking past or in the vicinity they can spot you and grab you to immediately to assist them."
The only way to organize technical support in a big company (and 500 people is quite big already) is to prioritize the work.
What you suggest above is anathema to proper prioritization. Nothing kills planning like doing adhoc work.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
... to get a comfortable shirt and some cheap Chinos?
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
First thing I do when I get a new job is dress casual.
If somebody complains I ask where I can pass my bill for dry cleaning, or if they have somebody else to do all the crawling that is needed when doing hardware support.
That sorts out the problem.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
What's your problem?? Are you *really* going to turn down the opportunity to make one less decision each day?
Uniforms For the Help Desk?
Nehru Jackets, maybe?
SIGLOST && SIGUNUSED && SIGQUIT
Singling out help desk people is telling you that they consider your services janitorial in quality.
I just can't imagine working in a company requiring this. This is the 21st century, somebody should pass the memo to some companies out there.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I'm not IT, but if I was, I'd happily wear a uniform as long as it looked reasonably like an FBI windbreaker ("IT" in bold white sans-serif letters on the back). And I'd also carry a gun. An inventory gun. But in a holster. Yeah.
Have gnu, will travel.
What do the janitors, security guards, and kitchen staff help? Where are they on the corporate food chain? And is there some idiot in IT who keeps coming in wearing "Free Kevin Mitnick" shirts?
It sounds like you're being set up to be faceless, replaceable drones, training your replacements and having marks against you dreamed up by cost-cutting managers who want to let you go, "with cause", just before you get stock options or get medical benefits or before they'd have to pay you unemployment for firing you.
you're completly right with that HIGHER dress code.
But even as I now work in software development, I have an engineering degree. To me, ties are nothing but deadly hazards! Never ever wear one near an actual machine. (Starting with everything meaner than a xerox machine)
bickerdyke
You can still express your individuality. For example, make your hair like this.
They were considering IT uniforms where I work and solicited ideas. I submitted this, but I never heard back from anyone. I guess they were afraid it would discourage people from asking for help. Or overload the help line. One or the other. Maybe both.
,
Like the old Think geek shirts
No I will not fix your computer
I read your email
you can be replaced by a small shell script
seriously though, a good IT department is basically unseen
if they are highly visible then are they not doing their jobs
The company I work for thought their IT department (think billions of revenue fortune 500 type)was over paid and not visible enough
that was until we lost corporate HQ and the IT department DR/BC plan kicked in.
Then they saw us but only briefly while we set them up at the DR sight then we were gone
The fact that we lost the building at 10 PM and business continued the very next day with out skipping a beat spoke volumes.
so you may want to ask yourself(short of having a disaster) is this being done so management has an idea as to the worth of the help desk
and make them more visible to the general populace of the company you work for or is it a dumbing down of the IT department, in particular the help desk (think out sourcing)
If it is the prior then it may be a good thing
no matter how good it is, it is human nature always wants to make things better
"Thanks for making my skills feel more and more like I am on the same level as a burger flipper."
Working the help desk should be a stepping stone to better roles for those who really aspire to it. Staying on the help desk is for people whose skills are as good as they are going to get, or for the unmotivated. It IS the burger flipping of IT, like it or not.
But a real burger flipper has three career paths: continue flipping burgers, become a manager of burger flippers, or leave the industry. As an IT guy, you have PLENTY of opportunity. Wearing a branded shirt won't make your skills invisible. Real talent shows, and if you have talent beyond the basics - which is, frankly, all you need to man the help desk - you won't stay there. It's a waste for you and the company to have you explaining to somebody how to put their Word icon back on their desktop.
I did my time in the trenches. I worked hardware repair and software support for a retailer from 1992-1997. Then I moved to the contracted corporate help desk of a major industrial corporation. I blew the talent curve, and one year later to the day I was hired by that corporation directly, on their critical operations supprot team. Today I'm a senior analyst for them, writing and maintaining industrial simulation and scheduling software, and making a very nice living.
I don't have any formal education. What I had was a stack of hardware certificates and an MCSE (6 exams passed in 9 weeks). In my day to day help desk work the right people noticed I was good. I can point to five other people from my office door that came by a similar route. Excuse me why I change careers and head into nursing, at least they get paid what they are worth, and more as years go by, esp if you specialize in certain fields.
To me, this just smacks of general disdain for "computer people". It's a subtle insult and an effort at class differentiation.
Do your building maintenance or janitorial workers have to wear such things?
The only way I'd say this is even remotely acceptable is if:
a) you work in a hospital environment where many of the other workers are wearing smocks or similar over their clothes.
b) the shirts are partially subsidized by the company and/or inexpensive
c) There is an actual reason for the uniforms aside from some managerial BS. IE, you do a lot of crawling around on the ground and get dirty throughout the day, and having a clean shirt bin to clean into to keep you presentable is necessary.
As a whole, it's a stupid idea. It decreases morale, especially in a decidedly 'independent' field like IT (even if it's just helpdesk).
Now, if the uniforms are being pushed down your throats because your 'independently minded' help desk has a repeated reputation for not dressing to 'business casual' (as i'm sure is the case with many IT types), that's another story. But then, that's also the issue which needs to be addressed - not making another, special-case rule for a certain segment of people.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
"If you wear an unprofessional looking uniform (read: branded for your department), you reinforce the idea that you belong there. There will be no advancement into other groups even within IT at that company"
Skill shows through no matter what shirt you wear. And although I can only speak for some, I think you'll find that the source of the bias would be that you're working on the help desk - not that your shirt has a company logo on it. I can't imagine saying to somebody, "Gee, that help desk guy has a lot of potential. Too bad his team has matching shirts - guess he's not worth promoting."
