Last day in a cr*ppy contract tomorrow

[JerryXt]

The current contract I'm in has to be the worst I've ever had. I've been really lucky with companies and seem to have worked for a lot of good ones and worked with good people, but this place has to be the worst one I've done. Ever.

The list of things that aren't allowed is silly. Can't talk too much. Can't wear headphones. Must wear a tie (we'll get to that). I'm working with an Aussie who is the most arrogant, rude tw*t I've come across and lacks even basic manners. Refuses to admit he's wrong in anything and constantly kisses the boss' ar*e. Our American cousins have a term which fits this guy perfectly and I've been using it all week - Douche. He is a douche. In all respects. Slimy t*sser.

But... Tomorrow is my last day and on Monday I'm going back to a place that I enjoyed working in, with people I like and respect! The security guards wear top hats and pink tailcoats and they have subsidised coffee!

HR just did their exit interview and I let it all out. Even got in a sex discrimination thing - apparently, telling men they have to wear specific items of clothing and having no particular rule for women is sexual discrimination. There's case law. I think I'll spend tomorrow putting an email together :D

[J.P]

GAM still ?

[YellaMonsta]

I'm waiting for a renewal... with all these financial melt downs that JP has been getting us into I am hoping they say yes.

I wish I could choose my contracts as freely as you seem to Jerry.

[JerryXt]

JP, naming no names, yes! Apparently GAM (or gamming???) is a sex act too, but I haven't been able to find out - firewall blocks it.

Yellow, they approached me :)

[CK & AK]

Enjoy your last day tomorrow J :D

Remember: Any case which challenges stereotypical assumptions about what men and women should be doing is positive. Any major employer ought to be looking very carefully at its own dress code to ensure that it is not discriminatory and is not being applied in a discriminatory manner

useful links:
http://www.middletonpotts.co.uk/library/default.asp?p=91&c=384
"One point arising from the Thompson case is, however, clear: employers should be careful in the way that they draft their dress codes. Employers are not prevented from imposing dress codes that require employees to wear specified items of clothing as long as the code is drafted in such a way as to be even-handed between men and women. For example, for certain jobs in the City, the current convention is for both men and women to wear suits. The convention is that a man should wear a tie with a suit but the same does not apply to a woman. A dress code requiring a "smart suit" could apply to both sexes but be enforced in a non-discriminatory manner appropriate for each sex"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4735270.stm

[david brent]

Women should have to wear ties like us guys, next thing u know, they'd want the same pay..

[JerryXt]

C, that's my point. Women are supposed to wear 'business attire', but don't - they're usually in t-shirts and in the summer they're in open sandals. The rule that men should wear ties is enforced strictly, but there's no enforcement for women at all. Whenever it's mentioned, the men are told to wear ties by 9:30 and nothing is said for women at all.

The Judge disagreed, however, endorsing the Schmidt principle by stating that in order to establish discrimination it is necessary to show not merely that the sexes are treated differently but that the treatment accorded to one is less favourable than the treatment accorded to the other.


In Smith -v- Safeway, the Judge stated that "a code which applies a conventional standard of appearance is not, of itself, discriminatory." Indeed he went on to say that a code is likely to operate unfavourably with regard to one or other of the sexes unless it does apply such a conventional standard. This standard does not mean that men and women should dress identically. The standard should simply be even-handed between the sexes.


In fact, it goes on to say:

The final point raised by the Judge in Smith -v- Safeway was that a code should not be enforced in a way that treats either sex less favourably than the other. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In the Thompson case, although the code required the employee to dress in a "professional and business like manner", female employees were permitted to wear T-shirts to work. T-shirts do not fall within the usual convention of what constitutes "professional", yet the code was not enforced against these women. By insisting that Mr Thompson wear a tie, his employer was not enforcing the code in an even-handed way and discriminated against him

[slob]

Some days I actually have to wear a shirt with a collar in case potential clients come past my desk.

[CK & AK]

Some days I actually have to wear a shirt with a collar in case potential clients come past my desk.

That statement ^ ^ is no good without supporting photos........ :)

[JMo]

When I was working in the big corporate machine (a long time ago now!) - women weren't allowed to wear strappy tops, they had to have their shoulders covered. (Thinking about it, I don't think you were allowed very dark nail-varnish either).

There are rules on both sides - some you may think are petty, others have a sound basis in presentation - personally I think men look better with a collar and tie - although I'd agree that on a hot day, in you own office, you ought to be able to remove it while at your desk.

At the end of the day, these compainies pay your wages, and I believe should be able to dictate how they wish their staff to present to the rest of the world - obviously it is more important in a customer-facing environment.

xxx

Mind you, if Jerry Izzard wants to wear a lycra top under his jacket and strappy shoes, I think we should let him... x

[gremlin]

Mind you, if Jerry Izzard wants to wear a lycra top under his jacket and strappy shoes, I think we should let him... x[/QUOTE]

That is conjuring up all sorts of images:mand::mand:

[JerryXt]

no, that's not right. Women have been claiming sex discrimination for years because of outrageous conditions placed upon them by men. They have rightly been suing organisations that have discriminated against them and the law supports them.

The fact is that the law offers protection equally to each sex. Men can use the law to protect them from special treatment in exactly the same way as women.

I agree that an organisation is free to set a dress code and apply it, but the law states that it must be applied equally to both sexes. The extract above specifically mentions ties for men and t-shirts for women - the exact situation I have here. And BTW, firing someone because they have raised a sex discrimination case is a big no-no. Rightly so.

And Gremlin, you haven't seen pics of me in my lycra cycling gear :D

[Paivi]

You going to work at the Old Lady, Jerry?

At banks, we've always had formal dress policy: blokes wear suits and ties, women compete as to who wears the sexiest and skimpiest dresses. I'm an oddity, as I always wear a suit, but I'm also often the only woman taken seriously.

[JerryXt]

yup, the Old Lady again.

The last system I did for them there is playing in role in the current f*ckup. Apparently when they dump a few hundred mill into the short term liquidities market it's going through my system Cool!

[Paivi]

Any chance you could divert some of that into my short term illiquidity market?

[JerryXt]

I did propose a PayPal interface, but they didn't find that funny at all :(

[Nickj]

Some days I actually have to wear a shirt with a collar in case potential clients come past my desk.

I just ordered 10 5MP portrait monitors, LOL want to borrow them to build a protective wall from any passing clients??

[spm23]

The security guards wear top hats and pink tailcoats and they have subsidised coffee!

The Old Lady?????? sounds like Spearmint Rhino's!

[J.P]

Jerry, drop me a line if you want to catch up when you're back this way one day.

[giler]

Women should have to wear ties like us guys, next thing u know, they'd want the same pay..

Be alright if a couple of the women in my place wore nothing but a mans tie:yoparty:

[JerryXt]

JP, that would be good. Looking forward to it. I've only been down the road in St James tho!