Employees' Response to New Office 'Dress Code' Cheered: 'HR Was Not Happy'

When a newly hired manager issued a company -wide mandate to enforce the dress code exactly as written, employees didn't protest. They complied—right down to the outdated standards of a 1990s employee handbook.

The Reddit post by user Olastun_bee recounts how the office transitioned from modern business casual—polos, cardigans, khakis—to a retro formality overnight. Jackets, ties, nylons and shoulder pads made a comeback, all in strict adherence to a dress code that hadn't been revised in decades.

'The handbook allows it'

The original post explained that once the manager demanded adherence "verbatim as written in the handbook," staff dug up the outdated policies and leaned into the requirement.

One employee wore suspenders because "the handbook allows it," while others