I can, however, see a guy stuck on the help desk complaining that the shirt makes him invisible. After all, it couldn't be because he doesn't further his education, get industry certification, apply for better positions, or at least try to play golf/poker with his boss occasionally.
NP, as long as it has a superman cape.
The reason we subjugate ourselves to law is to better procure justice. If law does not accomplish this purpose then it m
"Excuse me why I change careers and head into nursing, at least they get paid what they are worth, and more as years go by, esp if you specialize in certain fields."
Was going to address this, copy-pasted it, decided not to... and submitted the darned post. I really wish I could edit slashdot posts.
Well, as long as I'm here, my annual salary this year was 2.6 times what I was making in 1998 on the help desk.
Last place I worked we told everyone "Please call the help desk at extension xxxx, I can't help you without a trouble ticket" We justified it to the bosses with the "prioritization" argument.
If you're going to do it, do it right. Check out VF Imagewear, the leading supplier of business uniforms. They even have a downloadable design tool.
There are several ways to go. One is a lab coat, like the ones doctors wear. Aerospace companies have used those for decades. Another is auto-company style uniforms. Avoid ball caps unless you get the entire SWAT-team ensemble, which they offer.
"What, you turned your computer off with the switch _again_ in the middle of an update?"
(ZZZAP!)
Smell the sizzle as you brand their forehead with the PEBCAK tattoo...
Be sure that your company gives you a uniform allowance to take care of your "uniforms". I get about $10/month to launder my uniform shirts. That's $120/year extra!
Actually this makes a lot of since from a security point a view. If Help desk is also response for maintain the machines be able to identify the person removed a computer or hard drive the a workspace, is a very good idea
--Rogue, who's existance has yet to be disproved
You might want to float the idea of having armbands. They're unobtrusive, sharp, and have been shown in the past to foster a sense of shared identity.
Might want to give a little thought to putting a logo of some sort on it too...maybe one of those Indian good luck symbols...you know, something simple that looks good in black and white.
I wouldn't mind wearing some of those Cutter & Buck polos with the two tone collars and nice embroidered logos, you know - the ones they hand out for free to everyone except the IT staff?
Be glad you have a job and stop whining.
If the uniforms are free and reasonable I would go for it. I've never seen an IT person get very far from their desk without getting accosted about some problem. You might as well cash in on somebodies dumb idea.
Original Series, NextGen, DSN or Voyager. Seems reasonable to me.
The closer you are to the code, the happier you are. - Ancient Geek Proverb
True geeks wear white lab coats. That's what I'd want!
Think Beaker.
Fiat Lux.
As long as they're black and silky with mirror shades, bluetooth and a logo that strikes cowering respect in the client.
My helpdesk decided on their own to wear flourescent vents that highway workers wear. They wanted to as part of a rollout of a new knowledge base system for the employees and as a way to let people know who they are. Results seem to be pretty good so far as when they go somewhere we get more of the hallway conversations that are really useful rather than just being some random unknown person in the building.
Uniform != Janitor
There are lots of highly paid, well educated, well qualified people who must wear uniforms. Though with many of these professions there are physical needs for these uniforms, they're quite often most valuable because they allow people to be identified by their jobs so they can be found in a crowd in case of an emergency without even exchanging words. It's quite important for people to be able to tell a doctor from a nurse from an orderly from a security guard in the hallway in a hospital. As a chef, I know that it's important for everyone from new waitstaff to health inspectors to vendors to be able to come into the kitchen and see who's the chef, who the line cooks are and who the dishwasher is without having to interrupt the workflow and start asking questions. To all of the people who would say associating cooks with IT guys is degrading for IT guys, most cooks that I've worked with were on average just as smart, just as well educated and/or more experienced in their field as your average guy that I worked with as a 3rd level support engineer for a large Solaris based software package for IBM. I would be much more likely to hire cooks into an IT organization than hire IT guys into a kitchen.
And though the word janitor has a definite 'cleaner' context to it, (and being a cleaner in most environments is not highly skilled labor) I'd certainly call most IT positions essentially custodial positions, especially in the help desk. Many facilities type custodial positions require them to perform basic electrical work, repair appliances, furniture, doors, windows, etc. These types of jobs certainly require more specialized knowledge than any of the helpdesk jobs I've hired for. When you're talking about someone who is generally only required to know how to check basic network connectivity, run malware and virus scanners, perform basic setup and configuration, and call someone the second they're in over there head, it's absurd that there's so much disdain for people in a position where they have to know how to replace a broken window pane, replace a broken faucet, snake a drain, fix a broken toilet, replace cracked tiles, tend to plants, safely replace light switches, strip and buff a floor, etc. etc. etc. You can go to Cornell and get a Masters degree in facilities management. Last I checked you couldn't get one in "helpdesk arts". I was in IT or closely related fields for over a decade and it certainly is an honorable profession. This thread perfectly highlights how condescending IT guys can be towards people in other fields, and more often than not, it's to people who have more difficult, more complicated, more stressful and often more important jobs. It's one of the primary reasons that so many end users are immediately defensive and confrontational when dealing with IT guys. They aren't born that way.
