Wednesday Rant – Style

Many of the employees at my previous job in the Wal-Mart home office viewed the business casual dress code as a recommendation. In fact, it sort of devolved from business casual to sloppy. Choices were so bad that I often saw men wearing khakis with elastic waistbands and women in stretch stirrup pants. Awful. An eyesore. Clothes that should never be worn. I’m completely serious, not even to the laundromat.

Anyway, I mention that to emphasize how much I notice, and appreciate, the fact that, by and large, most people at my current workplace take pride in their appearance. It’s refreshing for me, even after almost five years of working here. By the way, I rarely talk about it on this blog, but I hated working at Wal-Mart. I honestly believe that the differences between the two companies are rooted in the way that each of the companies treats their employees. Wal-Mart approached associates employees like children to be corrected. It was a self-fulfilling prophesy; expect nothing and you’ll get nothing. My current work generally treats people with respect and views employees as adults who act in the company’s best interest, even if their actions are taken, if for no other reason, out of a sense of self-preservation.

But the glaring exception, that for some reason I’ve only recently noticed, to people taking pride in their appearance is the ubiquitous presence of backpacks. Have you ever seen a grown adult, dressed for work, lugging a backpack on both – or even one – shoulder? Individuals who do this look like some sort of overgrown parochial school student – or like Billy Madison but wearing slacks or a skirt and a pinpoint oxford or blouse. It looks stupid, and I wish someone would correct it.

Call me shallow if you want. I don’t care because appearance does matter. People judge others based on it. I’m not saying it’s right; it’s reality.

And don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting that the women who carry a backpack run out and purchase a Hermes Birkin, nor am I suggesting that the men buy the male equivalent of the Birkin. There are reasonable alternatives to a backpack that will hold a notebook computer, and whatever work papers need to be hauled about. If you’re reading this and know someone who needs a hint, let me know. I’m happy to provide suggestions.