I am posting this 'experience' here not only to VENT, but in an attempt to get a bit of advice. The scenario goes as follows:
At A Glance Author Jezehell Contact [email protected] IAM Jezehell When It just happened About 3 weeks ago (approximately), I had my hood pierced. My best friend and another gal from my office accompanied me. We went on our lunch break, so when we got back to the office, we were discussing it - very light, general conversation about that piercing, and just piercings in general. A co-worker, who also happens to be the office gossip, had slithered her reptilian ass into our vicinity, unbeknownst to the three of us. Our conversation continued on, all the while said co-worker was absorbing every bit of the talk.
Fast forward a few weeks to this current week. On Tuesday, my supervisor called me into his office to let me know that "someone" had told this entire department's boss (I work for the state, so there's a long chain of command here.)that I had gotten this particular piercing done. For some reason, this man blew a gasket. Not only did he go on a tirade about it, bitching and cursing - he went on about it IN FRONT OF A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE. Not only was he discussing my vagina with my fellow co-workers, he also made slanderous comments about me to these people, i.e. - 'i must be a bad person to do something like that to myself', 'i must really hang out with a bad group of people', and 'how could i subject my daughter to such an environment.' Things of that nature. Mind you, I have other visible piercings - ears galore, nostril, and Marilyn. I've had the ear piercings and nostril piercing since I began working here over a year ago. Nothing was ever said about it. As a ma tter of fact, he has joked about them to my immediate supervisor, calling me "Spike." That would be indicative to someone that he didn't really mind them. Granted, I am in violation of the dress code. Our policies and procedures specifically prohibit the wearing of "exotic body piercings." I have no problem admitting that I have violated the dress code. I'm an adult, and can admit when I'm wrong. That's not an issue. Before I get into other details, let me tell you what occurred on the following day. Everyone's at the office, business is as usual. An email comes to us from "the big boss." The email states the following: (please note, I have not mentioned any specifics on this incident as I do not want to be fired!! I am currently seeking other employment, not just because of this incident, but because I start school in August.)
ALL EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH ALL PROVISIONS OF THE OSFM POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL, TO INCLUDE ALL PROVISIONS OF THE EMPLOYEE UNIFORM, DRESS, AND APPEARANCE (P.O.401) SECTION. THERE SHALL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THESE POLICIES.
THE FOLLOWING MEMORANDUM (ALSO ATTACHED) HAS GONE OUT FROM MY OFFICE TODAY REINFORCING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL EMPLOYEES TO COMPLY WITH THIS OFFICE'S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
MEMORANDUM