There are certainly tons of great IT guys out there... the overwhelming majority... but those guys that have the classic IT god/martyr complex is one of the primary reasons that I left the field to get into something where you're judged exclusively based on your merit as a worker and not how much noise you make about it. Keep convincing yourself that you are an invaluable IT artiste, certainly within the top 5 most important people in the company. You should even throw your arms up in the air and passionately shout ::cue French accent:: "I cannot work under zees circumstances!" when management makes demands like this of you. It'll be a hilarious story to tell the guy in Bangalore who is going to replace you and 3 other people armed only with a remote desktop connection and a telephone.
...an expensive, delicate suit to show that you don't have to do any physical work. You wear a uniform to show that your identity is a three-ring binder.
rj
If you are deploying Windows then you made so many problems for your users that you deserve whatever they do to make your life miserable.
If not deploying Windows, then being available by phone, email, and physical help desk should be plenty. I manage to find the Genius Bar once every 3 years when I need I-T help. I know the Apple employees are wearing colorful T-shirts but the way I tell who I'm meeting with is who is behind the big bar at the time of my appointment.
Apple just open sourced "Concierge", their app for users to make appointments for I-T help. Maybe that kind of thing on your Intranet would be helpful. If a user can make an appointment in a Web browser (on their phone if their PC is down and vice versa) then they feel like they're in control, they know someone is coming at 11:00 or they have to go to the help desk at 11:00 and someone will be there to meet them. If you tell them "soon" then they feel like they're not in control and you'll never get there and they have to go looking for you.
Remember, uniforms exist because they work. It's social engineering.
Actually, it's exactly BECAUSE uniforms are social engineering that I refuse to wear them for anything less than a practical reason. Personally, I am unimpressed with a man in a suit. If I have on camouflage pants, combat boots, an olive drab t-shirt, and a boonie hat, and he has on a suit, my clothes are clearly better. My shoes are better at protecting my feet and providing traction, and they will last me 10 years all while costing less. It seems ridiculous to me to focus more on socially engineering people with your clothes rather than focusing on just wearing the best clothes. If someone is not able to look past your dress and decide if what you say is true based on it's own merit, they aren't worth your time to begin with.
better outlined and enforced.
My idea of business casual is NOT EVEN CLOSE to what is permitted.
AND NO "casual Fridays."
The NO list:
NO THONGS (These are shoes for you whippersnappers!)/Sandals/Flip Flops! ! ! This is NOT THE !$@!Y$%!@^$!% BEACH!
NO DEMIM EVER PERIOD!
Women: NO PANTS, EVER! Skirts and Dresses ONLY!
NO BARE LEGS! You need to learn the words: TIGHTS, STOCKINGS, PANTYHOSE.
I work in a field which for 90% of the employees a UNIFORM is required. I have the option, to wear the uniform or PROPER BUSINESS APPAREL. 95% of the time I wear the uniform, The remaining 5% is dress shirt, dress pants, tie, dress shoes. I keep a co-ordinating suit jacket at the ready if I need it. This is FAR ABOVE "PROPER BUSINESS APPAREL" for my agency. As management I need to set the bar, others need to live up to. What is "acceptable" to the agency is far more generous. I make it clear when new hires start what is considered acceptable in the department and what the agency "lax'ly permits."
Why? The uniform is provided to me, free, no cost,none. This includes dry cleaning. Its simple, closet of shirts, closet of pants, all the same. Pick one of each. DONE!
Embrace the uniform! Make getting ready for work easier.
1311393600 - Back to Black
Agreed. Practicality aside, go for a uniform (company provided if you can swing it) that implies that you are a cut above, rather than two cuts below, the average joe.
If you accept that dressing like a janitor or a sanitation engineer is appropriate then go and do that.
Good help desk staff are professionals and multi-talented, technically adept and great judges of character and students of human nature: who else can placate the irate and fat fingered? Wear a suit, and when you have fixed the problem and are giving them the wind-up speech (what, why, who and now I'm leaving to do important and mysterious stuff) ensure they are sitting at their desk and you are standing, and they're looking up to you.
The natural order of things.
Honestly, that is my first thought. If they are going to provide work appropriate clothing for you to wear at no cost to yourself, heck yeah. If they are going to make you pay for 5 shirts at $30 each and 5 pairs of pants at $50 each that display the company logo (making them useless to you at your next gig) I would be annoyed by it.
Reality would strongly suggest that you are wrong. Inter-personal relationships are, like it or not, based in great part on our appearances. That's why uniforms work. If you chose to be a slob, then you have to be far more talented to get the job that the fellow next in line who is better dressed.
Why should the culture reenforce this illogical position? If we're gonna bother enforcing ideals at all, they should at least be relevant to the tasks the individual is responsible for. Fashion has nothing to do with any IT task I'm aware of. In fact, it has very little to do with nearly any office job.
Try wearing a suit some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not a crappy fitting suit that looks like it's 20 years old, but one that fits well, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot easier.
only because most people you run into are comparative idiots in hte profession you're involved with. Even in non-professional situations, the only ones that instinctively look up to the one wearing a suit do so only because they've been conditioned to. the suit does not change reality one bit. in fact, it can have the opposite effect with other smart people: the slick dress suggests you're out to sleazebag them in some way.
Me, I work for a fellow who is in charge of a department of 30 people with a budget of 300 million dollars. It would have to be an emergency for me to not wear a least a button down shirt, slacks, and a tie if not a suit when going to his office. Do you really think you would be taken seriously if you showed up in a similar office wearing a t-shirt and jeans?
Yes, I would, assuming my positions/arguments/solutions were well thought out and solve the problem at hand. Conversely, if I showed up wearing armani and spouted halfbaked bullshit, I would expect to be shown the door. Real respect is earned. Respect comes from achievement, not fashion sense (unless you're in the fashion industry as a designer). Of course, if the company you work for models itself after a typical high school clique, then.....
