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 They complied—right down to the outdated standards of a 1990s employee handbook.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post explained that once the manager demanded adherence “verbatim as written in the handbook,” staff dug up the outdated policies and leaned into the requirement.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 showed up in wedding suits, or full skirt-and-blouse ensembles.

“Half of the staff sweated buckets because we weren’t allowed to take our jackets off our bodies when sitting at our desks,” user Olastun_bee told amused Redditors.

By midweek, the workplace apparently resembled a corporate museum exhibit.

A fellow Reddit commentator chimed in, “Did anyone mention to [human resources] that the dress code in the handbook was from the 90’s?”

The OP responded, “Honestly, they probably noticed on their own… those shoulder pad suits and clip-on ties weren’t fooling anybody.”

According to the post, HR received complaints about “hostile working conditions due to the imposed dress code.”

A week later, the policy was walked back. A new message told staff to use “common sense,” effectively reinstating the original casual approach.

The absurdity of the situation struck a chord online, with some seeing it as an illustration of a broader workplace problem: rules enforced without context.

“Same goes for dress codes,” wrote Dr. Travis Bradberry in a LinkedIn article critiquing common corporate missteps.

“They work well in private high schools, but they’re unnecessary at work. Hire professionals and they’ll dress professionally.

“When someone crosses the line, their manager needs to have the skill to address the issue directly.”

Post-Pandemic Shifts

Changing expectations around office attire are not isolated to Reddit threads. In an article for Harvard Business Review, Allison Shapira explored how post-pandemic shifts have challenged conventional wardrobe norms.

“The business dress code is evolving,” Shapira wrote, noting that many executives are now dressing down, with one calling the new standard “country club casual.”

Shapira also pointed to the emerging flexibility in office fashion as a response to changing attitudes toward comfort and authenticity.

“It takes energy to not be your authentic self,” said Naima Judge, a managing director at Bank of America Private Bank.

“If I can be more authentic, I can then use my energy to focus on my clients and uplift the people who report to me.”

Back on Reddit, one contributor offered a different kind of warning.

“As a director of compliance, every time I read, ‘The Employee Handbook has not been updated since X,’ I shudder at the risk generated in not having an annual review program,” they wrote.

User Olastun_bee confirmed with Newsweek that the manager, “tried to crack down with the handbook, we followed it exactly and it backfired. HR had a quick word with him, and after that, he backed off and never brought it up again.

“It was one of those moments where the rulebook worked against the rule maker.”

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