10.21.05
How do YOU dress on company time?
The average NBA player makes $4,000,000 a year, and some now want extra money to buy clothing if there is going to be a ‘dress code’ while they are traveling ‘on company time.’
What?
OK, let’s start a little earlier in the story… (I was once told that the best way to tell a story is to start at the beginning and when I got to the end, to stop…)
For some time now, professional basketball players have stood out while traveling on aircraft in close quarters with others.
Yeah, when you are roughly seven feet tall it is sometimes difficult to ‘blend in.’ Especially in a flying aluminum tube that feels cramped to more normally sized people – that’s why they usually travel first class (well, that’s ONE of the reasons).
The other reason they stand out is their behavior and clothing has been so consistantly over the top.
So, the NBA recently came out with a letter that laid down some dress requirements for when teams are traveling on the team’s dollar. Sport coats, shirts with collars, dress shoes, long pants. Not really onerous requirements, just some very basic guidelines.
What is the response of some of the players?
They don’t like the requirements.
Not only don’t they like being told what sort of clothing they should wear when the team is paying their way, they object that they were not ‘consulted.’ Some even think that if they are going to be asked to wear normal business clothing to fly on team time, the team needs to pay them extra, above the average of four million dollars a year they already get, to buy those clothes – or that they should be supplied to them by the team.
Bullshit, boys.
Many folks in the real world work for companies that have dress codes.
Some companies require SPECIFIC clothing items that are to be worn only while on-the-job or traveling to and from the job. If the required clothing is ONLY for work (a uniform, for example) that cannot be used as ‘normal’ wear items, the company is required to pay for the required clothing (or the personal cost is tax deductible).
If, however, the company dress code only requires things like sport coats, dress shoes, dress shirts and ties, or on the ladies’ side, conservative dresses, skirts and blouses, leg coverings, etc., the company does NOT pay because the clothing is common and can be worn other than at work.
Fairly simple and understandable. Even for people who make considerably less that the four million a year the freaks in short pants make.
And yet these “professionals” object to being told to wear appropriate grown-up business clothing when traveling on company time.
While I was employed by a fortune 100 company, when at work or traveling on company money or in some way representing the company I was expected to dress appropriately – and at my expense.
These overgrown crybabies need to just suck it in and learn to behave like responsible adults on occasion. Appropriate dress while traveling on team time/money is a reasonable requirement. Don’t like it? Look for other employment…
Then again, Jay Leno said about dress requirements for NBA players on the road: He’d be satisfied if they just wore a condom on occasion…
Grow up, guys.