Being Kilted before the Boss

[Cirthalion]

No small amount of talk has been produced here discussing the ins and outs of being kilted in the workplace, among colleagues, etc. It has all been useful and educational. I am wondering, however, whether anyone has any experience or opinions on specific issue of being kilted while one's superiors are present. It is one thing to be kilted with one's coworkers and colleagues, or to obtain the permission from a human resources director who doesn't actually witness your kilted presence. It's a whole other matter to be kilted before one's superiors, and risk a negative reaction from them because of what I like to call the "intimidation factor" of the kilt. Bosses have a tendency to see any intimidation of them as insubordinate. Also, I have some folks in authority above me who imagine themselves as being both very worldly and very traditional, and when I wear a kilt around them, I wonder if I am running the risk of being misunderstood as trying to one-up them, rather than simply celebrating my heritage. These types of reactions are often unspoken, so it is hardly something that can be addressed directly.

I am interested in any comments or thoughts on this subject.

Cirthalion

[auld argonian]

I don't know...a truly enlightened boss would certainly cut you some slack and be secure enough to not take it as a threat. A boss might say, "Oh...you know I have Scots in my family tree..." or "Well, gee, have you ever had a chance to go to Scotland? The wife and I want to take a vacation there someday..." (in which case you give them Robertson's B&B info and subsequently rceive their eternal gratitude).

I would certainly think that any boss worth his title wouldn't make a big thing about it in public if he had any reservations about your wearing the kilt. I would expect such a person to speak to you privately about it at a later time and make it a discussion instead of a lecture.

I've made mention of being in stuations where the kilted party is insulted because others think that he is trying to draw all of the attention to himself. I, personaly, don't wear a kilt to get attention but there are a lot of people for whom any social or business interaction is a "turf war" of sorts and they will make lots of assumptions about what people are doing to upstage them and thus gain control over the situation. Pity them but be prepared to deal with them.

Best

AA

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Might I suggest that you approach your direct supervisor and discuss it with them? That is how I handled wearing a kilt to work. I first went to my manager and indicated that I wanted to broach the subject with HR and get approval to wear it. He was fine with it. It moved a little too quickly for him because the first day I wore it we had a United Way presentation from the very senior management and I was in the front row, by chance not design. So I was immediately seen by all and no problems. Most of the fear is in our own minds, at least that has been my experience.

You can check out how my journey went. It might give you some help or insight.

[Livingston]

I'm not worried by my direct manager but.... Up till a year ago my manager's manager(DM) flat said NO. No discussion, no maybe, just NO. We had a re-org last Nov 1 which moved me any my manager under another DM. When we had our 1:1 I brought it up and he said knock yourself out....and was conviently out of town on Tartan Day. I'll have to find out about St Andrews since I'll not be on business traval that day unlike last year.

[GreenDragon]

i asked my boss about it and he sort of chuckled and some something to the like of "that's on you, man."

[Schultz]

I was a bit worried about the higher-ups when I first started wearing it and almost went out of my way to not be around them if at all possible. My direct supervisor encouraged me to wear it whenever I wanted before I even brought the idea up of everyday kilting.

Then the office manager came into the library one day, saw me, and said, "Hey, I like your kilt!" and kept on walking. That was one down. The head of HR, a notoriously um...assertive...woman saw me not too long after and didn't even comment. I lightened up a bit after that and just had to deal with the more conservative partners (I work in a law firm), one of which was the sole reason for the axing of "casual fridays", and they don't seem to mind.

My advice would be to just act like everything's normal and try not to be so nervous.

[Kelson]

I wear a kilt to work everyday and whenever or wherever I go on weekends. I have no problem during the work week since I am the owner of a business. On weekends? Well, as with the office, I can wear what I want so am kilted. I have been doing this for over several months now and have experience only one negative comment and that was while shopping on a Saturday. Some idiot who looked like he hadn't bathed in several weeks and driving a pickup that matched (he needed the pickup to haul his body around) yelled out the window that I looked ridiculous. I ask him when he last looked in a mirror.

The building in which my business is located is a three story building with at least 30 other offices so the opportunity to experience negative comments is very real. But to date - NONE. In fact, just the opposite.

Yesterday it was VERY windy so I decided to wear pants. You would not believe the comments I got. "Why in the world are you wearing pants", "Ugh, that looks terrible", "What happened???" And one lady said I look so much better in a kilt why am I wearing "those things."

So, the bottom line seems to be to do what you think best for you. At least the kilt has history and heritage behind it. Todays fashion (if that is what it can be called) has neither. Todays fashion is stone washed, rolled in a ball, thrown in the corner, then worn the next day because it is the lastest fashion along with shaving one's head. And for gosh sakes, don't wash the clothing as it will destroy the smell.

Don't ask, just DO IT. Then if you are asked to not do it, look around at what others are wearing and do some polite verbal comparing with the objector. If you are talking to someone who has rocks where the brain is supposed to be, then you are fighting a losing battle and it really isn't worth it. But if you are allowed to wear the kilt you will find that in a very short period of time no one will even bother to notice - that is until you decide to wear a pair of pants.

One thing that might turn the tide, I wear a button down shirt with a tie and dress shoes. It looks a lot more "office formal" than what others are wearing. If you do that initially it may be somewhat more acceptable. Then after a period of time you can eliminate the tie to be followed by the button down shirt.

[Rigged]

I wear a uniform most of the time when I'm at work. Sometimes though I come in during times when I'm not expected to respond to emergencies and so I come to work in my regular clothing - usually a Utilikilt.

My boss and his boss have both seen me at work kilted and it's no big deal.

One of my co-workers asked me "the question" just this past Monday when I came in off my regular shift to handle some paperwork. I assured him that, while I typically wear my kilts in the traditional manner, when I'm at work I use "secondary containment" (a hazmat term). He, being very conservative, was quite relieved.

I'm very happy to be working for such a progressive company.

Your mileage may vary.

[Andrew Green]

I am around my supervisors all the time at my main job, and often kilted. One is fine with it, and usually doesn't say much about it...but the other one was full of compliments the first few times, and the after I had picked up a few better accessories. One of the Deans had many good things to say too.
So maybe people are a bit more open minded on college campuses??