OK, this came up in chat last night. I was talking about hiring people, and the impression they give to our clients. We have made many changes here to boost our image and respectability. Not stuffy, but comfortable, fun, and professional.
We are in a conservative area where guy earrings are still frowned upon. However, more and more of the larger cities are changing that. What is the consensus among my peers on this delicate subject. People are passionate both ways about this. What is your dress code.....?
Regards,
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
HAHAHAHAHA Dress Code? We don't need no steenkin' dress code! I am lucky if I get dressed! Love- JILL (yuppies might like seeing pocket logo-golf shirt-wearing employees, kinda like at Mickey D's, but to me, that just doesn't go here in Butler. People excpect to see me dressing krazy. Adds to the "atmosphere". I do have a Jill's shirt I wear on jobs, but that is about as far as I take a dress code) Ask Donald Thompson about his yellow T-Shirt. Too cool!
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Dress code? Hmmmmmmmm.....
Mine's not a code, per say, yet I do have standards of garb whence painting.
On days when no one is due in at the shop...a beat up tshirt, equally beat up jeans and on a few occasions...slippers.
Any day over 70 degrees...shorts. Any day under 40 degrees...sweatshirt. Any day under -10 degrees...CLOSED!!!!
"Zildjan" hat...almost always! Rapid
Posted by Dave Draper (Member # 102) on :
We have to wear clothes. Thats the rule!
If one of our workers ( and we don't have any) would come without clothes on, it would be a distraction.
When I do have employees, they will have to come dressed as Buzz Lightbear. Posted by Don Hulsey (Member # 128) on :
The code is... my wife says I can't wear dresses while in the shop.
Seriously though... being a one man shop, I don't have to worry with a code, but I do try to wear my best jeans and denim shirt when meeting with customers.
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
I solve our dress code when I sort the laundry...If the t-shirt or sweatshirt or jeans have paint on them, it goes in HIS work pile...if they have no paint on them, they go in MY pile. We have discussed that maybe we should dress up more at work, but it just never seems practical. But then I guess we dress pretty casual ALL the time. In fact, there have been occasions like weddings or funerals where we have dressed up, suit for Bill and fancy dress for me, and people have honestly said, "Oh gee, I didn't recognize you!" How bad is that!
Posted by Jerry Mathel (Member # 526) on :
Back in the 50's when I worked for a large outdoor company (Foster & Kleiser) it was mandatory that we wore white bib overalls. They would get so caked with paint that they would stand up by themselves.
(Just a little sidenote) The gold men of the day all wore a white shirt and tie. Rick Glawson said the white shirt was so they could see their ponce pattern with the white reflecting against the window glass. If Rick wasn't wearing a white shirt when he did gold windows, he would wear a white apron.
Posted by Steve Burke (Member # 2674) on :
Our shop is Speedos for men, bikinis for women. LOL Shaving your back is optional.
BUT seriously- I think people should dress clean, comfortable, and at your customer's level or one notch above. If all of your customers dress in jeans and a workshirt (like mine do) then sitting there in a suit is pointless. I personally am considered a conservative, so you can take this with a grain of salt, but I would NEVER hire a person with all of those piercings and purple hair to work in this industry. I think it looks ridiculous. Maybe if I owned a trendy cafe...
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
It's called get down do the mess around downtown funk.
CrazyJack
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
P King Duck makes a white overall with ready made paint splatters, their cool! Ask the Duckie if he still makes them
That reminds me as far as hiring a person with piecings, tattoos, etc you should be so lucky to have Glen Weisgerber working in your shop.
[ February 11, 2004, 10:29 AM: Message edited by: Joey Madden ]
Posted by Bill Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
Man I just don't like dressing up. I actually have good taste and can dressed the part if I need to. In high school I was a dressup hog, and usually was trying to impress folks, but in my hippie days I bought into the comfort attire and have been in it ever since. Good thing my wife likes me for who I am, because I'm sure not going to impress anybody with my work clothes. I let her meet with customers while I hide in the shop amongst the fumes and a floor that looks like a Jackson Polluck painting. I've been scolded by all 3 of my boys for wearing their t-shirts to work, because they know there's going to be paint on them when I come home.
