I always think to myself (but rarely ever say) a line that George Carlin had after a somewhat raunchy joke:

"Oh, don't act disgusted! When you're willing to swallow ___, don't pretend that something I said was disgusting."

Me and my g/f where actaully discussing this earlier today. What would you say are the percentage of the nurses who are overweight and/or smoke?

My guess was 30% overweight, 50% smoke.

Why not just wear regular clothes? if you cant then get a better saddle.

Maybe they don't want to see every contour of your body. So, be modest, and toss on a pair of pants after you dismount. End of problem.

Did the OP talk to HR? I would start there and try to determine if I had a leg to stand on.

Throwing on a set of jogging pants would be an option. However, I am more inclined to return the complaint with a fight being the stubborn mule that I am.

I did speak with HR about it yesterday. They gave me a case number and told me they would get back with me regarding the policy of dress code in my situation. I honestly dont know why I have to change my habits for people, but in order to keep the peace I will adjust. Thank goodness I get to start working from home soon. so Pants and a T shirt are going on before I enter the building.

People suck.

Do these overweight co-workers who are offended by your attire realize that if you drove your car there would be one less parking space and they might have to walk further each day?

Most people in the non-cycling community don't want to see anyone's genitalia through form-fitting clothes. Hell, I don't either. I think not being exposed to that in the workplace is a reasonable request.

You have to change your habits for people because that's what we do to accomodate each other. Kind of like not burping and farting around people (you don't do that too, do you?) That's called civilization. Otherwise we'd still be a bunch of monkeys flinging crap at each other from treelimbs.

When you arrive to work, Do you hang out like in the cafeteria or chill in your office for a while before changing into working clothes?


Are the shorts too tight?

The subject is very sensitive; Could there be other issues at your place and the employees finally found an excuse to complain?

Work can only tell you what to wear at work, not to and from work.

And first amendment doesn't apply.

Try this. Start every conversation with your co-workers by pointing to your eyes and saying, "I'm up here."

I work with all nurses and have for about 15 years. Usually they dont mess with the guys as much as they do each other, but one thing I have learned is that often, what they complain about it not the problem. Usually it was because you pay a little more attention to one and not the other or one mentioned you were good looking or something. KNOW your dress code and wait for one of them to break it. Then if they mention anything about how you look in them it is EEO time. Try telling them thire butt looks nice, you would probably be shot.

One approach would be to discuss what IS appropriate attire for a cyclist. In a medical setting, everyone is wearing uniforms because that's the thing to wear. If you can locate any catalogs of cycling gear, you might try showing what the appropriate cycling gear is.

StephenH, you are talking about a bunch of women, logic like yours (male) does not matter. I work with women that get mad at each other and dont speak for weeks becasue the Doctor speaks to one and not the other. Trust me, the bicycling clothes is not the problem, might even be they are 50 lbs overweight and resent anyone who works out and stays in shape. I dont care if this is not politically correct, this is true.

+1

It's bizarre that so many "health care workers" are waddling around the halls of so many hospitals schlepping around so many excess pounds of flab.

Perhaps the profession attracts the overweight because the standard "scrubs" uniform isn't exactly flattering...

If I had to guess why (some) Nurses are overweight it would have something to do with having an extremely stressful job with an incredible amount of responsibility, poor coping mechanisms, and caring for people all day, so that when they get home they don't give a damn. But that's just my opinion.

On my floor (a medicine floor in a larger teaching hospital), most of the nurses are under thirty, thin, and attractive. Most have completed their BSN's and are working on their masters. The nurses that are overweight tend to be of the old guard, career floor nurses. Oh, and about a quarter of the nurses on my floor are men, FWIW. As far as politics and gossip, everyone tends to work together and be pleasant. Part of me thinks this is because most people only work three days a week, so you don't see the same people all day everyday. Anyway, what I'm getting at is some of the opinions expressed are broad generalizations and should not be taken as characterizing nurses.

And shorts are the easy answer.

-Rob.

I am an RN, have been for 15+ years. I have worked on good units like you are talking about. Sometimes I am hypercritical of my profession but I really do love it. The old, fat floor nurses are still in charge in many hospitals and on many units. In these places the bickering and backbiting is unbelieveable and I know you know what I am talking about. The OP problem sounds so much like the petty spats I seen on a daily basis working the floor or unit. Maybe I jumped to conclusions in this case but that is just my overwhelming experience

The face of nursing is changing and today it is truly a profession, yet there are still some things we need to work on.

Oh and two other things 1)what does FWIW mean and 2) "On my floor (a medicine floor in a larger teaching hospital), most of the nurses are under thirty, thin, and attractive. Most have completed their BSN's and are working on their masters." Where is this? I might be up for a career move.

+ a bunch
Something else is going on. You stink, or parts are hanging out, or you pissed someone off somehow. Or you, like, walked down the hall and, like, she said "hi" and, like, you didn't, or something.

