We can wear a sweatshirt (hoodie or crew) if it is all one color.  Management prefers navy blue but I have seen all colors and have not heard anything.  We are seeing all shades of blue on hourly associates.  One day I wore a lighter blue and something was said.  Others can wear any shade (even aqua) and I see it on a regular basis.  I still have to wear the lab coat (I am in photo lab). 

The actual hourly dress code says that only associates who regularly go outside (ie door greeters and lawn & garden) and also associates who spend time in the coolers for their job code (ie dairy and fozen associates) can wear outerwear inside.

 

Anyway, it's not a mandated CHANGE perse but rather an already-in-place rule that wasn't being enforced it sounds like.  So it sounds to me anyway like your store manager has policy on his/her side.

 

It's never fun to make a change when policies that weren't enforced suddenly are but I guess if we err on the side of policy then we won't get our feathers ruffled when management actually starts enforcing.

 

 

There have been no threats of sticking to the dress code more closely, at my store.  We did go back and forth about wearing coats last year, and they finally said we could wear navy jackets.  Now, of course, there are lots of non-navy jackets being worn, and mgmt isn't saying anything.  People said they needed to wear coats because sometimes they get chilly, and then if they warm up, they can take off the coat, and have a navy short-sleeved shirt underneath.  One woman refused to wear a long-sleeved shirt over or under her short-sleeved shirt because she just wasn't going to do it.  I know that the shirts we wear under our navy shirts are supposed to be white, but that never got enforced much anyway.

I find it easiest to just do what they say, instead of whining and trying to stretch the rules.

 

Mad

Ok.  I will try this again.  Our manager has dictated NO jackets, sweatshirts, or sweaters of any kind which is in direct conflict of the Wal-Mart hourly dress code which states and includes, but is not limited to, all Lawn & Garden, People Greeters, frontend Cashiers may wear any jacket as long as it is of solid color with no advertisements or logos.  Only white undershirts may be added under long or short sleeved blue shirts.  Have any other store encountered this mandate? <o:p></o:p>

Nope.  I suspect it's just your mgmt team trying to gain control; as they all do, periodically.

I think mgmt at my store is too busy to take the time and make the effort to coach folks for that.  Sometimes I wish they would appoint me the dresscode police for first shift.  At first, it would take up most of my time.  And then, there would be all the visits with mgmt, where the associates contested what I said or did.

Not enough time in the day.

 

Mad

I agree Mad.  Sometimes I would like to be the dress code police.  I would send all of the young people with the baggy pants and their underwear showing back home to change.  When my store opened we went by the dress code and they did send people home not in dress code but that did no last very long.  Sometimes they sent too many people home and did not have enough cashiers.  I have not been seeing the  baggy pants as much lately.  It would be hard enforcing the dress code that would be all I get done.

It seems in my store they enforce things like the dress code and the attendance police only when they want to.  If they are looking to terminate someone they start enforcing those two things.  It seems that is where management in my store is a little lax.

If they pay attention to people's attendance, that's usually enough to coach them into a written in no time.  It's the prefect tool, because there's no way to contest the printout that shows your punches.  They might really be doing it for all kinds of unethical reasons, but you can't contest a printout---unless you had a lawyer to force them to reveal printouts of all the other assocs in the store.  Wouldn't that be a trip?!

 

Mad

Nope and I agree with Mad, it's just an effort for mgmt to take back control o the store.  I'm also with her that I find it easier to just do what they ask than fight the small suff.  I guess if I know I'm going to be chilly, I'll go to the long sleeve undershirt or long sleeve navy shirts.  I have a 3rd shift stocker who went to wearing her white hoodie UNDER her polo so it's LIKE an undershirt-LOL!

 

If they're saying L&G and cartpushers can't wear coats or sweaters of any kind then yeah, I guess they'd be in conflict of policy in trying to enforce it and I may take it up the chain of command.  But in your original question you mentioned something about "ommitting lawn & garden etc etc..." so I thought they were just trying to enforce the no sweaters thing with sales associates and cashiers and such.  That, to me, would be something enforcable and not a change or HO mandate but rather enforcement of an existing policy.

 

I'm pretty sure front-end cashiers are not allowed sweaters or jackets of any kind (just the undershirts) per policy.  I'd have to go look it up again.  But doorgreeters are in the category with cartpushers and L&G associates.  Not sure about CSMs.

"But I just worry about me thats all I can do."

 

Yes, you're right, that's probably the only way to stay sane at work.  Sometimes I get fed up with folks who don't "comply", but that can be more trouble than it's worth.

 

Mad