Hey this is what I do the majority of my waking hours. I get right in there with the paint and we become one. If I know I have to get dressed up to go meet somebody like a lawyer or accountant it makes me crabby for about a week. As luck would have it most of those folks just take me as I am -- one of those artistic types.
Posted by Catalin Dretcanu (Member # 4136) on :
hi all! Here in Romania really exist a dress code. In shop always in casual dress(without sandals, shorts, "hawaii or jamaica" colours) and for clients meets only in business dress(suit with proper tie and shirt). Otherwise you will be consider not serious in business. I like that code dress: client meet is a business meet indifferently wich type of business you do. That's my opinion!
your's sincerily, Catalin Dretcanu, Bucharest, Romania
Posted by Stephen Faulkner (Member # 2511) on :
Glen has tattoos??? good point Joey! speaking of the "road warrior" anyone seen him lately??? be cool to see him at the round-up in NB or Mass Mayhem.... it's been way to many years.
Posted by Barb Schilling (Member # 13) on :
Years ago Butch Anton wrote an article for SignCraft (or ST?) regarding this. It was the 3 tiered dress code approach:
Keep 3 sets of clothes at the shop 1. Painting/grub clothes 2. Working at the job site clothes 3. Going out to meet(sell) customers clothes.
Sometimes you might change clothes 4 or 6 times a day, depending on your schedule (or lack thereof). I think the computer has changed this alot, since now the paint isn't flying as much and an apron can protect the "type 2" clothes pretty well. But there are still times I need to wear grubs and try to schedule jobs with that in mind. I also try to schedule trips out to see clients around the wardrobe issue, thereby reducing the number of changes required.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Heh I remember the days of working at McD's.. dress code P.I.T.A!!!
Do you know how hard it is to stuff a 2ft. long ponytail up under a McD's cap? About half of the guys started a contest to see who could grow the longest ponytail the quickest and boy that really irked the managers!
Anyway..
One man show here.. no shop no walk-in customers.. When I do meet with the occassional local I match their level of professionalism, which usually means a t-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes or sandals. It's a casual resort town, what can I say? I do have "special" shorts and tees though - they're actually clean, fairly unstained and non-faded (not 100% but good enough), and mostly free of dog hair. Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
"That reminds me as far as hiring a person with piecings, tattoos, etc you should be so lucky to have Glen Weisgerber working in your shop."
Amen to that Joey
I've never dressed to please anybody but myself and I don't care how anyone else dresses and don't judge people by their dress with the exception of people that wear suits... I just don't trust them.
Posted by Murray MacDonald (Member # 3558) on :
Deb has handled most of the sales calls around here, and when she started she thought it appropriate to wear "business" type clothes. Too frequently she got the response "I guess I should talk to the GUY who really does the work." She took to wearing her paintiest... and man, are they painty!... clothes to see a customer, and was taken seriously! Profiling? I guess we guys aren't to far out of the trees yet.
MUR
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
I wear tees with an embroidered logo on them and jeans with tennis shoes or boots. Hopefully, the work I do speaks better than the clothes I wear. Oh yeah, on fridays I wear my birthday suit. Makes for some colorful conversation with female customers. No problem with earrings, cause I got one myself, along with a couple tattoos. Posted by Ted Nesbitt (Member # 3292) on :
dressing accordingly is one thing---if I were going to a "meeting", then I might dress up a bit---generally, people understand that it's a hands on business and you can't wear Chinos, button downs and ties!
However, dressing for safety is a whole 'nother issue....buddy of mine dropped a sheet of acrylic on his sandal clad foot lodaing a router and almost lost a couple toes.....shirtails hanging out around equipment are dangerous as well!....
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
For working in the shop, I generally put on pants.
Doesn't sound like much, but if ya understand when I check email and the bb in the mornings, lotsa times I'm in my underwear.
