Manager on 'Six Figure Salary' Slammed for Wearing Designer Clothes to Work

A department manager has been branded "insensitive" by one of her subordinates for wearing designer clothes in the office.

According to a Mumsnet post detailing the situation, much of the criticism stems from the fact her staff are "overworked and underpaid," while she earns a "six figure salary" and appears happy to flaunt it.

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have—that used to be the mantra of many a workplace, but the pandemic has changed a lot of attitudes around work attire.

A study of more than 500 white collar workers conducted by location-based digital video network firm Captivate found that 53 percent of respondents had noticed a relaxation in the once strict dress codes governing their places of work.

But while bosses appear to have eased up on the need for workers to wear more formal attire in the office, in an unusual twist one employee has taken to social media to vent their frustration at their manager for choosing to dress smartly and stylishly at work.

Writing under the handle Mandarinthyme, the disgruntled worker explained that they are currently being managed by a "very young and glamorous" department head who is new to the company and earns around four times what her team members do.

Their particular gripe centers on her choice of clothing.

"Every day she swans into the office like she's dressed for the catwalk," the worker writes. "Different designer handbags, Rolex watch, Cartier bracelets, designer belts and shoes. Not to mention the perfect nails, hair and everything else."

Her look stands in stark contrast to that of her team, many of whom are struggling to get by. "The recent financial climate means many of us are struggling to heat our homes, worrying about mortgage/rental price hikes and generally having to really cut back," the employee explained.

Yet while their boss is aware of this, they said she "rubs her wealth in our faces 5 days days a week" with her choice of designer clothing, and several members of staff are considering contacting HR to complain.

'Dress Professionally'

Commenting on the dilemma, Diane Gottsman, National Etiquette Expert at The Protocol School of Texas told Newsweek "managers should dress professionally to set the standard."

"A manager is in a position of power to make trustworthy decisions, which include to the benefit of their employees. They set the company standard," she said, adding that in this instance, she could understand the brewing frustrations.

"A manager who flaunts their wealth while their employees are struggling, can very easily come across as insensitive and thoughtless. It's a sign of lacking good judgment when employees are struggling to make ends meet, and their manager floats in blinged out from head to toe," Gottsman said.

However, she felt the disgruntled employee should be careful not to jump to conclusions. "Who is to say this particular person hasn't been given these items from a family member or rented them or they are knock offs," she said. "If there is a real issue about wages, there needs to be a conversation with the manager for fair and equitable compensation."

Many of those commenting online also felt the worker was picking the wrong fight in hitting out at the boss. BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz said: "Is she dressing in accordance with the uniform policy/dress code for the workplace? If so, then I'm not sure what the actual issue is."

FarmerRefuted commented: "Dragging her down isn't going to raise you up any higher so why bother? It smacks of petty jealousy," with Octomore adding: "It's not the fault of one woman that your company undervalues and underpays its staff. The focus needs to be on lobbying to be paid fairly."

But others like Devoutspoken could see things from the employee's perspective. "I think any overt displays of wealth are naff and not great in times of wealth disparity," they said.