Inappropriate attire for work

[Brett]

I used to work in a very upmarket corporate consultancy and I used to struggle with maintaining a professional image when using the bike to commute to meetings. I always felt that I was not suitably professional for some reason...gear for one is a bugger, I mean at minimum you are trying to deal with a helmet, Jacket, glloves and a backpack for the laptop, minutes etc.
In hindsight, I should have just used the cage more because the times I did, I actually felt more on my game.

[Muppet]

I work in the IT field, and travel from customer premise to customer premise quite a bit. About half the time I don't need to take any "freight" bigger than what can fit in a back pack, so I ride my motorbike.
I have a work uniform, and wear Cordura pants over the top of my dress pants, and a leather jacket over the top of my shirt (just a t-shirt at the moment as getting a bit warm in my leather jacket). My work uniform is all nicely logo'd, clean, and I think pretty presentable.

Typically when I get to a customer site I just take the cordura and jacket off, and stash them in a corner somewhere, along with the helmet and gloves.

Well blow me down, for the first time in 10 years, I had someone complain at my office that my "attire" was not suitable for their workplace. A site I've been to half a dozen times before. They implied they had a problem with the look of my motorcycle gear.

I told the client the motorcycle provides a greener alternative for using a larger vehicle like a car to transport such a small load (being me), and that the gear I wear is for my personal protection and safety.

I also told them I would not be changing my safety gear. And I'll interpret their decision by weather they call to book further jobs or not.


Really. Some people do have a personal perception issue.

Tsk tsk you silly boy, you should have mentioned the magic words to those people- "Health and Safety". Watch them crumble with fear as the words leave your mouth, throw in "liable" and "risk management" for good measure oh and don't forget "lawyers" and "lawsuit".

[Voltaire]

My Boss rides a Harley to work and goes on it to meetings.
He's always on to me to go with him on the Duke.
I rode the Duke to a job at a Hospital in Hamilton on Friday, parked out the front and walked in....no one even gave me a second look.
The only 'problem' is I clocked up nearly 400 kms there and back.... via Miranda..... and the west side of the W(h)aikato
I used the BMW Touring suit as you can pull it up over your day clothes....full leathers look a bit out of place in a HVAC plantroom.

[caseye]

It's only 100K's down SH1 Volly.You obviously took the long root, ah sorry route.

[AllanB]

HA - I laughed. Personally I'd be happy for you to arrive in bike gear at my work.

Mainly because all the IT people I have ever had in there usually arrive in clothing that looks and smells like it spend a week in the bottom of a dirty laundry basket (mums on strike?) and the wearer thinks that masking BO with cheap cologne is acceptable.

Having said that - when your computers are down you don't give a shit what the fixer looks like as long as they fit it!

[YellowDog]

I used to work in a very upmarket corporate consultancy and I used to struggle with maintaining a professional image when using the bike to commute to meetings. I always felt that I was not suitably professional for some reason...gear for one is a bugger, I mean at minimum you are trying to deal with a helmet, Jacket, glloves and a backpack for the laptop, minutes etc.
In hindsight, I should have just used the cage more because the times I did, I actually felt more on my game.

Yes, on my last bike, I got the biggest Givi box available. I could fit my helmet and jacket (just about) and then show up at meetings in business attire.

It was quite funny once as I struggled to get the box lid shut after quickly getting changed by the bike; I arrived in the meeting room to find that I was parked outside its window. So I had a nice audiance whilst getting changed.

Embarrassed or what

[MaxCannon]

I've been to just about all our clients sites in my bike gear and no-one cares.

I've even walked around a very flash PR client's office in my socks, short shorts (which I wear under my bike pants) and paint stained T-shirt.
It was too hot to keep my gear on and it was an emergency call-out straight from home.

The only thing the people at site (most of whom look like they spend 3 hours dressing for work) cared about was when the systems would be back online.

I needed to get back to the office for parts and in a car it would have taken me about 25-30 minutes each way.
Called ahead and had the kit waiting at reception. 10 minutes there - 10 minutes back (in peak morning traffic).

Client was very pleased - minimal downtime for them -and I didn't take up any of their visitor carparks.

[Ixion]

Nowdays, if the Service Delivery Manager actually managed to get me onto a customer site, he (and they) would be so astonished that they wouldn't care if I wore a loincloth and nose bone.

But, back in the day when I had to make customers happy (instead of telling them their complete system is trash and needs to be replaced immediately ), I didn't have a problem going by bike.

If you just need to wear a tie, well thats easy. Dress slacks, business shirt, tie. Boots, jacket over etc. No, I'm not into ATGATT.

If the requirement is full formal type business suit, the jacket's a bit of a pain. Either carry it in a top box (rest as above), or, what I used to do , was put the suit jacket on, then put a one piece Cordura suit over all. I dunno if you could get such a suit now, it was like one of those one piece rain suits with a zip right down the front, but in Cordura.

[Mumbles]

You guys pretty much said what I did.... and thanks for no Palmy jokes