My biggest rule when meeting with customers is to wear a shirt that covers my tattoo. This is sorta a professionalism issue, but also my tat is very personal to me and I'm pretty much the only one that *gets* it. I hate explaining it.
Posted by TransLab (Member # 470) on :
Neat & Clean but not extreme...
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
. . . .I'm usually in my grubby paint clothes all the time. If it's lined up right I'll meet a "suit" in somthing a lil' nicer . . . but not "dressy". I try to schedule site meetings on mondays, so that after I leave my house, drop my kid off at school, go to 2 or 3 appointments I can then lolly-gag around the rest of the day (in clean casual clothes, lol) If I can't arrange it tho', I'll go to a hi-f'lutin' meetin' in the grub-wear . . .as some s'ed, once you start talkin' business they forget what yer wearin' an' take you seriously. If I had to change 3 or 4 times a day I'd get nuthin' done.
However,I do have a 'dress code' disclaimer for "suits" who want to walk in and touch or bump against wet paint...it's called: "I ain't payin' your dry-cleanin' bill 'cuz you can look at me and see that it won't wash out anyway!" These people need to dress for me, not me for them... How 'bout those customers who walk in the shop, or on site, an' snag some fancy peice of clothing on aluminum or plywood, or a saw horse. Some chik will come walkin' in with hi-heels wantin' to step over stuff like she's got work boots on . . . tryin' to look all "construction/business-like" and cry when her pump heel goes flat, lol. I say these people need to follow a dress code if they wanna keep doin' business with me...
Posted by William DeBekker (Member # 3848) on :
I have the Al Borland look.. T-Shirt with Flannel shirt and Jeans for winter Shorts or Jeans in summer.
Posted by Terry Baird (Member # 3495) on :
I just use common sense. If I'm going to a Town Board meeting, I wear nice(r) clothes, but no ties. I used to wear a suit for some meetings (CEO's, universities, etc.) but even CEO's dress pretty casual these days. I also got tired of having paint on my suits. Sometimes I sit down at the computer or in the shop in my bathrobe and slippers and before you know it, my wife's home from work...
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Chris is more on the wave I am looking at. Are guys with earrings really accepted by our clients....I mean REALLY?
My clients do not dictate my lifestyle or belief, but we have to earn their trust to some extent. So, our appearance or that of our employees does matter to a certain extent. I'm not talking about some paint on your shirt. I'm talking about the perception people have of these items, (tattoos & earrings).
It's a given that we should dress according to the job we are doing at the time, and always have a neat appearance. What do we expect of ourselves and employees when it comes to these personal issues?
Regards,
Posted by Bob Peach (Member # 2620) on :
Rick, We try to dress neat in jeans and sweatshirts or tee shirts. It sounds like you have a personal problem with earrings or tattoos. Too bad if that`s the case you`ll miss out on knowing and or working with a lot of great talented folks. I try to jugde people by their work and how they treat me.
Posted by Mike Languein (Member # 319) on :
It was Ed Roth, I believe, who said "A painter ought to LOOK like a painter" That's my excuse for being a slob. I've met suits and also don't trust them. I change out into washed stuff every couple weeks whether I need to or not - what's the beef? I worked for a woman sign shop owner once who dressed up in kinky leather outfits to go see customers - several of them called the shop to "speak to the Real Sign People, not Zorro" ...on the other hand I see teenagers working at hardware stores with piercings all over their face and tongue, parrot colored hair, and their baggy pants at half mast, and I'd just rather deal with a human.
Sheila - pump heels? Is that like Air Spikes? They have a little air pump button on them? Ooh, wouldn't wanna stomp a nail with them High Steppin' Air Jordans on and get a flat!
Posted by Mark Matyjakowski (Member # 294) on :
would you rather hire a slacker with a crew cut or a work horse with a purple mohawk ... as a worker, sales would be different.
We once had a pierced freak working for us for a while, hell of a worker and good kid, now a pierced supervisor at some computer animation place.
