Worker Required To Wear A Suit & Tie In 90 Degree Weather Written Up For Being ‘Too Sweaty’
Instead of A/C or an ice cream cone, he was punished for all of his hard work.
Minerva Studio / Shutterstock When a man was hustling at work in scorching weather, he never would have expected it to land him into trouble with his employers. Despite his work ethic amid the brutal conditions, an employee was reprimanded due to his physical appearance.
The employee was required to wear a suit and tie to work in 90-degree weather and was later written up for being ‘too sweaty.’
The man shared his dilemma in a voicemail to TikTok user @corporate.sween, who offered his advice to the man in a video that has garnered over 45,000 views. The employee described the company as the “worst” he has ever worked for. “They once wrote me up for being too sweaty, but they mandated that I wear a suit and tie… even though it was 90 plus degrees outside,” he shared.
Being "written up" at work typically means that an employee has received a formal notice or documentation from their employer regarding a specific issue or violation of company policies or procedures. This notice is often kept on record by the employer and may serve as a warning or disciplinary action.
“I was outside working with this client running around doing all that kind of stuff, and I got really sweaty and they wrote me up for being too sweaty,” the man claimed.
He added that after the incident, his employers would also write him “extremely threatening letters” up until his last day on the job. “When I quit, they wrote me a letter saying that if I said anything bad about the company, they would sue me,” he shared.
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The man who shared the employee’s voicemail offered his own advice (not to be taken seriously) regarding the situation. “If they’re writing you up for being too sweaty, optics matter! They’re just trying to help you,” he said sarcastically.
He also said that employers coercing ex-employees into writing good reviews about the company is simply “business 101.”
While employers generally have the legal right to enforce dress codes on their employees, they cannot reprimand them if the attire interferes with their job or their typical appearance.
When the weather is hot, and employees are obligated to work outside, it is given that they will likely sweat.
However, their perspiration does not affect their working abilities, and it should not constitute a reason to write them up (unless of course, they are smearing their sweat onto customers, which the man was most likely not doing).
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Employers should also strive to make working conditions as comfortable as possible. It can be extremely difficult to maintain work performance in blistering heat covered in sweat.
If the man’s employers truly were concerned about workers sweating on the job through their suits and ties, they would have installed fans and air conditioners in appropriate places.
Misbehaving, being consistently late and refusing to do your job properly qualify as write-up offenses. Experiencing uncontrollable, natural bodily functions while doing your job does not.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.