When Shorts Are Banned, IT Strikes Back—with Kilts!
You can tell a lot about a company by its dress code—but sometimes, you can tell even more by how employees respond to it. Picture this: a sweltering summer, an IT team crawling under desks and server racks, and a new CIO intent on enforcing business casual at all costs. When shorts were banned but skirts and skorts were mysteriously allowed, one team found a loophole that would make William Wallace proud.
What followed was a saga of kilts, camaraderie, and clever compliance that had Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance community in stitches—and a few managers rethinking what “professional attire” really means.
The Shorts That Started a Rebellion
It all began, as these stories often do, with a new leader out to make a mark. In this case, the freshly-minted CIO wasn’t known for IT prowess—just for being the CEO’s friend and wielding the iron fist of “absolute professionalism.” Out went shorts, in came business casual, and the IT department was left sweltering in pants while pulling cables and unloading servers, often in spaces with all the charm (and temperature control) of a sauna.
The logic seemed simple—until it wasn’t. Requests for shorts were met with a hard “no,” even for those supervisors doing the literal heavy lifting. But as the OP and team left a meeting, they noticed a loophole big enough to drive a patch cable through: female staff and secretaries were wearing skirts and skorts. When the IT team called it out, they were told it was “different, for reasons.” (Isn’t it always?)
Some of the women in IT gave skorts a try, but as OP recounted, “the guys had a different idea.”
Enter the Kilt: Skirting the Rules with Style
The solution arrived in the form of a ThinkGeek wishlist—specifically, the legendary Utilikilt. OP hit the buy button, and soon, he and several male coworkers were striding into the office with breezy Scottish confidence. The reaction? Plenty of laughs, a few double-takes, and a manager who wisely chose to say nothing.
It didn’t take long for the story’s big moment: the CIO’s computer went down, and OP, kilt and all, strode in to save the day. The CIO just stared as the fix was handled “in a very professional and expedient manner.” As u/CoderJoe1 quipped, “I like the way you skirted their policy.” (The puns in the comments were almost as good as the compliance itself: “He kilt them with kindness,” added u/MrRalphMan, with a chorus of “culottes to them” and “long story, shorts.”)
Not everyone was ready to give up the fight—u/Acruss_ wondered why the team retired the kilts when shorts were still banned, while others like u/belzarak shared their own tales of HR backing down fast when kilts were threatened with lawsuits for discrimination.
But the kilts weren’t just about defiance—they became a symbol of solidarity, sparking conversations across the company. Other departments ribbed the IT crew, some in solidarity, some in envy.
Dress Codes, Double Standards, and Community Wisdom
The story struck a nerve, as the comments filled with tales of dress code absurdities and clever workarounds. As u/throwaway47138 pointed out, “I have never understood the mindset of ‘you have to look good while doing things that everybody else in the office would absolutely refuse to do while wearing anything nicer than scrubs…’”
Many chimed in with similar experiences: u/haschel47 stretched “summer months” into October with shorts, while u/Ziogref won the right to shorts via medical exemption after nosebleeds in the heat. Others, like u/belzarak, found kilts an HR-proof way to reclaim comfort, with whole tech support teams joining in.
There was nostalgia, too, as multiple commenters mourned the loss of ThinkGeek (RIP), and a surprising amount of kilt expertise: u/Inevitable-Cheek-945 recommended Blåkläder’s Glasgow Kilt for trades work (“so many pockets!”), while u/motorheadache4215 swore by tactical kilts for concerts and festivals.
But there were also reminders that sometimes, practicality should trump policy. u/Patriae8182, a maintenance worker, vented about sweltering in mandatory pants during 100-degree summers, and u/mellonians summed it up: “If you want to tell me what to wear, offer me a uniform… Be sensible people!”
Victory—And a Mutually Beneficial Truce
The IT team’s kilt campaign didn’t last forever, but it did its job. After some high-visibility kilt days and plenty of water-cooler talk, management relented. The dress code was amended: supervisors could now make exceptions for dirty or hot work, and Fridays became “casual day” (no shorts, but still more relaxed). The unwritten deal? The kilts would be retired—“for the most part.”
As OP noted, sometimes all it takes is a little collective creativity (and some windy Scottish flair) to make management see sense.
The real moral? Rules are important, but so is treating your team like humans—especially when the temperature rises and the servers go down. And if you ever find yourself up against a stubborn dress code, remember: there’s always a loophole. Sometimes, it’s just hiding under a kilt.
What’s your most memorable workplace dress code story? Would you rock a Utilikilt for comfort—or just for the looks? Sound off in the comments, and remember: when in doubt, channel your inner rebel (and maybe your inner Scotsman)!
Original Reddit Post: They may take our shorts, but they'll never take our freedom!