Dear Urban Diplomat: Can your boss force you to wear a degrading uniform?
Dear Urban Diplomat, I recently got a job at a certain over-the-top sports bar that requires its female staff to wear tight tops and micro-minis. The tips are amazing, but the uniform is degrading. Can my boss force me to wear it? —Overexposed, ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
Presumably, you were aware of the bar’s skankitude from the start, so you probably shouldn’t have applied. That said, if you’re dead set on sticking around and can’t stand the ogling, tell your boss you’d rather not dress like a member of Housecoat Hugh’s entourage, and he or she might permit you to wear something more modest. Should your boss refuse, you can file a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. If you win your case, though, don’t be surprised when your defeated employer goes out of his or her way to make you more uncomfortable than those skin-tight clothes ever did. The money might make it all worthwhile, but I doubt it; an unfortunate truth in the service industry is that tips almost always rise in proportion to hemlines.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
