Supervisor insists employee is flouting casual work dress code, he gets him demoted by turning up to the office in a suit: 'I look really sharp in it'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 1, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Being a mere underling can be a real pain in the workplace sometimes. It doesn't matter if you do your job to the letter or even better, consistently go above and beyond; if you have a supervisor with a chip on their shoulder, you have a big problem to overcome. Ultimately, as an employee, it is usually those in positions directly above you who dictate whether your working experience is going to be acceptable or not. Addressing when they fall short of their duties (or are too overzealous with them) can prove to be difficult.

The dress code is one battleground that nitpicking managers can go crazy over. While it is true that some people try to push the boundaries in ways that are unacceptable when it comes to workplace attire, oftentimes, supervisors use these rules in an attempt to exert some power, citing reasons behind that which are shaky at best.

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  • 01

    I wore a suit to work and got my supervisor soft demoted

    I'm posting mainly because I'm not a passive-aggressive type and I'm in disbelief that this actually worked. Ever since I started at my job a few months ago, my supervisor-we'll call him Josh―has been micromanaging me. When I'm the subject of criticism (which is often), I try to give him the benefit of the doubt and ask him to clarify. What are your expectations? What specifically should I have done differently? Josh's responses are always vague, often something to the effect of "Just do better.
    via zzdelmarco

  • One employee struggled with this in his new role when his supervisor's micromanaging got taken to a new level. This manager had always been quick to criticize him in the brief few months that he had been employed, and he had decided to escalate that to how the employee dressed.

    He claimed that he needed to dress better and told him to go to HR to clarify. HR confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his outfit in their casual workplace, but nonetheless, the worker decided to take his supervisor's words to heart. What followed was a classic tale of malicious compliance.

  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10500388864
    via Rex Webwiz
  • 03
    Yesterday, Josh comes to my desk to tell me I need to dress better. Now, I work at a small company, and the vibe is unusually casual. A not- insignificant number of people come to work wearing jeans, hoodies, t- shirts, and/or baseball caps. I have never worn a hat to work, and I make a point of wearing a button-up shirt with a collar every day. This particular day I was wearing a long-sleeve button-up flannel, chino pants, and Adidas gazelles. Other days I wear loafers and dress shirts that are
    via zzdelmarco
  • 04
    So, I ask Josh to clarify. Should I be wearing dress shoes? Dress shirt? Tucked in? What specifically do you want me to change? Josh tells me I just need to dress better and that I should talk to HR for clarification. So go in to HR and ask, what is the dress code? I get a standard answer: pants, close-toed shoes, no sleeveless shirts, etc. I ask, have I ever worn anything to work that poses a problem? HR says no, you're fine.
    via zzdelmarco
  • 05
    Because I'm mad, and because my repeated efforts to resolve this kind of problem had gone unheeded, I decided to be petty. The next day (today), I showed up to work in a full suit. It's one I keep for events like weddings, so it's fitted and I look really sharp in it. It's also wildly and conspicuously overdressed for the office I work in. I had several interactions with people coming to my desk to comment on my outfit and ask what the occasion was. When anyone asked (only if they asked), I told
    via zzdelmarco
  • 06
    I was expecting to pull my little stunt for a week just to prove a point, and then go back to wearing what I had been wearing before. Word got around the office fast, apparently, because the CEO (Josh's direct boss) came to my desk later in the day to tell me I would be reporting to him now, and that he'd be having a talk with Josh about this and other issues. It's important to note that I was Josh's only underling, so he effectively went from being a supervisor to just a regular employee. I'm o
    via zzdelmarco
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10500389120
    via Arlington Research
  • 08

    People applauded how he had handled the situation.

    CoderJoe1 Dress for the boss you want to have, not the one you currently have?
    via CoderJoe1
  • 09
    troutdog99 "You need 37 pieces of flair."
    via troutdog99
  • 10
    krakatoa83 Wear a tux tomorrow and demote the ceo.
    via krakatoa83
  • 11
    SenselessSilence Then a wizard's robe and staff to overthrow the Chairperson of the Board.
    via SenselessSilence
  • 12
    Wild Butterscotch977 Clearly being a supervisor didn't suit him
    via Wild_Butterscotch977
  • 13
    deadcelebrities Now his title is merely a formality
    via dedcelebrities
  • 14
    DiscordPF Perfect MC. Glad the CEO was reasonable and seems to like you.
    via DiscordPF
  • 15
    dyedinthewoolScot Josh sounds like a managing people ! Doesn't deserve or have the skills to be
    via dyedinthewoolScot
  • 16
    Ok_Set4685 Now that's the malicious compliance I live for. You should wear a top hat and gloves just to spite Josh if you see him not being dressed to par
    via Ok_Set4685
  • 17
    TaterSupreme Do you have any inkling of an idea on what the former supervisor's problem with you was?
    via TaterSupreme
  • 18
    zzdelmarco OP He's new to supervising. The CEO gave him this role to test his mettle, but Josh is paranoid and anxious because he's never had this much responsibility before and he's afraid of messing up. Unfortunately, he takes it out on me.
    via zzdelmarco
  • 19
    Seldarin There's a kind of manager that believes that unless they're openly and conspicuously doing their job by "managing" their reports, people will think they're not doing anything. So even when there aren't any problems, they invent them so they have something to manage. Dude sounds like one of those. It just backfired on him because it's a more casual work environment. In places that are more rigid they turn into the nightmare manager that causes massive turnover.
    via Seldarin
  • 20
    Grandson_of_Sam Well done OP! You should tell Josh he looks nice tomorrow :)
    via Grandson_of_Sam
  • 21
    majora11f I wore a suit to work once. I was in college and had to give a "formal" presentation and didnt have time to change. A manager asked why, I joked and said I had a job interview. My direct boss straight up didnt believe me and just thought it was funny. Another manager called me into a closed door meeting and asked if I had issues with my current position. I got a raise a few months later.
    via majora11f
  • 22
    AvatarOfMomus I want to clarify, for anyone not familiar with this type of office environment and how promotions work, and how valuable management/oversight experience is even for non-management roles. There's nothing "soft" about this except on paper. Someone with 1 direct report going down to zero reports is a big blow to this persons' career. They're basically being told they can't be trusted to oversee others right now and they're going to have to put in a LOT of work to resolve this.
    via AvatarOfMomus
  • 23
    RandomBoomer Even worse, this guy is being told that he can't be trusted to oversee EVEN ONE PERSON. That this small, incremental test of his potential was a failure and had to be retracted.
    via RandomBoomer

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dress code work boss manager malicious compliance demoted supervisor Horrible Bosses suit reddit thread Reddit
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