I am often accused of being to rigid in my line of thinking and enforcement of 'rules'. In the past I would have never considered either wearing or allowing my field staff to wear short pants. The issue has been raised again, so I would like to reach out for the opinion of the forum:
First some qualifiers:
- my field staff works almost exclusively in urban settings
- the work is not associated or near any active construction activity
- there is almost no risk of poison ivy
- we are all aware of the risks of sun exposure
- our work is SE Pennsylvania, we are not in the deep south or west of the Mississippi where weather is much warmer and or more humid
- assume for arguments sake, all attire is professional/appropriate in appearance
So, I wonder, is it appropriate for the field staff to wear short pants while performing their duties?
Looking forward to the responses .....
I prefer long pants but it isn't a big enough issue for me to require others to wear long pants too.
And, occasionally I like to wear shorts, but mostly I don't because I prefer to wear work boots rather than tennis shoes when I'm in the field.
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SReeserinPA, post: 428512, member: 6126 wrote: So, I wonder, is it appropriate for the field staff to wear short pants while performing their duties?
only with a sports coat
i grew up a redneck surfer kid in florida. wore "long pants" (read: jeans) about 4 days a year until i came to texas for college.
so you can probably guess my forthcoming response.
imo, if guys are going to be out busting their humps all day, all week, i don't see why they shouldn't be as comfortable as possible. and i completely understand maintenance of professional decorum, however it's rarely been my experience that even if a survey crew is dressed in suits that the average human is going to care one way or another- they'll just say "look, a caveman in a suit!"
as the owner of the company i provided t-shirts for the guys, somewhat for the sake of continuity, somewhat for the sake of safety (they're day-glo yellow), but mainly just so the guys didn't have to ruin their own shirts. otherwise i made zero REQUIREMENTS for attire. i recommended things, but never required. and still virtually every time i took guys/crews out in the field, i was the one person in shorts and a t-shirt. and it's not like i went looking for cuts and scrapes and poison ivy, but i'm not scared of it either- just always accepted it as part of the work. and when here it is 95+ like 8 months out of the year, no way i'm sacrificing day-to-day comfort for the sake of looking some arbitrary part.
even on construction sites i'll show up and make them tell me i have to dress up. never saw how the hem of somebody's britches in any way affected their ability to perform a land survey.
flyin solo, post: 428515, member: 8089 wrote: it's not like i went looking for cuts and scrapes and poison ivy, but i'm not scared of it either
I generally wore hiking shorts with polo shirts when I was in the field full time until I got tired of getting scratched up. Worked around a lot of greenbriar and multi-flora rose...came home on day and my wife looked at me and said "looks like you tried to f@#k a bobcat"
After reading your entire post I can see why it might not be a problem. For us it's not even a possibility - for one thing, none of our clients would allow it. But also most of what you encounter in the wild here wants to either bite you, sting you, give you a rash, or eat you.
Where I am you wouldn't be able to find anyone to work for you if you didn't allow shorts. A comfortable employee is a productive employee. 😎
Lee D, post: 428519, member: 7971 wrote: most of what you encounter in the wild here wants to either bite you, sting you, give you a rash, or eat you.
Follow Tommy's advice...just don't let her in the car.
James Fleming, post: 428514, member: 136 wrote: only with a sports coat
Jimmie, you been hanging around the "suits" in DC too long. 😉
SReeserinPA, post: 428512, member: 6126 wrote: assume for arguments sake, all attire is professional/appropriate in appearance
I'm not sure I can make that assumption. Perhaps in Bermuda shorts can be called "professional/appropriate in appearance." Not so much in PDX.
It would most definitely depend on the exact location. For intown work I see no problem with nice shorts. For the boonies it would be rare that it would work out well. I'm not a shorts type of guy, mainly because I would resemble a lobster before noon. Based on your situation, I would see no concern with nice shorts.
Depends.... Down here in hot Florida, its long pants in the swamps, peppers and palmettos, but on the beach, shorts all day.
Wear appropriate clothing for the job at hand. Always have a pair of long pants in the truck. I've been to job sites where shorts aren't allowed, and they won't let you in unless you have appropriate attire.
For me and any employees it would be long pants all of the time. But, most of the time I'm out in the woods with thorns and snakes, so makes sense. Some insurance policies require long pants.
I'm fine with shorts. As long they still look decent. Personally, I prefer them. Sure you get some cuts and scratches. But if you feel something running down your leg, it's sweat. Running up, it's a tick.
PLS30820, post: 428525, member: 1439 wrote: Down here in hot Florida
If we don't get some rain or a tropical storm we're gonna burn to death.
Sorry for the hijack.
Always carry them in the truck for when going to construction sites or in the woods!!! Here's the one time I forgot them! Lesson learned!!
Not just surveying... I've looked a lot like that after mowing in shorts and Crocs too.
Lee D, post: 428519, member: 7971 wrote: After reading your entire post I can see why it might not be a problem. For us it's not even a possibility - for one thing, none of our clients would allow it. But also most of what you encounter in the wild here wants to either bite you, sting you, give you a rash, or eat you.
I've seen what it looks like just off the highway through your state, I can't imagine what it looks like in the rough. I wouldn't want to come anywhere near that stuff without kevlar waders and my Glock 20.
As it is, I never go in the field in anything that doesn't cover my boots.
It's not a camera, post: 428532, member: 10608 wrote: Lesson learned!!
Looks like you had a fight with a Bougainvillea plant/bush/tree! Or a saw palmetto. 😎