Entertainment And News

Boss Asks If She Was Wrong To Send Employee Home After She Refuses To Conceal Her 'Distracting' Bra Straps

Photo: Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock
two women working together at office

A woman has come under fire after she sent one of her employees home because of what she'd been wearing while at work.

The woman posted about the unusual situation to the subreddit "r/AmItheA--hole" (AITA), a forum where users try to figure out if they were wrong or not in an argument that has been bothering them.

In her Reddit post, the woman, 23, explained that she works as a senior software engineer, and part of her duties is "overseeing a group of eight programmers."

"I do not enforce a dress code," she revealed. "I'm fine with the other programmers wearing t-shirts and tank tops as long as they are not outrageous in nature."

However, despite her lenient approach to the office's dress code, one thing she noted that won't be tolerated "is visible underwear."

RELATED: Woman Tests Theory Of HR Being ‘Jealous’ Of Her After She’s Sent Home From Work For Dress Code Issues

The woman claimed that her employee's bra straps were "distracting."

"Recently, I hired a new employee. She is the only other female on board of the nine including myself," she continued.

While the woman elaborated that the new employee is "extremely intelligent" and has outstanding "problem-solving skills," she's had to be reprimanded "three times in two weeks" for breaking the "no visible underwear" rule.

She claimed that the employee refused to adhere to the guidelines and wear racerback bras when she shows up to work in tank tops. 

RELATED: Mom Confronts Principal After 12-Year-Old Daughter Is Sent Home For Wearing Sweatpants & T-Shirt

"It's distracting because my desk happens to be directly behind hers, meaning I have to look directly at her visible bra straps all day while working."

After repeatedly telling her employee to hide her "distracting" bra straps, the woman eventually became fed up after not being listened to.

"This morning was the last straw when she arrived wearing a turtleneck tank dress," she described.

RELATED: Woman Accused Of Being An 'Attention-Seeker' For Dress She Wore To A Wedding

She sent her employee home after she refused to follow the "no visible underwear" rule.

While the woman noted that in any other circumstance, her employee's dress would be deemed "professional," she took offense with how her bra straps were still visible.

After noticing the outfit, she called her employee into her office to talk to her about it.

"I told her that I was sending her home until she concealed her bra straps," the woman shared. "I tried making it clear that coming to work with visible underwear was unacceptable."

Immediately after being reprimanded, the employee left and came back with a less "distracting" outfit, however, the woman noticed that she was crying at her desk because of it.

"I apologized and said that I didn't mean to upset her, as well as how she will make a great contribution to our programming team, but she still seemed upset."

The woman concluded by stating that while she still sticks to her rule about the dress code, she wonders if she was wrong to send her employee home and raising her voice at her.

RELATED: School Wouldn't Let 7-Year-Old Eat Lunch Because Her Straps Were 'Inappropriate' — Mom Says She Can Wear What She Wants

A majority of the people who commented on the woman's Reddit post agreed that she was in the wrong.

"You complain that you have to look at her all bra straps all day while working? No, you don’t. Keep your eyes on your own screen, which is what software engineers do anyway," one user wrote.

Another user added, "Why are you distracted by straps? They are bra straps, not a fully visible thong. They could very well be camisole straps or thin tank top straps."

"This seems like a nit-picky thing, and honestly if you allow tank tops how do you expect to NEVER see bra straps?" a third user chimed in.

"Are bra straps REALLY so distracting? You can't work effectively because you're aware a woman in the area is wearing a bra?"

RELATED: Woman Shares 'Inappropriate' Outfit That Got Her Kicked Out Of The Gym

Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.