Foo - Pay for the right to wear jeans on Friday?

Something very unexpected to me occured today. I got a mass email from the HR of the company I am working at declaring today a "jeans on Friday" day. Cool. An hour or so later a representative of HR went around the office and I was told that there's a $2.00 fee associated with wearing jeans on Friday :p. I think that's pretty funny. Is this a normal thing in corporate America?

usually the fee goes to a charity, if not your company is being a jerk

for example: we used to pay $5 to wear jeans on breast cancer day. all money went to cancer research.

It probably goes to charity -- that makes sense. Evidently the company was being charitable anyways; they gave all of the employees -- even me, a lowly and humble (haha) intern -- 100% US Corn Plastic mugs in celebration of their new logo.

We do shorts on Friday, no cost involved

If you have to pay to wear things, how many people opt out and wear nothing?

In high school we weren't allowed to wear jeans but several times a year we had a Jeans Friday and we'd pay a dollar that went to charity.

I've never heard of a company charging it's employees to be allowed to wear jeans. Ask them if they take American Express or Diners Club.

If you have to pay to wear things, how many people opt out and wear nothing?

Ah, see, these guys are smart -- they charge you even more to wear nothing. The only recourse is to wear slacks, like any other day.

One of the few perks to my job: I can wear jeans and t-shirt any day. Usually I do not; I'm more of a dress slacks and button down kind of guy at the office. But on days where I have to be in the lab and crawling around on the floor calibrating machinery, it's jeans and a t-shirt.

I can wear anything I want, as long as it means that people take me somewhat seriously. So the chicken suit is out.

If I wore dress pants to the office, they'd think I had a fever or something. Things are so casual here that I am quite literally sitting at my desk in a t-shirt and boxer briefs.

OK, not really that casual, but pretty close. One of my favorites is when the boss forgets to bring a change of clothes with him, and spends the day in cycling shorts.

My company is a legal services firm, so I think it errs toward a more conservative dress. I'm expected to wear a tie every day. Some of the managers will wear a jacket on top, but it's not necessary.

If I wore dress pants to the office, they'd think I had a fever or something. Things are so casual here that I am quite literally sitting at my desk in a t-shirt and boxer briefs.

OK, not really that casual, but pretty close. One of my favorites is when the boss forgets to bring a change of clothes with him, and spends the day in cycling shorts.

oh that's a good one :)

I wear bibs and a jersey if I come in on a Friday.

The county library where I work has $2.00 jeans days on Friday. I ask every week where the money will go. When the answer is a charity, I donate. When is being collected for the much-loathed "Staff Day", I refuse to pay.

Happened at school years ago, and also at work today. Although it was "smart jeans" and "business casual" which is pretty much everyday wear at work anyway. I worked from home though! The money was going to charity - always has.

I work in corporate HR and wear jeans everyday :) I happen to be very lucky.

In man respects it's easier to dress on a non-jeans day. It's hard for men to screw up when all we have to do is wear slacks, a button down, and a tie. There's almost no thought involved, and no questioning whether or not something is appropriate for the office.

I've never heard of it being associated with a charity event. I've been home-based for 8 years and some days I never change out of what I wore to bed. My understanding is that my company had a "wear shorts to work" day last week...except a guy in our group got the date wrong and showed up in shorts a week early! Took several days for that to settle down!

So they levied a Levi?

They do that here. Pay to play Jean day. I tend to wear pants that are equally or more comfy that I would not normally wear, just not jeans.

We used to do the wear whatever you want unless the big wigs are coming into the office thing.

We have Jeans Day (it was April 29th this year) to benefit BC Children's Hospital. I wear jeans every other day too, but on that day it's $20 for a pin or $5 for a button. It's a significant annual fundraiser here - we get a bunch of posters showing the Vancouver Canucks wearing jeans asking us to support Children's Hospital, newscasters wear jeans for the day, etc.

How much to not wear pants at all?

Pay to wear jeans? Man, I go to work in shorts and a t-shirt. And its a big corporation.

Yeah, but you keep the man's machines running. They have to cut you some slack.

How much would they pay me to wear any sort of pants?

My previous company had something like this, only they let so many people slide and wear jeans on a daily basis, it really didn't turn out too well.

One of the few perks to my job: I can wear jeans and t-shirt any day. Usually I do not; I'm more of a dress slacks and button down kind of guy at the office. But on days where I have to be in the lab and crawling around on the floor calibrating machinery, it's jeans and a t-shirt.