Remember, uniforms exist because they work. It's social engineering.
Sure, they get the wearer used to conformity and mindless obedience.
Q: "What do you think a tie actually is?"
A: "A serpent-like symbol of evil worn by humales."
I'd say more likely a symbol of ownership. It's a leash.
Do you really need an IT guy for every 16 employees? Unless you are an IT company or suport a heavy web presence, I'd say you either have very incompetent employees or you're grossly overstaffed in the IT department.
Jeeze dude, who pissed in your cheerios. We're not even talking about politics.
Get a company tie with a little bit of print, saying 'IT Support' or some such. Yes go on, make your guys wear shirt and ties.
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
dress code just for girls, design with care for fun, unity, motivation and comfort in overheated offices
God's gift to chicks
Network Security Staff t-shirts.
(And honestly, if they want anything more than a t-shirt, you need to have a talk with them about the difference between "looking the part" and "getting the job done.")
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
I Think it would be a great idea UNTIL the economy comes back and all of your humiliated help desk people leave in a mass exodus leaving you scrambling to replace them at a higher cost. The unfortunate truth is a lot of the outsourced jobs are coming back to the USA and it is getting more and more difficult to fill them because so many people have left the marketplace. Of course the cloud is going to change all of that and put us all out of work eventually (snotty developers included) so it will be interesting to see how the future evolves.
... as long as the correct I.T. related slogan is used:
"Giving I.T. to you"
"Doing I.T. on your desktop"
or - to emphasise the caring nature of helpdesk work
"Tell someone who cares"
I second other opinions that the special outfits idea is a band-aid for another issue, or a misconception of how IT staff should be viewed.
I understand the notion of mandatory uniforms for a franchise or company, like BestBuy or GeekSquad- you are encouraging a consistent user experience across the entire company, and that image is also part of the product or service you are selling.
However, why the need to make an internal IT department look like an outsourced support franchise? Is the CIO trying a little too hard to "sell" the IT department to the rest of the company? All you are doing is further alienating the support staff and making it harder for other employees to see them as coworkers.
In this context I would feel like I had just been demoted to "IT Janitor" with such a targeted uniform mandate. I can hear the sales staff now: "Hey blue shirt, somehow a virus got on my machine and I need you to fix this pronto..."
Why people at army, police and others use uniforms ? To give what they call "body spirit", thats is, to give a feeling that they are part of something bigger than themselves and are united by a common sense.
So, uniforms must be used by everyone or nobody, but not by some.
From what I have seen on the last decade and from what I can predict, the problem with our current economic, financial and political models is that they are failing. This happens mainly not because of workers' competence, but rather because of incompetent leadership. This condition gets worse from day to day and they (our bosses) know it. In some cases, our competence is grater than theirs and they know it. They have no capacity to solve financial, strategic or even human problem inhouse, so they panic and ultimately take bad decisions such as the one reported in this article.
El Loro Narcotizado http://loronarco.blogspot.com
If you go this route I would suggest you go with a dress shirt. I know I would like the opportunity to hide all the tattoes on my arms when I am at work. And also just as important I can wear my ties with a dress shirt.
It seems that nearly every reply is against this idea. I'm not really sure why. It seems that the business rules are "business casual", and either it is too broad and people interpret how they want, or the manager might just be genuinely trying to build a feeling of team. Yep, good managers do exist.
I manage a small customer service team in a large (500+) business. We rarely see external customers face to face. But recently, they asked for one small thing.... yep... a uniform. To be accurate, it was business clothes, shirts, vests etc with the company logo, but they were all matching. Sure it's optional, and they don't wear it all the time, but that one small thing did make them feel more like a team and they took pride in wearing the company's logo.
Interestingly, there is one other team that has the closest thing to the uniform - the IT team. Typically they wear business attire, but often it includes an embroidered shirt proclaiming that they are in the IT team. We all know who they are and what they do, but that doesn't stop them.
Maybe the difference is that these examples are optional. But even if it was compulsory it might not be all that bad.
I worked at a place where they had us do this. Basically, it's an idea that the management like but nobody else cares for. After 6 months the "mandatory" thing had stopped being enforced and after a year almost nobody wore the department shirt. Deal with it, at least they aren't telling you how to do you job.
I want my Cowboyneal
As someone who started on the "Help Desk" I remember what I used to wear to work, tattered jeans, t-shirts, etc. Now that I have progressed in my IT career which is to the point where Business casual and the suit are the norm. I also happen to work for a Fortune 500 company that has a healthy work hard to play hard mentality. Anyways, Our Help Desk is also visible but as I look at some of those people I tend to be judgemental by what they are wearing. I Shouldnt be I was once like them. But I guess at some point I succumbed to the corporate culture. /shrug
I wouldnt be upset too much of the change. Remember you want to dress for the job you want not the one you have. :)
Happy employees go above and beyond... Force uniforms on underpaid people and they will stop caring. I suspect these people arent paid all that great and arent offered any training that amounts to much.
I've seen my share of stupid users in a colo...
This is the kinda douche bag move companies do that piss of their underpaid employees. Want them to dress nicer? Pay them more. Want them to do a good job? Implement training. Want them to 'wear a uniform'? Just pass out free shirts with the logo. Polo, t shits, and button downs. And dont be afraid of the colour black. Dont make i mandatory to wear them... but they were free... Chances are they will wear them without feeling shit upon.
