Following on from the consultant/hospital thread,(short sleeves and no ties) why do a lot of companies force staff to wear a tie and can you refuse if its not provided as a part of your uniform.
I havent worn a tie or suit since leaving school to go to work in, and it seems really antiquated now.
I'd wear a tie on your first day and then see what everyone else is wearing. If you haven't got one I can send you one in the mail.
If I was forced to wear a tie I'd end up sweating all over the place and would eventually go mad a hang someone, that'd learn 'em.
Learning to spell and use correct grammar might help!
Good luck though!
you need to leave it at least a week before you can comfortably look scruffy and not bother shaving any more.
If they don't provide them and it is required at work you should be able to claim a very small amount against tax. I get my shoes offset against tax IIRC
Depends on the industry and those around you. I work in a creative job but mostly with finance clients so opt for the Clarkson look of smart jeans, shirt and jacket. Half of my clients wear ties and half do not.
My neck gets cold when I don't wear a tie into work.
Not so bad in the office, but it feels like my commute is always cold.
Thanks for the responces, but why the need for a tie.
Yes! 
I seem to recall that in modern day equality that if they do not make the women in your new work wear ties then they can not force you to wear a tie either (and I am assuming you are a bloke as most people are on this site).
Ties are funny things really and there is a lot of legacy/culture involved in any office that you join about whether or not waering a tie is the done thing to do or not.
Wear one for the first few days and suss out what is really going on and then make your decision.
but why the need for a tie.
it serves no purpose, it's just a convention innit. It is becoming more and more unusual though. I'm office based and my last 3 companies haven't made me wear a tie.
It might help you get taken seriously...
but why the need for a tie
They're useful if you need to find a vein in your arm.
At my last job (financial services place), ties were compulsory until warm weather when they became optional. I agree I don't see that they indicate any ability to work, but if I did work for a company that said they were part of the correct attire and a new employee threw a strop about it, I'd have to ask whether we'd picked someone who had the right sense of perspective
I seem to recall that in modern day equality that if they do not make the women in your new work wear ties then they can not force you to wear a tie either (and I am assuming you are a bloke as most people are on this site).
Not true. There needs to be an equivalent policy. i.e "Men and women must both wear suits" or "smart office wear". The company (actually employment benefit office IIRC) that fell foul of this was because they made men wear shirts and ties, but let the women wear t shirts and leggings.
but let the women wear t shirts and leggings.
Not sure I would complain too much about the dress etiquette if that were the case (nothing above a size 14 mind and no chavs!) 
Oddly enough the Job centre dont force a tie policy on their workers any more so they seem to have accepted the point generally. Women still get away with less formal attire than a man would but I know one person who wears a sort of grandad shirt with no collar without issue.
I am sure there are some other cases in the private sector as well but Icant recall them at the minute
No you don't have to wear a tie, you don't even have to turn up for the job 
Company policy or not you will encounter employers, colleagues and customers who will make judgements about you based on your appearance and actions. However irrelevant wearing a tie, suit, cufflinks, etc is it can all effect how you are perceived and therefore treated. You just have to decide how you want to play it. If you want to be that little rebel wear the tie like so and good luck.
I don't wear a tie nowadays. Most I will wear work wise is a suit and shirt. Dress code for my work is smart casual and not formal. Don't really get on with ties anyway as a tight collar aggravates my throat so have a whole load stocked up for weddings, funerals and school revivals!
When I was brand new in the police and we all got our uniforms given out the ladies were given a choice of ties or cravats. This was a recent change - previously cravats had been compulsory for females - after one made a formal complaint because the ends of the cravat pointed at her nipples and so cravats were sexist.
So I asked if I could be excused from wearing a tie because it pointed at my bollocks. I was told to shut TFU and put my tie back on. Equality my arse.
Equality in the workplace doesn't mean treating everyone the same as if there weren't some genuine differences.
in modern day equality that if they do not make the women in your new work wear ties then they can not force you to wear a tie either
Oddly enough the Job centre dont force a tie policy on their workers any more so they seem to have accepted the point generally.
Civil servants in not looking smart shocker.
Despite not having a dress code, there is a 'dress down Friday' attitude where I work. Amazingly, scruffy feckless numpties manage to drop their standards further on a Friday. Shorts, t-shirt and flipflops is not office attire.
Dicky bow FTW
You never need to but......
Start off by wearing one, I normally go 1-2 weeks and see how relaxed it is, forget the balls about they cant make me it's not about that unless you are 14.
Last time I was challenged I asked if they would believe me more with a tie?
No real answer to that one so not bothered unless I'm meeting people who would expect it
Here you go, problem solved.
The worst job I ever had was telesales and they insisted all men wear a suit and tie to sit on the phone in an office all day. They had a dress down day which basically consisted of not having to wear a tie but you had to wear a shirt and jacket and no jeans, so thats a suit then!
I lasted three and a half days before going to the manager and telling him that I could feel my life being sucked out of me with every phone call and that if I didnt leave now this very minute they would have a very second hand looking severly damaged phone and computer on their hands.
He thanked me for the work I had done and my honesty, said he'd rather I told him that than be there and miserable every day and paid me for the full week.
Can count without having to remove shoes and socks how many times i've worn a tie to work since. Just seems pointless to me.
If they don't provide them and it is required at work you should be able to claim a very small amount against tax. I get my shoes offset against tax IIRC
You're right, ties are useless & anachronistic.
That's precisely why they are worn, as indicators of being part of the team, or as wanting to be preceived as partaking in the company culture. Yes you can be a rebel or nonconformist but until you have established yourself you will be regarded as not "one of us".
I'm not saying that this is right, but it's how the world works.
Can count without having to remove shoes and socks how many times i've worn a tie to work since. Just seems pointless to me.
On the contrary, very few ties are pointless.
(Thanks for coming, IGMC, etc)
but why the need for a tie.
it serves no purpose
The tie says 'I am dressed smartly', and your employer might deem that important. That's all. Just an image thing. Image does not follow logical simple rules, unfortunately. Well actually it does. Suit + tie = smart. It's simple but not logical
You could fight the power, what've you got to lose? Oh yeah - your job!
Shorts, t-shirt and flipflops is not office attire
It is where I'm sitting. 
The jeans I'm currently wearing at work have a hole in the knee.
Give it 10 years and ties will be seen the same way as bow ties are now.
Suit and tie for work here, I don't see the problem myself. I know you shoudln't judge the book by the cover, but first impressions do generally count. A good stylish suit generally hints at someone who cares about their appearance, and might just care about the work they do too. All IMHO, of course.
It's possible to look casual and smart.
It's possible to wear a suit and look a scruffy git.
Whatever you decide, tie or no tie, for god's sake get some decent shoes and keep them polished. 
The tie says 'I am dressed smartly',
The tie says 'I conform.'
My day to day work wear is a polo shirt, which is standard fare for our engineers. In meetings where I'm acting as more than an engineer, say I'm there in a consultancy capacity, I'll get suited and booted. That's pretty rare though.
I maintain that ties are a health hazard for techies. Far too easy to kneel on and garotte yourself when scrabbling around with cables under desks.
I'm currently in my dressing gown. I should go sort that out really.
I'm currently in my dressing gown. I should go sort that out really.
It's a bit draughty waiting at the bus stop but says 'I really don't want to be here.' when you do eventually get to work.
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