Best dressed
Guilford County Manager Willie Best was looking out the window earlier this summer when he saw something that alarmed him: men wearing bermuda shorts.
These weren't just any men; these were Guilford County employees who worked in offices, not outside in the sun.
"I don’t mind casual," Best said. He noted the county's observance of Casual Friday, when employees often favor golf shirts over dress shirts. "But I thought that was a little too casual."
The shorts sightings eventually led to this memo to all county department directors, outlining clothes that should be left in the closet when employees report to work. Halter tops, flip-flops, mini-skirts, sweatpants, baseball caps, and yes, shorts, are all on the no-no list.
Workers who break the rules must leave the premises and change clothes, the memo says. Best said employees can now consult members of a staff committee if they have questions about what's appropriate and what's not.
"You can call and ask," he said. " ... but more than likely if you call and ask then maybe you're thinking it's something you shouldn't wear."
This is at least the second time in recent years that a high-ranking county official has examined employee attire. Scoopster Mark Binker wrote this story in February:
COUNTY COUTURE TOO CASUAL, YOW SAYS
THE COMMISSIONER WANTS OFFICE EMPLOYEES TO DRESS BETTER.
Sartorial standards are slipping in county offices, says Commissioner Billy Yow, and it's time for workers to slip into something less comfortable.
"You should be able to distinguish between the hired help and those that are using the services," Yow said. "I've gotten several calls from folks that said that they just couldn't believe how people were dressed."
He wouldn't single out any one person or agency, but said county workers "all over" deserved a dressing down about dressing down. He asked Acting County Manager David McNeill to fix the problem in a memo Monday.
"For the most part, employees are dressing responsibly for their respective professions," McNeill said, noting there is no countywide dress code.
Browsing through several county buildings Tuesday offered no evidence of pending citations from the fashion police. Men mostly sported ties, women most often wore dresses or business skirts.
Both Yow and McNeill said Casual Friday may be the culprit and that department heads needed to make sure things didn't get too casual. McNeill said he would emphasize that point in upcoming meetings.
While Yow and his fellow commissioners are almost always in business attire during formal meetings, they are not always role models for county couture.
Chairman Bob Landreth, for example, is partial to Hawaiian print shirts, but wore white shorts with a blue polo shirt to a meeting with top county administrators Tuesday.
"I think the commissioners need to clean up our own act before throwing stones at someone else," Landreth said. "And that includes myself."
Yow, who runs a well-drilling business, acknowledges that he is sometimes forced to come directly from a job site to a county function.
"I own my own business," Yow said. "I'm not drawing a county paycheck sitting behind a desk greeting the public when they come in for services. You expect when you come to the county to get top-notch premium service."
Black tie, however, remains optional.
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