crap at work for wearing "Gym clothes" and eating at my desk

tigersword

Gym clothes aren't "business casual." Maybe you should worry more about adhering to the rules, and worry less about what other people are doing.

geebusuk

You work in IT?
Go check through their emails and see what you can find .

I was recently asked a) not to eat my ready meal at my desk then b) not to eat my packet of cooked chicken breast at my desk.
I'm doing programming and IT stuff, but am sat in the front-office of a small business where customers come in.
In the end, they're the ones paying me, so it's their rules. When I've been the boss, I make the rules .

krawhitham

Definitely jealousy and/or sexism. A lot of times men can dress down while women in the same work place are expected to wear dresses, skirts etc... Either way, you're dressed totally fine. I wouldn't change anything if I were you.

Train4Foodz

People get jealous of others. Could be they are jealous of your success - or you indirectly make them feel guilty about their own choices.

^^ This ^^

bethanycopley1980

I keep a pair of sneakers under my desk and pack gym clothes with me, so that hasnt been a problem if I wanted to walk or something during lunch. Get some cleansing cloths for sweat and a little powder for hairline and change out of your clothes back into business wear when you are done.

MizTerry

That's what I wear to work normally because I work in a warehouse. I change clothes for the gym though because yeah, I glow a lot when working out.

There have been some changes in our office rules lately and one of them is no eating at our desks. I can kind of see not eating at the desk due to crumbs and such getting in the keyboards. It may not be the smell of your food, it could be the keyboards are getting icky...not you personally, they just have to set an across the board rule.

blondageh

Is that a dude in a t-shirt and shorts behind you? :laugh: I think you look perfectly acceptable in an IT crowd. Had you not posted that picture, I wouldn't have thrown out the "jealousy" card, but I honestly cannot think it is anything else other than that. You have lost about 35lbs and look good! Whoever has a problem with this and mentioned it to your boss is pretty darn petty. You do you girl. I wouldn't change a thing.

lasarabande

Thanks for the insight guys!! btw I mentioned that picture was from the internet I did a google search on. It's not me! It's just the best picture I could find that fits the description of what I wear at work.

As for the food thing, I eat veggies, a shake, and green tea for lunch. None of them smell at all.

ren_ascent

Sounds like some people are jealous. If it wasn't jealousy they would have come to you personally to air their grievance. Sometimes people give me a hard time about things. Someone told me I was going to become "one of those weird people" because I said I was weaning myself off sweeteners. If that's weird I welcome myself to that club.

I love that green cardigan.

I have to say it. Your abs are so awesome! You must work your *kitten* off to get them like that!

thavoice

Listen to your boss.

Plain and simple.


If someone is petty and jealous, and if there are more than 1 woman working there it is probably true, then that is their own issues.

jlynnm70

I think your clothes look fine - like some said - just make sure you aren't sweating through - my boss sometimes comes in from the gym - I can't stand it when he comes to my desk and it has nothing to do with the clothes he has on!

Shoes - keep a pair of simple flats in your desk drawer - I've done that - just to slip into them and put your walking shoes away at the office. That is reasonable.

Eating at your desk. Depends on what it is. I can do it (there are only 3 of us in the office and yet I rarely do it) If it smells it may be bothering someone. If someone thinks you are getting extra time because you walk and then come back and eat at your desk - that is another story. I almost always eat in the kitchen and walk for only the remaining time I have left. I've got a more relaxed atmosphere - but even when I was in big firm - I I made sure I was back at my desk ready to work - I wasn't paid to be eating - or online - or on my cell phone. (my current bosses don't care as long as my work is done.)

Good luck

SLLRunner

If it's not your boss complaining, ignore the comments. It's nobody else's business what you wear.

If you are dressing as in the exemplar photo, you look fine.

It's all politics, and there are always people who like to stir the pot, which makes it all about them and nothing about you.

The food is another issue.

Put your exercise shoes away while in the office and wear steadier shoes.

bellesouth18

The clothes in the picture look perfectly fine to me--even sleeveless without a sweater. Keep your gym shoes in a drawer if you have to. But I'd honor what your boss wants you to do. Be the better person out of the group.

brittany2188

Sounds like you work with an office full of women. Get a thick skin and tough it out. It might suck, but listen to your boss. Being insubordinate will most likely get you fired. Your revenge will be reaching your ultimate weight loss goal. :laugh:

WendyTerry420

Someone sounds jealous that you won. Maybe consider changing from gym shoes into work shoes at the car? Don't let it get you down or make you stop what you're doing. Life is going to throw obstacles at you all the time and you have to roll with the punches. Just don't slack and keep vigilant about looking "proper" or whatever for a while and hopefully this will all blow over.

This. You look great, and your outfit is cute, certainly not anything I'd wear to the gym.

AlwaysInMotion

Aaaaaaaaand you look just fine for your work environment. Agreed, I'm making some presumptions based on what you mentioned and your pic...

I have no tolerance for such cattiness from people who you consider friends and acquaintances at work. When some ladies got jealous/weird with me when I lost all my weight (several years ago now), I just turned up my work wardrobe a notch higher.

I gradually introduced several "improvements" - like new accessories (things like a cute necklace, a new belt, some colorful scarves), I got a new haircut, and I retired some of my older or looser clothing and replace them with new. For example, I bought some better fitting pants, pretty knee-length skirts, and a few new cardigans in cute, seasonal colors... I was still wearing essentially the type of outfits, but my wardrobe seemed a lot sharper & fresher. If people are going to comment on your work appearance, let it be because you look even BETTER than they do now.

Good luck and don't let people make you feel bad about yourself. They don't deserve that power over you.

WendyTerry420

You jog at lunch without changing your shirt? Maybe the problem is that you smell bad, but they didn't want to be rude? I certainly would stink if I ran/sweated in my work clothing and then just threw a sweater back over. If that is the case you ARE working in your workout clothes (since you worked out in them).

She said walk, not jog. I do the same thing. I'm not trying to break a sweat, just trying to move my body instead of sitting.

Lives2Travel

This thread makes me happy that I work from home. My dog never complains. In fact, his motto is "the stinkier the better". He LOVES it when I come home from a work out all sweaty.

dmenchac

Gym clothes aren't "business casual." Maybe you should worry more about adhering to the rules, and worry less about what other people are doing.

Maybe you should actually read what she wrote.

lindsey1979

My advice would be to kill them with kindness -- play the totally clueless care with your boss. Ask very specific questions about workplace guidelines and HR policies. My guess is that this is some busybody in your office complaining to your boss and he/she is just passing the buck --- and doesn't really want to deal with it beyond reporting the comment to you. Make sure your boss feels heard and that you're responsive to his/her concerns but ask him/her to explain exactly what needs to be changed (I imagine he/she doesn't really know). You could also recommend speaking to the HR person about this so you can be absolutely sure that you're doing what needs to be done.

For IT, I can't believe anyone is complaining. Shoot, I know folks that literally don't wear shoes in IT. It's shocking to me that anyone would complain, unless you're in a very white shoe environment like a law firm or financial services company.

As for the food, yeah, that's ridiculous. I really do think many people need to get over themselves in an office environment. If you don't want anyone to drink tea around you or cook their left over chinese in the microwave, then you need to work at a place that either doesn't allow that or work from home. Part of working in such places is just getting over yourself and realizing that you have to bend to accommodate others (as they have to bend to accommodate you).