A Little Help Please. Kilts at Work Research

[cavscout]

First, I'd suggest contacting a few of your clients from the past 1+ years that you've already worked with. Get their feedback. To me, I think that would be
a valuable bit of information to show him that clients are not put off by the kilt.

As far as my job, I don't really work with outside customers in person but those who have come to the office and seen me in a kilt have not been negative. I work with commercial construction sales representatives. My inside customers (co-workers) give me ribbing on occasion, but it's a non-issue. It helps that the owner of the company approves, so no one else's opinion matters.

[The Wizard of BC]

Ron,

You already know that my job is making kilts. But I also have another job as a Docent at the Royal BC Museum. I regularly speak in the galleriess about the First Peoples of BC. (To Americans, this is what we call Indians up here.)
Quite often there are members of the tribe and family present. And I speak to people from all over the world. From every lifestyle. I have spoken in front of Dignitaries and World Leaders.
Never have I had a problem. In four years, 52 weeks each year, and hundreds of thousands of visitors, no one has ever made a derogatory remark. Nor have there ever been any comment cards filed quoting my kilt as a distraction or causing an inability to develop a rapport with my visitors.

When speaking to members of other cultures I have actually found my kilt to be an ice breaker. Canada prides itself on it's multiculturalism and it is not uncommon for our visitors to attend the museum in many forms of national and ethnic dress. So seeing a kilt, although not common, is not seen as any different than turbans, sari, or dashiki. My standing joke I open my talks with is "Does anyone here, other than me, see it strange for a former American, in a Scottish Kilt, to be talking about the First Peoples of BC? How Canadian is that?"

Some of the most rewarding experiences I have had are speaking to First Peoples. The indigenous peoples of N. America already feel outside the mainstream of society. They take great pride in their different heritage and culture, and they also take pride in wearing symbols of that culture. They see my wearing kilts as similar to what they do.

Some of your clients also see themselves outside of the mainstream due to drug use, alcohol use, or poverty. I can't imagine a worse way to alienate a client than to sit behind a big desk in a 3 piece suit. It screams "I'm from the establishment, I'm here to tell you what you've done wrong."
I'll bet though, that quite a few positive comments have come from the people in the area your clinic serves because they see you as being akin to them and not from outside and official.

You have tats Ron. They have spiritual meaning to you. But what if you were told "You can't work here because someone may mistake your tattoos for you being a Hell's Angel."

What would your answer be to someone telling you that because of your tattoos you can't work there because someone may take offense.

I've met you Ron. I have the highest respect for you, your work and your life. So which image does your boss want you to project? Establishment button-down, regulation spouting, or a caring, helpful, listening, counselor? It would be my contention that you, in a kilt, would be far more effective, form deeper and longer lasting relationships, and garner the trust and respect of your clients and neighbors than you, in a suit.

Just as it is easier for me to speak to First Peoples because I show respect for culture and heritage, your clients, who also respect those things, will find it easier to speak to, and respect you.

[Livingston]

Ron,

I am in high end IT sales. I work about 95% or more of the time on the phone so my clients do not get to see me. That being said, there is one show each fall that I go to in Orlando that is for the military training and simulation groups, I/ITSEC. The last 2 years I have taken my kilt for the Scottish Night that one of the vendors puts on. Everyone I have talked to there thought to begin with that I worked for that vendor. When informed otherwise, the thought it was great that I had worn my kilt. This includes one of my customers that I've worked with for the last few years.

[Archangel]

Hey Ron, missed you.

I can't wear my kilt at work for safety reasons. I have worn it at work events.

It was a main feature and discussion focus when I ran for Human Rights, and won, last year. If you remember, I ran a poster with me kilted on it.

I think it let other groups see that I had a non-traditional white culture I wished to express and therefore I would help represent their cultures better.

Perhaps more in the east than where you are, there is a strong link between kilts and natives that Steve alluded to in his earlier post. Nowadays there is a very strong communication between all natives, I would think it would be a more positive thing than your boss suspects.

There's another thing here, that's hard to express. You've been doing this for a long time now, kilt-wearing, and it would be a big shock to the community if you stopped. It would destroy the centre's credibility if it came out that you were directed to conform to some eastern standard. How can you help me find my core if you've been told to stray from yours and you followed that direction, disobeying your own core? Whoa, what happened to my grammar?

[GMan]

I know that I am very lucky indeed. Since I work out of my house and most of my physical public contact from the business end is UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.

I have no problems at all.

I hope that I did not skew the outcome.

[Riverkilt]

Wow! You guys are both perceptive and deep. Thank you. From the input thus far I've developed a list of twelve key positive points and you've also given me five new ideas to pursue.

Strongest is that kilts show visual proof that our agency values diversity. And for sure I've seen over the past two years that kilts seem to help break the ice with fearful court mandated clients, showing we're there to help, not punish.

Is this a great board or what??!!

Ron

[RockyR]

A "counter argument" to bring up...

Your CEO's thoughts are that the kilt may have a negative "first impression" on a client and "turn them off" to you.

What if a client is homophobic and gets an openly gay counselor? Should that counselor be told to "tone it down" or "don't act gay" to suit the needs of the company because they MAY POSSIBLY SOMEDAY offend someone just by being who they are comfortable being?

What if a racist client gets a [insert ethnicity here] counselor?

What if a sexist man gets a female counselor?

Separate point...

An argument can be made that if you put all the picutres up in the office (great idea BTW) and openly express who you are and your passions that it would make a client feel MORE comfortable. You're showing them pieces of yourself and opening up BEFORE they even say a word! It's much easier to trust someone who puts themselves "out there" like that.