Your employer wants to treat it's professional, trained support staff as if they were members of Best Buy's Geek Squad, and the assumption is that by being easily spotted, you would now bw available for direct, in-person support questions while walking down the halls, on break, or at lunch.
If the support team wanted to do this and they came up with the idea, I'd have no problem with it, but until then, resist it.
There's a saying in business that you don't dress for the job you have, you dress for the job you want - and I can't believe your help desk folks want to dress "down" and be treated like unprofessional "computer guys", akin to the maint. staff or delivery boys.
Ken
I think it's a superb idea!
1) Uniform must follow Dilbertian Rules
a) Tie, with slight curl at the bottom
b) white, short-sleeved shirt
c) pocket protector in shirt pocket with company logo on the pocket protector
d) horn-rimmed glasses with tape in center of glasses.
2) When you introduce yourself to your clients (perhaps as some catchy name like "The Man with no Communication Skills"), let them know you got a work order from the pointy-haired boss. Proceed to berate them for bringing such a stupid work order - make them grovel to get the work done.
I disagree that uniforms are a bad idea and yes I work in IT. I was also a member of the armed forces for a time in my life and as a service member I wore a uniform as well. Would you compare a soldier to a fast-food worker because they both wear a uniform? When you and your group that you work with everyday wear uniforms it can sometimes reinforce that you feel a member of something, a part of something bigger than yourself all working towards a common goal. If you have pride in yourself and your workplace and what you and your peers do for a living then a uniform should not bother you, in fact it would bring you all closer together. On the other hand if the company has consistently treated you with disrespect and you aren't particularly happy with what you are doing and where you are at then I can understand how it can be construed as demeaning.
We have a way of thinking where I work (as long as safety is not violated): 1. Are they paying you? If so, shut up and wear the uniform. Stay focused. 2. The best way for a bad plan to fail is to implement it. If it's a bad plan, it will fail. Do not try to stand it up on your own. A plan should succeed or fail on its own merit. 3. Management changes. Even though you're in a relatively small company (I work in a company w/ 25k+ employees), management will come and go. Your current management will move on to screw with someone else just because they can. 4. The "Golden Rule." He who has the gold, makes the rules. You work for "them." If you do not like a policy, try and fight it. In this economy, shut up and wear the uniform. All that being said, I did recently "draw the line in the sand." I was asked to provide my SSN to my company to get access to a room I've had access to w/o a SSN for the past 12 years. Apparently, once I "sign" the form, they have carte blanche to check my credit w/o letting me know they are doing so. Sorry, I don't give out my SSN for anything other than payroll. I spent 14 years in the military and had clearances. Even the military requests permission to check my credit each time they do so.
I have a uniform already. It's called "collared shirt, no jeans, and a tie." Because, you know, I'm a grownup.
Most people have uniforms of some kind. Have you considered that maybe the IT department looks like crap? Too many stained anime t-shirts?
Also, to all the people asking, "what, do they think that we are blue-collar workers?": The answer is "yes," because that is what you are. You do not need a degree to do your job (my best-paid IT-industry friend dropped out of HIGH SCHOOL--no GED). You have a list of licenses and test qualifications. You are peons. Get used to it or get out.
And yes, I've done that job as well. I'm not saying it's fair to be viewed as peons, but that is indeed what they are. They are basically on the same level as janitors and food service. In the company but not of it.
Finally, how about this: It might not be so bad. Honestly, I'm thinking of changing careers, and if I do, the company I'll be at will require me to wear a polo shirt with a logo on it. There are a lot of styles available, and I'm stoked. I can go back to spending most of my clothes budget on clothes for playing instead of clothes for working! It's not all bad.
In soviet Russia, uniforms wear YOU!
*hides*
Original Series, NextGen, DSN or Voyager.
Aren't those types of condoms?
My experience is from the user side, and I would strongly discourage uniforms for the IT helpdesk, in fact for any helpdesk.
The reality of life is that individuality matters, especially in a person from which one seeks help: People need to establish personal contact. And when it comes to essential tools such as computers, which can make our workday hell if they don't work properly, trust matters a lot. Putting your helpdesk people in uniform is the first step to make them uniformized drones. It will have a bad effect on employee morale, not just of the people who wear the uniforms, but also the people who call on them.
My advice is to fight it, tooth and claw. Instead promote rapprochement between the helpdesk people and the business by making sure that when people call, they get the same helpdesk person whenever possible. Don't over-emphasize central helpdesk lines and by all means avoid trouble ticket systems -- I've never seen one that didn't succeed in infuriating the end users.
We do this where I work too
I work in a IT dept of two people for a small town. The IT head wanted us to come up with a logo to "Brand" our dept. So we worked on the style and substance and came up with a nice 3 color logo. I tossed in some binary because it looked good in red and stands out in the logo. 01010010 01010100 010000110 01001101.(yes, the boss knows what it means) When any user or "Tie Wearer" asks what it means we just tell them its some random binary numbers.
WARNING! If the Help Desk thinks your question is stupid, we will set you on fire!
If you own the company and don't like the uniforms, then strike it down. If you don't own the company and don't like the uniforms, find another job. It is your right to find employment elsewhere should the conditions under which you work change to your dissatisfaction...just as it is the owners right to run their company as they see fit.
Kevin
Hey, the way I look at it, if they provide them... Free Shirts!
"Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
And your "customers" hated you...
Don't know where you get your car serviced but it is the sales people with a base salary who work on commission. The mechanics simply get a regular decent pay based on experience and skill and it ain't low because skilled mechanics are hard to find, while sale clerks are a dime a dozen.
