Students kicked off campus for American flag t-shirts

[Norade]

I would go to an interview wearing that companies established dress code like an reasonable person would, just as these students did. They wore the same clothing they did on a regular day to school and only on one day a year were they told not to. The article makes a point of mentioning that it would be fine any other day. So if I was at work and suddenly my boss came up and told me suddenly that I can wear my outfit, that currently fits with their established dress code, because a coworker found it suddenly offensive, I'd go to the HR division so fast my boss's head would spin and if I got fired I would make a big deal over it. In this scenario I would be in the right and seeing as there are no clients at school it is the only analogy that fits.

Managers like a harmonious office. People who want to maintain a harmonious existence with their coworkers understand that there may be some "give and take" involved. However, shitty employees push back aggressively the moment they feel anyone is stepping on their toes, and they tend to create a poisonous, resentful office environment. I can see which category you belong to.

This isn't a fucking comment forum on cnn.com or some other dipshit waste of time; we're talking about a job, where you have to work with people every day. Who the fuck acts like this?

You may have a point, but if you dressed properly every other day, and it came out of the blue I'd expect the employee to at least be upset over it and go to the HR department. If I were fired for the act of protecting my rights I would of course take legal action to ensure my continued financial well being. Is it an extreme scenario? Yes, very much so. Are both sides being assholes? Again, yes. Should I wave my rights and bend over for my company? Hell no.

[Darth Wong]

I would go to an interview wearing that companies established dress code like an reasonable person would, just as these students did. They wore the same clothing they did on a regular day to school and only on one day a year were they told not to. The article makes a point of mentioning that it would be fine any other day. So if I was at work and suddenly my boss came up and told me suddenly that I can wear my outfit, that currently fits with their established dress code, because a coworker found it suddenly offensive, I'd go to the HR division so fast my boss's head would spin and if I got fired I would make a big deal over it. In this scenario I would be in the right and seeing as there are no clients at school it is the only analogy that fits.

Managers like a harmonious office. People who want to maintain a harmonious existence with their coworkers understand that there may be some "give and take" involved. However, shitty employees push back aggressively the moment they feel anyone is stepping on their toes, and they tend to create a poisonous, resentful office environment. I can see which category you belong to.

This isn't a fucking comment forum on cnn.com or some other dipshit waste of time; we're talking about a job, where you have to work with people every day. Who the fuck acts like this?

You may have a point, but if you dressed properly every other day, and it came out of the blue I'd expect the employee to at least be upset over it and go to the HR department. If I were fired for the act of protecting my rights I would of course take legal action to ensure my continued financial well being. Is it an extreme scenario? Yes, very much so. Are both sides being assholes? Again, yes. Should I wave my rights and bend over for my company? Hell no.

"Waive my rights"? You're full of shit. You do not have a protected right to dictate your own clothing at the workplace. In many workplaces, they don't even let you wear your own clothes at all, and force you to wear a uniform instead. And yes, there is no rule stating that they cannot change an already-existing dress code. So unless you have a contract in hand which stipulates dress code for all time, you don't have a leg to stand on. This is your EMPLOYER, you entitlement-minded whiner. If he's giving you tens of thousands of dollars a year to do whatever you do, he is perfectly within his rights to impose a dress code, or to change that dress code.

"Waive my rights and bend over ..." this is exactly what I'm talking about. You're actually acting as if an employer's right to set his own dress code is some form of tyranny. "Oooh, my evil employer is telling me what to wear, and I'm supposed to put up with this injustice just because he's paying me money!" Unbelievable.

[Norade]

You may have a point, but if you dressed properly every other day, and it came out of the blue I'd expect the employee to at least be upset over it and go to the HR department. If I were fired for the act of protecting my rights I would of course take legal action to ensure my continued financial well being. Is it an extreme scenario? Yes, very much so. Are both sides being assholes? Again, yes. Should I wave my rights and bend over for my company? Hell no.

"Waive my rights"? You're full of shit. You do not have a protected right to dictate your own clothing at the workplace. In many workplaces, they don't even let you wear your own clothes at all, and force you to wear a uniform instead. And yes, there is no rule stating that they cannot change an already-existing dress code. So unless you have a contract in hand which stipulates dress code for all time, you don't have a leg to stand on. This is your EMPLOYER, you whiny entitlement-minded piece of shit. If he's giving you tens of thousands of dollars a year to do whatever you do, he is perfectly within his rights to impose a dress code, or to change that dress code.

"Waive my rights and bend over ..." this is exactly what I'm talking about. You're actually acting as if an employer's right to set his own dress code is some form of tyranny. "Oooh, my evil employer is telling me what to wear, and I'm supposed to put up with this injustice just because he's paying me money!" Unbelievable.

True enough, I'm going to have to concede this on the grounds that an employer does have a right to tell you what you are and aren't allowed to wear in the workplace. I still don't think it's a great idea to change the dress code without warning for one day of the year and single out only a small group that, to use the school example, is a minority at the office. I also still think that the HR department would have something to say about it, and that you would get a settlement in court over it though regardless of what your rights actually are in the situation.

[The Yosemite Bear]

At least it wasn't stars and bars...

or a flag upside down because they feel that the republic is in danger...

[Vendetta]

If he's giving you tens of thousands of dollars a year to do whatever you do, he is perfectly within his rights to impose a dress code, or to change that dress code.

Although there's usually a reasonable minimum notice period for changes of policy like dress code. If your employer decides to change the dress code 10 minutes after you walk in the building wearing something that was appropriate before the change, they would basically have to put up with you wearing it until the next day.

The concerted show of the American flag in this case might have been mild assholery, sending the students home was the wrong response to it, and would have been in any environment with a dress code because there was no prior notice that on that specific day the acceptable dress code would be different.

In fact, if you faced disciplinary action at work because of a dress code change made after you started work that day, even in response to something you specifically were wearing, you would be within your rights to challenge that disciplinary action up to and including taking it to a tribunal or court depending on workplace law in your area. Not becaise of some mythical right to wear whatever you want, but because of your right to be dealt with fairly regarding disciplinary action.

That was what the school did wrong in this case, they used disciplinary action (sending someone home) in an inappropriate and iniquitable fashion.