IT employee maliciously complies to new boss's autocratic dress code: '[I wore] hi-vis polo shirts'

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Apr 1, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Appearances are important—in any part of life. The first impression someone makes of you will largely be based on how they perceive you before you've ever even had any interaction with them. This, of course, is one of the first things that you'll be told by your parents, guardians, or other older persons who have a vested interest in your life and success. You'll likely hear and read this advice repeatedly throughout your life from teachers, bosses, strangers—and even in short introductory paragraphs that segue into vaguely related online discussions and stories.

Annoying though it might be, this piece of advice will prove itself to be true time and time again, which is why offices usually have some sort of dress code. They want to give the impression of some sort of professionalism within the organization, even if the people in charge don't hold their behavior to that same standard. And, when you've been holding your morning standup meetings in your boxers since a certain-global-event-which-can't-be-named started—well, you've got every right to feel a little miffed when you're forced to start going into the office again and forced to do so in a stuffy t-shirt and tight pants that don't fit right anymore.