Re: Dress Code/Personal Hygiene

I am also bothered by nurses with long talons. Not only are they probably incompetent (the Sally Hansen Corollary) but you have no way to see under the long curling nail and see how clean it is. While I'm not a big fan of dress codes, I do think medical personnel should be required to keep their fingernails cut.

Re: Dress Code/Personal Hygiene

As a former employee of the VA Medical Center, I was appalled at the lackadasical attitude of the employees. I couldn't tell the difference between the patients and employees. It was very common to see employees in a pair of worn tattered jeans and t-shirt (even the women) on a daily basis. There was nothing professional about the appearance of most and definite lack of pride. The dress went from one extreme to another -- sweat suits, gym wear, baseball caps, short mini-skirts, low cut, skin tight tops, tennis shoes, flip-flops. A dress code in that place was certainly warranted.

Re: Dress Code/Personal Hygiene

As a former VA employee, long finger nails for a health care workers is against agency policy. Long finger nails can hold diseases and are considered unclean.

Re: Dress Code/Personal Hygiene

LERS, former VA employee, I am glad to hear it! Now if civilian doctors and hospitals would just follow suit!

Re: Dress Code/Personal Hygiene

I think that we may be able to get away with the dress code, but come on - how are you going to address the smell of one's breath during the after lunch meetings? You can't expect to put that in the Dress Code. I think that I can deal with the after lunch bad breath by offering the person a breath mint. What I don't want to deal with is inappropriate dress, dirty clothes, and body odor early in the morning.

Re: Tattoes & Body Piercing Distasteful

I think increased body art is here to stay. I am a grandmother who dresses cleanly and comfortably. I don't wear a skirt suit, nylons, or pumps. I long ago decided that the "look" wasn't worth the pain.

Any extreme usually speaks of a problem. The guy with multiple piercings all over his face, for instance, has a glitch somewhere but may still be very talented at what he does. Someone who cannot eat because of another's tatoo or piercing is similarly glitched. For the most part neither one will suffer much and life will go on.

As to the perfume issue...well, that one is truly health related as those with allergies, asthma, migraines, etc, can actually be harmed by perfumes.

In a few years we will find out if the current tatoos & piercings are a fad or something that will go mainstream. I see respectable businessmen here with a stud in their ear and longer hair cuts than their military counterparts. All very neat and acceptable.

Re: Tattoes & Body Piercing Distasteful

I am posting this comment in response to the individual who can not eat in a restaurant where there are employees with full body tattoos. I don’t wear tattoos and I will never wear tattoos. I am a 57 year old woman. I find it quiet disturbing that person would think the food is nasty because one of the servers has a full body tattoo. How does poor hygiene relate to tattoos? I think persons who have this problem are socially uppity people. I definitely find the writer of the article disturbing. I bet she/he leaves restaurants for other reasons too like the race or nationality or perceived sexual orientation, weight, blond hair vs ethnic hair, lack of blue eyes and etc of persons who is serving. The person who wrote this thinks he/he is all that. HUM! Apparently the person is not aware that young people today are into tattoos in a major way. Kids from areas of society!!!!!! Kids with good education, all national and racial backgrounds, poor, rich, etc.

Re: Tattoes & Body Piercing Distasteful

In the early '70s I went through a period when I left my white collar life, during which I had a bird tattooed on my right forearm. For the next 20 years everytime I started a new white collar job which moved my career forward I was very careful to wear long sleeves for the first year. After that my competence and work ethic overrode any issues with my tattoo. Now, I don't even both to hide it, unless I am attending a high level meeting with strangers. I find it starts many pleasant conversations and many people think it is kinda neat for a 60 year old to be tattooed. I would never consider having one on my face or neck or anyplace else where I could not hide it if I thought appropriate. I am certainly more concerned with are my clothes and shoes clean, neat and appropriate, and my personnel hygiene then my tattoo.

Oh - and to the lady who can not eat in restaurants with tattooed employees - believe me when I say soap works just as well on tattooed skin as on non tattooed skin!

Re: Tattoes & Body Piercing Distasteful

I can sympathize with someone who is too grossed out to eat when s/he sees huge tattoos on the server. Have you ever tried to eat at the table next to someone with disgusting table manners? I've had to leave a place or ask for another seat to avoid vomiting.
And what's this "thinks they're all that" stuff? If you don't feel the same way, fine, but it is a reasonable reaction and has nothing to do with being "all that" (dumb figure of speech anyway).

Re: Dress Code

Unfortunately Federal buildings have not put a check on on personal perfume, cologne, scented lotions, etc. It's out of control, not to say disruptive. I have suffered for years and every time I have raised the issue, employee's just use more. They claim it's a rights issue and that we can't take away their rights. It's not about rights, it's about being considerate of your co-workers. Private industry is way ahead of us on this one.