The reader in question was a college student, who wrote a complaint about the seemingly meaningless dress code at their former internship. “Former” being a key word— they disclosed that they were quickly let go after submitting a signed petition with other interns regarding admissible attire.
The individual who submitted the complaint had wanted to work in the field in which they were interning after graduation. The intern had wanted to be able to wear running shoes, sandals, and non-leather flats, particularly because the position was not client-facing.
They only brought up the complaint after having seen an employee wear both non-leather flats and running shoes, both of which were supposedly banned.
The reason this employee was exempt from the rules? They were missing a leg, a consequence of having served in the armed forces. This had been unknown to the interns.
Nevertheless, all of the interns involved in the petition were promptly let go after a meeting following the proposal to managers. The group was shocked by the outcome, with the submitted story describing them as having presented “arguments [that] were thought out and well-reasoned” for their desired choice in attire.
Alison Green, the owner of Ask a Manager, commented that the interns were out of line, and should’ve expected the results they received.
She opined that the company likely implemented the dress code because “they’ve determined that it’s in their best interest.”
An alternative she shared to how the interns could have approached the situation was to simply ask the managers at the firm for an explanation as to why the dress code was important.