Surgeons also wear uniforms, are they low paid as well? So do airline pilots.
And the higher you are in a bank, the more you are required to wear the uniform of a 3 piece suit in the appropriate colors/style. While the IT flunky can come to work at the same bank in whatever he wants as long as it contains the blubber.
On a construction site, the ones in the company colors are the regulars, the ones who got a job the whole year, everyone in their own clothes will be temps, hired hands, with no job security.
Sorry mate, but you need some more experience with real life.
Bad jobs are bad jobs, the uniform or not has nothing to do with it.
I would insist that the uniforms are paid for by the company, completely and cleaned on their expense. Then just consider it a saving and deal with it.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The only type of uniform I can see as being acceptable would be something along the lines of a lab coat. Something that showed respect for the knowledge and skill of the person doing the work as opposed to trying to de-value the intelligence of the employee by making them look like some Geek Squad loser.
...
Try wearing a suit some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not a crappy fitting suit that looks like it's 20 years old, but one that fits well, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot easier.
Indeed! When I wanted to start living somewhere nice (not student accommodation) I went to look at a house to rent. I was dressed in baggy trousers and a Korn t-shirt I could tell before I'd even got out of my car, as soon as the landlord had seen us he'd decided that he wasn't going to rent to us. Ever since then I wear a suit to important things, even stuff like buying a new bed or TV. Having salesmen falling over themselves trying to help, offering things like food and drinks (including alcohol) even if I say I'm just browsing is much better, and much more fun, than having the security guard follow you around the shop.
I have a big goatee beard and face piercings, when I'm dressed in a suit people know I want to be taken seriously, so they treat me the way I'm dressed.
Everyone knows that different people are different. Wearing a suit says so much about your attitude. Taking the effort to look good and look smart tends to command a certain level of respect (in the correct situations).
Make them give you a souped up VW too. I don't know about you but I did not go to collage and rack up 60k in student loans to land a gig that I would have to work a shift, wear a name tag or a uniform. Make the Been Counters wear one and see how long that last. Or you could be a BOFH and intercept all emails and memos and make them read Executive staff instead of IT.
"Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk."
~Joaquin Setanti
You can only be in one place at once, so somebody's going to be unhappy. Better it's the twit who wants to install a cute screensaver than someone with a genuine, bottom-line impacting problem.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Wear it like a badge of honor. A similar thing happen in our company, but with engineers. Although wearing the uniformed shirts is a on a volunteer basis in our department, there was a negative reaction at first, but when we all started to wear the shirts we all sensed a greater feeling of belonging to a team – at least I felt it myself. The shirts issued to engineers were of various styles and colors, all with a company logo. These shirts were not like those of the service department, or of the utility type worn by shop personnel, but of dress quality. Every winter we now get great looking jackets and long sleeved shirts, and at the beginning of summer we get sporty net shirts. I say welcome the shirts, but have your department take the active role in choosing the styles and accessories.
I made this suggestion to the boss, while I was a lowly IT "help desk" employee (they call them technical support analysts now).
Actually, I told him: "We should be wearing jumpsuits and always be running between appointments."
The GP looks like a great advice*. I couldn't have such a good idea before reading it, and strongly sugest following that advice. You call bullshit that they would play other people by the same rules that they are being played now? That doesn't make a lot of sense.
* Moral will take a hit, but that is inevitable. Even if everybody backtracks, and no uniform is used, moral will still take a hit.
Rethinking email
"If we're going to wear uniforms, man, let's everybody wear something different".
...I just came for the free beer.
I worked for a Mortgage company that had five front line IT people including my boss. He suggested that we get navy blue polo shirts for us with the company logo. They were nice ones (should have been dry cleaned but I am cheap) and even he wore one 4 days a week (he was the junior partner in the company.) I did not mind them since it also meant I did not have to figure out what to wear or buy work shirts. Even the sales types wanted them. The only complaint I had about them was that they did not get long sleeve ones for the winter. If it is done right it can work. Suggest that the head of the department get them as well.
I work at a MSP, so we're a help desk for 30+ companies. The uniform for technical folks is a logo'ed button-down shirt (dark green, either short or long-sleeved) and slacks (technically kakhi, navy or black, but the predominant color is kakhi) and 'dress' shoes (anything not sport shoes is fair game). Even for those stuck in the office all day and not in the field interacting with customers the policy applies (the logic being that if you have to run out to a site you're already dressed). We have a strict "no help without a trouble ticket" policy and most of our customers are now smart enough to not harass the local greenshirt directly... mostly. If we're talking about a megacorp helpdesk, it only makes sense if the rest of the company has required uniforms or anything beyond "business casual". In an office without uniforms the breakdown seems to be this: Boss + boss's cronies/assistants: Business formal or high-end business casual (suit and tie) Non-customer-facing folks: business casual customer-facing: business casual with a tighter dress code or a uniform. If IT must have a uniform, make sure it is comfortable. Full-cotton is great, and darker color don't show dirt and sweat (though the usual gray computer-dust sticks out a bit). Also find a dry cleaner that will do pickup/delivery. Professionally cleaned and pressed uniforms do wonders for the image (bonus: the IT grunts only have to keep track of where the dirty bag and pile of clean shirts are, not the mechanics of washing.). If you do have a mandate for uniforms, make sure to keep a stash of cleaned and pressed uniform shirts in a closet or cabinet somewhere at the office, someone WILL need it someday.