I wore button downs or polos for the first couple of weeks at my current job, but I got tired of being laughed at for dressing so formally.

This is what happens at a company where the entire hierarchy consists of engineers (the president is as big of a nerd as the rest of us) and everyone else is there to assist the engineers.

Definitely not a typical workplace. We've even got our customers trained to our levels of casual when they visit, which as I understand it, is pretty remarkable for European customers.

Yeah, but you keep the man's machines running. They have to cut you some slack.
Damn straight they do.

It has warmed up here, so my usual attire is shorts and a camp shirt, in the winter it is jeans and a groovy shirt. I have suits and ties, but they are strictly gig/meeting wear.

During October we can wear pink and jeans for $5 a day, money goes for breast cancer. During any sports playoffs we can wear our favorite team's jersey and jeans for $20 for that Friday, Sat and Sun, money goes for Special Olympics. Other than that we have to wear work pants, work boots and work issued shirts and gloves.

But in my line of work, who wants to mess up their clothes?

I just pay and wear my work clothes.

During October we can wear pink and jeans for $5 a day, money goes for breast cancer. During any sports playoffs we can wear our favorite team's jersey and jeans for $20 for that Friday, Sat and Sun, money goes for Special Olympics. Other than that we have to wear work pants, work boots and work issued shirts and gloves.

But in my line of work, who wants to mess up their clothes?

I just pay and wear my work clothes.

Jeans are part of the dress code for my job, so i haven't paid the company's $1 donation to charity in about four years. I'd gladly pay that for the chance to wear shorts again, though.

It was only 2x/month, though, the Friday after payday, so, meh.

my old job had something like that - usually once a month. The thing is, you can then tell who "contributed" to the "cause" and who didn't..... ... corporate politics.......

Yeah, it's funny and it's a good way to easily take part of a charity campaign!

Yeah, it's funny and it's a good way to easily take part of a charity campaign!

It's been almost a year-and-a-half since this thread was posted, so let me give you the details of what transpired for the OP since then.

He gave away so much money to wear blue jeans that he had to move in with new, questionable roomates
He didn't have enough money to pay the rent, so he was required to use sexual favors with the landlord to avoid living in the streets.
Eventually, the landlord gave him the boot and he lives on the streets in an old Jetta, which breaks down frequently.

OK, some of that was embellished by me. I'll admit it. But I don't really remember the details anyway.

^^ Sounds about right. At least, that's the way I remember it.

I heard he was using his mill to remove serial numbers from firearms for the mafia just to make ends meet. But, as a plus, they do let him wear jeans on Friday, but they take a bigger cut of the action.

Yes it is a common thing in corporate america.

No I do not participate. If the company wants PR should pay for it themselves without any help from me. I can donate on my own if I feel like it.

Yes it is a common thing in corporate america.

No I do not participate. If the company wants PR should pay for it themselves without any help from me. I can donate on my own if I feel like it.

So do you protest by doing to work sin pantalones?

So do you protest by doing to work sin pantalones?

I may not know spanish, but I see what you did nonetheless.

My work is closed today, and I would have difficulty getting there at the moment. So I can work from home, pantless.

I'm supposed to dress more or less formally, but I'm the dude handling the antibiotic resistant pathogens, so the hr folks leave me alone.

I'm supposed to dress more or less formally, but I'm the dude handling the antibiotic resistant pathogens, so the hr folks leave me alone.

LOL that's priceless... totally quotable material.

So do you protest by doing to work sin pantalones?

No...sin bragas. :innocent:

No...sin bragas. :innocent:

Which just goes to prove that old saying "Nobody likes a braga".

I can wear anything I want, as long as it means that people take me somewhat seriously. So the chicken suit is out.

I once worked for a major corporation where one guy wore a Superman suit on Halloween. All day. One of the plant supervisors caught up to him in the afternoon and sent him home. The next year, his boss told him that under no circumstances was he to dress as Superman on Halloween. He complied: He came dressed as Lois Lane. Lucky for him he was very good at his job.

My sister wore the chicken suit to work 1 year. Those pictures are blackmail material.

My sister wore the chicken suit to work 1 year. Those pictures are blackmail material.

That's a long time. Didn't it smell after a while?

That's a long time. Didn't it smell after a while?

chickens smell like chicken poop. So of course it smelled.

The last three jobs I worked had the pay-for-jeans Fridays, all for charity.

Where I work now, the dress code seems to apply to the bottom half and shoes of one's wardrobe. The women still wear any tops they want...can't say I complain when it's 95 degrees outside, casual days or not. :-D