I see two possibilities: Roll with it, drag on some running shorts (if that solves the problem, which it may not)
OR play the "They're making me uncomfortable. I feel threatened. They are creating a hostile environment with complaints not based on my work performance"
This will suck up all you enegry and life but will be fun for us to read about. If it does't kill you or make you crazy you could end up winning a zillion dollar lawsuit, but don't count on it.

Just for fun, let's try to imagine men complaing about a female nurse, same story otherwise. I'll bet that wouldn't fly for a second.

Yeah I got my shorts already, figured I could still keep the bibs and wear some baggy mtn shorts or something, but didn't commute to work today becuase of a broken weld where the chainstay and the bottom bracket housing meet. So I should be good to go for Wednesday. Found out though that the complaint was filed by a nurse that sits 4 cubes away fom me and uses a rascal scooter to get around. So I am thinking that this is more of a tactic to help herself feel better about her situation. Who knows, I am only guessing at this point. But like I said, it is going to be short lived due to one of two things. Either 1. I start working from home and would be able to come to work in the buff if I so desired, or 2. I finish school and just get away from the situation in total.

Thanks for all of your input. It is interesting to see things from a different perspective than my own. A lot of different sides to a common arguement. I just hope none of you all have to deal with anything like this. Have a great rest of the weekend and keep riding.

The Things people bithc about, MAN! Show them your manlyhood on Monday!

Eh I will pass, especially since I work weekends, I am only in the office 2 days during the actual work week. maybe I need to go get a roll of quarters from somewhere, or two to really throw them off...LOL

Damn, people are so uptight about seeing other people's bodies. I can understand how some don't find every body aestheticly pleasing, but to be downright offended by it seems irrational.

I don't know about the rest of ya, but for me to see any detail of any kind through black tights, I have to really be looking closely.

I'm all for putting some shorts on or whatever, but I can't help but wonder why they were staring at your crotch so intently.

Some cultures are very uptight about bodies in general...I've heard of cyclists (men and women) riding in Muslim countries having to dodge sticks and rocks thrown at them because the people there were offended.


To the OP - is this perhaps a cultural or religious issue? Is the woman who filed the complaint a Muslim, or perhaps a wacko fundamentalist (a redundancy...I know)?

No she is a rather rotund woman, white, from Tennesee who just joined the company about 5 months ago. I have been working here for the last 4 years commuting for 2 of them. They actually kicked me out of my comfy cube by the window so she could have closer access to the door for her scooter. I have never said anything or made any complaint. I just come in change clothes work my 10 hours and go home. I really have better things to do than be at work doing a job that I am not going to be in for the rest of my life.

Maybe I should wear one of those neon green "ball slings" that the Borat dude wore in the movie. Maybe then she wouldnt find the lycra so offensive.

By the way, if anyone can bring an EEOC/sexual harassment suit it is the OP. Imagine if a lady in a skirt was told by her male supervisor that she can't wear a skirt anymore because it's too distracting to him?

Anyhow, Sexual Harassment comes in two parts. First is classic quid pro quo. I.e. you will be promoted, granted preference etc. if you do (fill in the sexual act). That's pretty cut and dry.

The second is that conduct of a sexual nature is creating what a reasonable person would consider a hostile work environment. The reasonable person qualifier is key, since that is what a judge would look at, not at what your unreasonable co-workers think. If you worked in bike shorts all day perhaps a reasonable person would feel it a hostile work environment. Since you simply ride in bike clothing that will not pass the test.

Your co-workers have elected to assign sexual tension or meaning to your lycra shorts that you don't even wear all day, and that you utilize for utilitarian reasons. They have taken their wholly contrived complaints and meaning up the chain, and their mentality (and indignant oggling) has created a hostile work environment for YOU.

What do I know about this? As a Capt in the USAF I have to be up to speed on sexual harassment laws and EEOC issues, since under me are enlisted troops of both sexes.

Your supervisor needs to have the courage and knowledge to not simply cave to the most squealy wheel in the office. I know these are sensitive issues, and supervisors are simply terrified of having to make reasonable decisions for fear of being wrong...but just because someone complains, particularly if that someone is female, does not make them automatically right.

The standard does not reflexively err to support the individual tastes and peculiarities of the most restrictive individual. That person, in this case, would have one heck of a time demonstrating a hostile work environment.

But at this point you certainly can.

Yeah, and maybe the complaining woman should be made to wear an ace bandage around her boobs all day, so she won't stick out and offend anyone.:rolleyes:

Thats what I think as well.

Is it a battle worth fighting for?

Are you going to burn very valuable bridges if you do not comply?

In other words; Is it really worth it besides the consequences?

I was thinking something more for her midsection or the parts of her rear that hang over the edges of her little scooter seat.