Hotel boss forces housekeeping employees to wear uncomfortable, hazardous work uniforms in the heat of the summer, but refuses to wear one himself: 'He refuses to listen to us’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Jul 18, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Workplaces owe their employees safety standards and best practices in exchange for their labor. That is literally the bare minimum in any work environment. In the heat of the summer, employees are met with extreme temperatures, especially those employees who work in customer service or hospitality and are on their feet most of the day. You can leave the air conditioner blasting all you want, but proper attire is also necessary when the environment around you is especially oppressive temperature-wise.

The solution? Comfortable workwear. It's not rocket science—designing a uniform that is presentable and comfortable for employees requires very little thought, but begs for understanding the employees' feedback. If you're not listening to what your employees have to say, whether that be negative or positive feedback, then you shouldn't be in a managerial position.

The boss in this next story sure shouldn't be. He's expecting his employees to wear ill-fitting clothes that are not breathable. In warm weather, the employees feel as though they're slowly suffocating. Sounds like an OSHA violation to me. Scroll below to read the full story.

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  • "I was exhausted and felt sick despite drinking water like there was no tomorrow."
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Can I refuse to wear my work uniform because it's uncomfortable and a health hazard?"

    I work in housekeeping for a hotel chain. About 2 months ago we got new uniforms. Nothing wrong with the old ones but our boss decided we needed new ones.
    via JV-Shorty
  • The new uniforms are not just ugly, but impractical. The pants are skin tight. Think of leggings. The bottoms are very tight. Every
    via JV-Shorty
  • time you kneel down they slide up but won't go down on its own so now you constantly have to pull them back down. I have
    via JV-Shorty
  • trouble putting them on and taking them off because i cant get them over my heels. I can't wear a bigger size because they
    via JV-Shorty
  • dont have strings so i can't tighten them around the waist. They are also very thin. Our hotel is open, so the moment you step
    via JV-Shorty
  • out of the room you're in the elements. In the winter this will become a problem. When we brought that up with our boss, he suggested to just wear another pair of pants underneath it. Not a great idea.
    via JV-Shorty
  • The biggest problem however are the shirts. They're not breathable nor sweat resistant. Last week we had a couple of days with high
    via JV-Shorty
  • humidity. By the end of the shift we were all drenched in sweat. I was exhausted and felt sick despite drinking water like there
    via JV-Shorty
  • was no tomorrow. We brought this up with our boss. His idea was to just wear a shirt underneath and take off the
    via JV-Shorty
  • uniform while we're in the room. This wont work. We constantly have to leave the rooms to get supplies. So now we have to take
    via JV-Shorty
  • Cheezburger Image 10530301184
    via Hans Reniers for Unsplash

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • the uniform off and then put them back on, take them off and put them back on, ....
    via JV-Shorty
  • He refuses to listen to us because he thinks they look great and doesnt see a problem with them. While we are sweating like crazy, he sits in an a/c controlled office.
    via JV-Shorty
  • So, can I refuse to wear this uniform for health reason?
    via JV-Shorty
  • Counther It sounds like the pants are actually too small, leaving you (and perhaps others) no choice but to wear a bigger size and fasten them in whatever way you can -- safety pins, a rope, duct tape, etc. I'm really curious what these wonderful things look like.
    via Counther
  • JV-Shorty I initially was wearing a size bigger. I tried everything. But because you're moving around for 8 hours straight everything became loose at some point or digged into my skin.
    via JV-Shorty
  • Rhueless Time for you to all wear the uniform really badly. Get shirts to wear under the uniform that are practical and ugly.
    via Rhueless
  • Wear practical shorts that show up through the leggings. Make the uniforms a consistent fashion disaster. Use duct tape or suspenders to keep the leggings from slipping down.
    via Rhueless
  • They can make you wear uniforms but they can't make you wear them well. (Also apply for jobs that have a better uniform)
    via Rhueless
  • Thanatosl1 Tell your boss to put the uniform on and spend the day cleaning and see how he likes it.
    via Thanatosl1
  • SamuelVimesTrained Eh, you want a room clean.. would a manager be able to actually do that?
    via SamuelVimesTrained
  • JV-Shorty Right?! He wouldn't know where to start or how to make a bed properly
    via JV-Shorty

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