I’ve spent a lot of time with automotive workers lately. All the places I do business with are locally owned and operated to the point where the person handing me my keys when the work is finished usually owns the place. Because they aren’t some corporate conglomerate there is no universal dress code, just what the guy in charge says to wear. I noticed that whether I was at the mechanic, the tire store, or the body shop on the job employees wore a lot of tattered and stained clothing.
For a moment I was jealous as I imagined just pulling something on out of the laundry basket before starting my day. It wasn’t until I was picking up my car from the body shop and overheard the owner talking to one of his employees that I noticed something else. Despite the smudged and tattered wardrobe most of the people I interacted with were professionally dressed.
Their pants were ironed even if they were oil stained and if they wore them, all ball caps faced forward. Work shoes, while worn weren’t worn out. Shirt tails were secured and almost everyone had a belt. Everyone except the guy on the phone who had called to ask if there was enough work for him to come in and log some hours that day. The boss told him in no uncertain terms, “I have plenty of work if you have a belt. Pull your pants up if you plan on showing up today.”
He couldn’t believe it. Shaking his head after hanging up the phone he mused aloud, “How does a grown man show up to work with his pants hanging below his butt?” Apparently the 30 something employee couldn’t convince the owner his saggy pants wouldn’t be seen while working in the back. The owner was not going to budge. An older African American gentleman who had his own pants belted way above the waist, he added, “Does he think I want to see his underwear all day? I’m the one who has to work beside him.”
The employee was going to have to choose between his sustained employment and his signature style. So long as there aren’t skid marks the droopy drawer fad doesn’t bother me as much as it irks others. Looking around the auto body shop though I saw the caliber of cars they were working on.
Out front a BMW had just been repainted and a Mercedes was about to go in the spray room for a fresh coat. Inside, the car I was practically leaning on was a Porsche and an Escalade was primed after having been patched. A restoration project in the far back corner was hiding under a tarp and I noticed the front fender and hood ornament of a vintage Rolls Royce peeking out from underneath.
My Volkswagen started to get an inferiority complex realizing the type of people he was used to dealing with if these cars were in his client’s garages. No wonder he wanted assurance that his wingman would be able to keep his trousers secured.
By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for ManhattanJobsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!