Employee image - who pays?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The institute is over, part-time jobs as a typist, freelance translator or promo-girl remain in the past. It was a good experience and long awaited first earnings. But I want serious work …

And so the marathon of interviews begins, you send your resume to the agencies, call your friends and acquaintances of your parents and finally hear the cherished - come, we are ready to take you to the position of a junior assistant to a senior consultant. Rejoicing, you are preparing for your first working day in such a solid, in your opinion, company.

Preparations are underway on all fronts. Shoes, handbag, new lipstick - the wallet is rapidly emptying. Break your entire wardrobe, you understand: "Hmm … not a very rich selection of business outfits."

Finally, after an almost sleepless night, you jump up, bring yourself into full combat - and go! On the way, you dream of a new team, come up with original ideas that you will very soon offer to implement.

Only now the illusions begin to fade away as soon as you cross the threshold of the office. Employees scurry about in impeccably-fitting business suits, closed-toe pumps and with their hair pulled back in a bun.

The secretary reports on your arrival, and your immediate superior comes out to you, who warmly greets you by the hand and invites you to go into his office. There, over a cup of coffee, he tells you that it is not customary in the company to go to work with beautiful, but loose hair, in black tights and stiletto heels. And, of course, you need a business suit with a skirt that opens your legs above the knees to a maximum of the width of a credit card.

You smile tightly, nod your head and agonize over how much money you are going to use to buy yourself such a suit. At the same time, 99% of newcomers do not dare to ask this question to their boss. It's another matter when you have been working in a company for a long time, you know each and every one. That's when you boldly bring up the question of hospitality at the morning meeting, and they don't even think of denying you. But you still have to live to see that!

However, not only a business suit will become an expense if you work as the "face of the company". Nowadays it is increasingly accepted to communicate with partners and clients in an informal setting. Working in the advertising or PR department, every week you receive a whole bunch of different kinds of invitations to cocktails, presentations, receptions and round tables. And if a newcomer is pleased with such an abundance of parties in the schedule, then an experienced manager looks at this bale very, very critically, selecting only those events that in no case should be missed.

You still have to go to such events, and if it is still permissible to come to presentations and round tables in a working suit, then it is absolutely impossible to attend an evening reception. Sometimes on the invitation itself is indicated the form of clothing in which guests should appear.

This is where the fun begins. There are dresses, and there are many of them, from Chinese - in clothing markets to exclusive ones, from the Escada, Dior or Chanel collections - for every taste and budget.

Modern Cinderella measures her outfits, and then suddenly an interesting idea comes to her mind that she chooses a dress for one, maximum two evenings, and is going to pay two or even three of her salaries for it. But it is assumed that at the ball she will not have fun, but work, meet and entertain guests.

Therefore, we leave the fitting room without a dress and, putting on a thoughtful mask on our face, we answer the questioning look of the saleswoman, what we need to think about.

Then another great thought comes to mind, why not rent a dress? It would seem ideal. And the price does not bite, and we take it for one time, and then it will be possible to take another and be a little bit in the role of Grace Kelly, the queen of the principality of Monaco, who had a new outfit for each next reception.

But it was not there. The idea of "renting an outfit" has long been known to fashionistas, and the risk of meeting ladies who have once put on your outfit increases from event to event, especially if you use the centrally located evening fashion salons.

You don't have to go far for examples. The prima donna of our stage, Alla Pugacheva, did not escape a similar curiosity in her time, when she appeared at her Christmas meetings in a dress that the wife of the jeweler Ananov had already worn before her, and then gave it back to the fashion house so that, God forbid, she would not appear in it again.

Then the yellow press simply choked with delight, reprinting on its pages photographs of two ladies in the same dress. Of course, we are unlikely to receive such attention from the paparazzi, but still, still …

There are also completely incomprehensible events, such as, for example, a silk ball in one of the five-star hotels in the city. A prerequisite for appearing at this ball was the presence of a silk dress. Then the hotel management paid for the rental of dresses for the employees who worked at this event. But this case still became an exception to the rule.

So is there any specific policy regarding status suits and evening dresses in companies where having them is a prerequisite for work?

Irina Savinova, HR director of the international clinic "MEDEM", formerly acting HR director of the five-star hotel "Nevsky Palace": "In large international companies, where it is supposed to work with clients, there is always a part of employees whose appearance is set to certain standards. So, those who are in constant contact with guests should remove their hair, wear flesh-colored tights, apply soft makeup and use neutral nail polish. there was no such form of sales and marketing managers of the hotel, and during my work at the hotel the company once allocated a certain amount of money to buy business suits for them."

Yulia Mitrofanova, senior recruiting consultant of the OSV-Personnel recruiting agency: “We always conduct a thorough analysis of the requirements of the company to employees. Already before the first interview in the company, we try to explain to the candidate how he should be dressed at the interview, what is permissible and what is not. However, companies that make serious demands on the appearance of an employee try to provide an appropriate level of salary so that a person can easily buy a new suit. for the company to finance the purchase of a business suit for the employee."