As the original post put it, this is an attempt to Brand the help desk staff. I suspect the IT management is looking to build _internal_ market share and have more leverage to protect their assets during the next round of cuts. Unfortunately, it's more likely they're a bunch of self-aggrandising dunderheads, sigh.
Do you want fries with that ;-) Typical, treating IT staff as service workers as usual...no offense to those who wear uniforms for their jobs but it's appropriate in some jobs...not in others. Working in corporate and office environments means showing certain kinds of professionalism and making IT staff wear some sort of uniform, in my opinion, detracts from this image. We aren't plumbers or electricians or copier repair guys visiting your sites from outside companies...we are employees too (I count contractors in this pool too especially whe under long term contracts). I agree with some others...make management wear badges that say "President", "CIO", CFO" etc...you think that would go over well...why should IT wear a uniform....frankly, IT staff are often the ones who know and speak with everyone in the company and anyone who doesn't live under a rock in their company knows them...that's more than I can say for some employees in places I've worked. There have been employees who literally sit next to each but never speak or even know each other's names...maybe they should wear a uniform letting others know which departments they work in...maybe that would foster more teamwork from average employees...leave IT staff alone...we've got enough fires and issues to deal with...Peace and happy New Year to all...
*Try wearing tactical body armor and an automatic weapon some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not outdated gear that looks like it's 20 years old, but an outfit that is solid, well-maintained, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot bloodier.*
Fair enough... though I do not necessarily agree with Wikipedia.
Either way IT does not fit the criteria for a white-collar profession. No barrier to entry such as education. No professional organization. No licensing. No recognized code of ethics.
I wore a uniform for two years, consisting of a white shirt with the company logo and khaki trousers, and thought it was a good idea. My department was held in high regard as a result of the services it performed, and I gained instant credibility as a result of my visual identification with the department. Wasn't a help desk, but as an instructor in a technical college. Still, if the department is respected, the members will be as well.
As many have mentioned, it depends on the uniform.
If it was something like a golf shirt with a small monogrammed IT logo, it wouldn't bother me, as that's pretty much what I wear to work anyway (and pants).
If it was something really distinctive and cool, like custom Hockey Jersey's with teams names and logos, and my name on the back with a number, I think that would also be fun!
If however it was something I felt was lame or stupid, when then I guess I wouldn't like it very much.
Unless you carry no id badges or other identifying info and also have a problem with social enineering attacks on your systems I'd be opposed.
If management has an issue with the business casual they should say so.
Singling out 6 professionals from the rest sets a bad trned and unless the companys paying will leave a real distaste for the it staff.
You have to understand management to understand the genesis of the uniforms idea. See, some pointy hair was buying a computer for his nephew and asked for help from the nearest Geek Squad drone and was impressed by the professionalism of the help. (Your nephew probably likes games so buy the more expensive one, dude).
The comments about team unity and visibility and all that other stuff are mere rationalizations. The real reason is because the PHB liked that he could find the computer geek when he wanted one And face it, PHBs need to ask computer geeks questions like, "How do I log on?" and "How do I open the cup holder?" a lot.
The helpdesk guys effectively *are* computer janitors. Unless they have some other non-helpdesk role as well, then their job is to help users when their computers aren't working. Is it a shitty way to look at the job? Sure, but it is what it is. It's all the more motivation to get promoted out of helpdesk so you can go back to wearing your own clothes. We don't have to wear a uniform, but I usually wear a shirt with a company logo to work just because I have so many. I wouldn't be thrilled if that started making us wear IT specific shirts. In a small shop like ours, it wouldn't be effective at anything since everyone already knows who I am, but in a large shop I agree that it'll cause problems for the techs because they'll start getting pulled into cubicles at 3x the normal rate when they go get their morning coffee. Calling the helpdesk is still a more effective method of getting help, BUT... The reason they're doing this is probably because they're getting feedback that after calling the helpdesk it takes too long to get a tech into your cube to fix your problem. The helpdesk software/administrator is prioritizing the requests, and the VP who always forgets to turn his speakers on is unhappy that it takes an hour for someone to stop in and press the power button for him, so he complains to the CIO/CTO that there aren't enough helpdesk people in the building. That's just life unfortunately...if they want to be able to respond to idiotic support requests in 5 minutes, then the solution is to hire more techs.
I can see doing this so people know who the IT guys are, but I think badges would be better. Tell them you want cotten cause you are allergic to polyester :))
Welcome to Kmart, how may I help you ;)
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I don't like the idea of uniforms for IT staff. The issue came up at a previous job, my suggestion was to provide some type of lab coat. You can wear your own cloths and take it off when not on the floor. A nice lab coat doesn't say hamburger flipper or janitor. It could however promote the nerd factor which isn't always a good idea.
Most IT professionals have adopted the British Maid outfit for the help desk, Norge repairman butt crack pants for the techs and Bondage Mistress for the CIO.
I work at helpdesk for a smallish technical college. We have about 15-20 total in the IT office and our CIO buys us these nice dress shirts with the college logo and "Information Technology" above the pocket. His dress code for us is no jeans and look professional. We can choose to wear a tie or even our own shirts. But we also regularly get comments from other people about how nice our shirts look and how professional it makes our office look when we show up to a meeting in similar styled dress shirts. On days when there's a lot of dirty work involved we can come in with what's appropriate but overall I think the shirts add to the job instead of being an annoyance.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world; those that understand binary and those that do not.
but it better come with a night stick. 'What, you forgot your password agian?" *Whack!
if they were think geek shirts it might be alright :). I am one of 2 IT guys at a small (100) company and i enjoy wearing jeans and a polo or sometimes my Geek shirts/ etc. I think uniforms could be a good step if its handled right and there are a lot of options and choices, im not a fan of looking like the geek squad at best buy though....
when a woman asks her friend whether her husband is cheating on her. The fact she has to ask tells the friend everything she needs to know.