Many, many years ago (teenage years) the first Wal-mart was opening in the area ... I had just gotten a hair cut (not as long as it was) to go job hunting. Went to the interview and first thing they said was I needed to get a haircut (above collar) if I wanted to make minimum wage ... aaahhhh to think where I could be now if I didn't tell them to screw.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Anyone else think Mark looks like Alice Cooper? I just had to mention that, and I mean it in a positive way. LOL
When it comes to piercings and tatoos, I'm the freak in my neck of the woods because I don't have any of either. Everyone around here has some sort of extra hole punched in 'em and ink somewhere. My mom's a massage therapist and even she says it's very rare that a female client doesn't have some sort of tatoo, even the old women.
People around me are kinda "California-esque".. 1. because most of them are from Cali, 2. they don't get hung up on stuff.. they just don't care if someone has piercings through their foreheads, purple mohawks and steel studs surgically implanted in their spines, sticking through the skin. Now back in Missouri where I'm from, it's a different story... "conservative" is an understatement.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Dress code.....ya gotta be kidding!
I wear Tshirt and shorts all year long....mostly. Some job sites require,pants,boots and hard hat.
As far as impressing clients...if they are so shallow that what I look like is more important than what I can produce....then I don't want to work for them!
As far as earrings...one of the best window splashers has more stuff stuck into/on him, than a Christmas tree. I wish I had his creativity and talent! (He doesn't lack work!)
Just my 2 cents.
[ February 11, 2004, 08:41 PM: Message edited by: Si Allen ]
Posted by Mark Matyjakowski (Member # 294) on :
Yeah not the best picture I've ever taken. oh well Blame Steve, he snapped that after a day at Bruce's.
I actually got kicked out of Canada one Haloween while made up like Alice Cooper. When wearing sunglasses I hear Howard Stern once and a while (long hair - big nose) While on the Jersey boardwalk a couple years back quite a few kids (teens) flashed me the the two fingers down hand saying Ozzy
Someday I'll have hair like Ryans though ... it's so cool hahahahahahaa
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Mike Pipes did you have to mention a 2'long ponytail????? Clothes are optional.
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
My husband goes to all our business and association meetings in jeans and an embroidered golf shirt with his long hair and both ears pierced with loops. Never had a problem yet. Like someone else mentioned, if they are that picky they will probably be a cheapskate P.I.T.A. customer.
Just look at all the big time corporations having work done by Jesse James and Orange County Choppers. Those guys are a little rough but they are great at their jobs and people know it!
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
OOPS! The board wigged out on me! Double post.
[ February 11, 2004, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: Amy Brown ]
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
Sheila, I was once at another sign shop, and got a little paint on a flanel shirt. The owner quickly got out a can of spray solvent. He had me remove the shirt, and while holding a rag on the outside of the cloth, he shot the solvent through the cloth, from the inside. Out came all the paint, presto. Carbuerator cleaner works the same.
For me, when it comes to clothing, form follows function. If I know I'll be meeting a client, I bring some sort of clothing improvement, even if it's just a clean shirt with a collar.
The rest of the time, I always wear dark clothing, to hide the paint, grease, soot, bondo dust, fertilizer, dirt, and more paint I get into. That's just a typical day. this time of year, the clothing is insulated, because I spend so much time outdoors. When I see people in glowing phosphorus white tennis shoes, I know we're from different worlds. I can serve people better dressed like this. I'm quite aware of business dress, walk and mannerisms, but I fee so very ALIENATED from the world around me when I'm dressed like that. Man what if I had to help an old lady change a tire roadside? Alienated, that's all.
Here's the problem though, and maybe this happens just as much to everyone else, regardless of clothes, but I can't help wonder: I don't get treated as important by some people. That is, they stand me up for appointments, that kind of stuff.
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Bob Peach
It's not so much me...remember,I hired someone with those things, and he is a very talented artist. I'm talking about people's perception of it. Not that I want to impress them, but also not wanting to offend either. I think oftentimes it depends on the area you work in.
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Too cool!
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