These shirts are symbols. Basic semiotics here: symbols in themselves are meaningless. They require context to interpret. If your reaction is, "Gee, what an intriguing idea," then you can take management assurances at face value. If your immediate reaction is, "This sounds like yet another indignity being heaped upon us," it probably is.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
At first they did. They didnt understand what they should have to send an email to helpdesk and not make all those phone calls, or send email to individual emails. It took about 1 month then they say that their issues are handled promptly because the process was more efficient.
First of all, if they dont' ahve to be the same they are NOT UNIFORMS because they won't be uniform.
Second of all this is a GOOD thing. If you are smart and good at your job you want this.
Having a polo it It's symbol is a great way for people to see you adding value. You may do your job better then anyone in the world and work for the most compentant IT dept. in the world, but of you don't make your slef known you will experience budget cuts. Yes, I know a good system is one where you don't see the IT people; however that's doesn't fit in with the realities of human nature.
I ahve seen similiar policyies put in place, and they have almost always benefited the IT dept in the long run. The onlly time I saw it ahve a negative impact is the one time where it was an actual gray uniform shirt. Like the old schookl mechanis wore. That made everyone feel like drones.
A polo shirt with a little emblem over the left breast, or a comfortable printed Tee- Shirt are the way to go.
I am goint o say this again becasue it really can't be stressed enough in the crowd:
Being visible when you do a good job is a good thing. It shows your value and a good manager can use that to get a bigger budget to get YOU the TOOLS and education you need. Maybe even a bonus structure for IT workers.
You should be happy someone is trying to get you recognized for the good work you do.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
IT is a critical part of our society and the Help Desk is like first responders (fire, police, ambulance) for other emergencies. I work for the City of Calgary and have wondered if an IT crest-emblazoned collared shirt similar to police or fire would be helpful. I'm not sure, but a crest with a logo / coat of arms that isn't tacky that is put together in a pseudo-military style shirt could look nice, however, given the general tendency towards pear-shaped employees in IT, this may not come off too well...and I can hear it now 'Here come the muffin-tops!'
Discomfort often comes from the neck size of the shirt being too small.
And the neck sizes are always too small because shirts are made for the fattest possible person who still somehow has a neck of a particular size. At 6 feet and 160 pounds I'm thin but nowhere near emaciated, yet every shirt long enough for my arms, whether from Target or Nordstrom, could literally hold two of me in the torso yet barely buttons in the neck.
Yes, I know I'm way off topic, but good god it pisses me off. Why should it be impossible to find a shirt that fits for less than $150?
How about allowing hoodies or hooded sweatshirts as one choice for helpdesk uniform. These hoodies can have the company name and job title silkscreened on them. Hoodies are popular with with college students and when I was in college, I liked wearing my college hoodie. Even after graduation, I still like wearing them. Of course if the weather gets warm, regular or polo shirts can be one of the choices.
How about issuing them all Droids with brightly-colored belt pouches (maybe logoed)? That would set them apart without a demeaning uniform.
if the uniforms are white lab coats it has to be OK.
Remember, uniforms exist because they work. It's social engineering.
Sure, they get the wearer used to conformity and mindless obedience.
Normally, I don't respond to AC comments, but this one misses the mark entirely. Actually, completely missed the point of my earlier reply.
Uniforms provide power. That power can either be used to control employees, to provide a ready means of recognition between employees, or to convey authority to employees. Examples of each are, in turn, fast-food staff, soldiers, and police officers.
My suggestion was that the original posting seemed to be in the first category, while I observed that it could be turned into the third with a little initiative.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Discomfort often comes from the neck size of the shirt being too small.
And the neck sizes are always too small because shirts are made for the fattest possible person who still somehow has a neck of a particular size. At 6 feet and 160 pounds I'm thin but nowhere near emaciated, yet every shirt long enough for my arms, whether from Target or Nordstrom, could literally hold two of me in the torso yet barely buttons in the neck.
Yes, I know I'm way off topic, but good god it pisses me off. Why should it be impossible to find a shirt that fits for less than $150?
I also often have a hard time finding shirts that fit well. My brother recently turned me on to custom-tailored shirts. While not inexpensive, they aren't that bad, being typically just under $100 each. If you ever travel to Hong Kong, I understand that you can be measured and have clothing made on very short notice, with quite reasonable pricing.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
create an internal tech blog and everyone put a 'windows tip of the day' or 'iTips for Leopard Users' kind of thing. have the profiles include pictures.
I would go for it, if you think it will help make management happy about your very large IT dept. What the heck you doing with so many personnel? Do you maintain your own software? I thought we had to do regular horse and pony shows to management to justify our large IT dept, 10 people, 3 helpdesk for 450. We would need less personnel if wasn't one or two unique quirky apps for each of our 10 departments on top of the usual IT stuff, that you have to do ritual dances and prayers to the Vendor gods to keep operational.
unless its a place where everyone else is already in uniform it only screams that the it staff are of low social position within the company and are basically on the level of janitorial staff or the cable guy:P its a visual separation from the "normal" workers which is simply unnecessary. unless its a specific service business like a store or restaurant uniforms only are there to differentiate the help from everyone else. lunch ladies and janitors wear uniforms, not the teachers.