WHY I DON'T WEAR A SUIT (AT WORK) & CAN"T FIGURE OUT WHY ANYONE DOES!

To be on RECORD, this Blog is my PERSONAL opinion. Professionally, That which concerns me the most is that:

• You are well taken care of
• You are not lied to
• You receive all that you have been charged for
• You are treated with great dignity
• Your loved one is treated as family

When I started Avenidas Funeral Chapel I was 48 years old. I had lost my job as a Drag line Operator and Heavy Equipment operator due to the recession and was close to losing my home (I did lose it)  I was behind on allot of payments on everything, but I did have about 8 suites.

I bought all these wonders, Grey pinstripe, Hunter Green, Royal Blue and on and on and on for some ridiculously stupid price during my career in the funeral industry......  To go with those fashion forward wonders, I had several white polo button downs that I had purchased new and used from a re-sale shop or sears or wherever, and about a million ties that I had bought on sale or had gotten as hand me downs from friends. I realize now that other than an on the job requirement for the many funeral homes I was employed by, OH! How important I felt and THOUGHT I was respected by the community. (I was wrong...)

SWEAT!

I wore those babies when it was cold. I wore them when it was 120 degrees plus outside. I wore them in the sun, late at night doing removals, graveside in the middle of summer, In the cooler. I wore them when families obviously looked at me across the table feeling RELAY uncomfortable with the guy in the suite in the room. I ironed them and when I could I got them dry cleaned. Avenidas Funeral Chapel was started in September of 2010 and over the next few months, starting with those first suits; I wore a suit every work day. I never bought new suits as the business grew. I bought shirts and ties and shoes new instead of used. I went 2 1/2 years without a vacation to make that company work, but I didn’t go a work day without a suit, IN THE BEGINNING!

Someone had once told me that you wear to work what your customers wear to work. That seemed to make sense to me, so I followed it, and expected those who worked for me to follow it as well. BUT I DID NOT MAKE THEM (I insist on name tags); there dress code was a personal preference that they take great pride in enforcing amongst themselves. They must look neat and clean and never ever promote the attitude that they are better than the families we serve. (we are not)

 

Sorry, I'm to Damn Humble to Wear One

 

After I hired a manager, (Lorena) I decided that I never would wear a suit to work again. I was able to hold true to that, and up till now, the community really has not expected any more from me other than what I wear now. You see, I am not a suite man. It is not me.  I do not need to doll myself up to convince you I am respectful or respectable. I do not need to sell you this false image, for I am and I hold those character traits without placing them behind fancy clothes to impress you with $900 suits or Cuff Links or lapel pins or any of that nonsense. I am a simple guy that owns a funeral home that wants to help you, that’s all!

When Lorena was hired as my manager, the suit went out the window completely. I vowed to never wear one again other than weddings and funerals (not even my own), and only then because it wasn’t worth the hassle to deal with people asking why you didn’t wear a suit. I’m certain the people getting married didn’t care, and I don’t think anyone is going to be looking down at me wondering why I showed up at their funeral without a suit. Suits make no sense whatsoever.

Why am I such a suit hater? I’m not a suit hater, I just could never think of any good reason for any sane person to wear a suit in the first place (especially in Arizona in the summer).

Exactly what purpose does a suit serve? Why in the world are so many people required to wear a suit to work? Do the clothes make the man or woman in the western world today? Does wearing a tie make us work harder or smarter? Is this a conspiracy by the clothing, fabric or dry cleaning industry to take our money?

Or are we all just lemmings following a standard we all know makes zero sense, but we follow because we are afraid not to?

If you are a CEO, are there not better things your employees could spend money on than multiple suits, ties, dress shirts, dress shoes, dress socks, dry cleaning, and all the other associated costs ? Gee, no suits would be the same as giving your employees a tax free raise. Think that might make them happy? Or do employees consider having to spend money on suits a perk?

 

I Am The KING!
 

Now I understand some people think wearing a suit provides them with a certain level of stature. It gives them confidence. It helps them feel good about themselves. Well let me be the first to tell you that if you feel like you need a suit to gain that confidence, you got problems. The minute you open your mouth, all those people who might think you have a great suit, forget about the suit and have to deal with the person wearing it.

Is there a reason other than “that’s just the way it is”? Haven’t you looked at someone in a suit, trying to look important and just thought how stupid and out of place it is? Why do we do this to ourselves?

I know this all is a crazy rant, but come on now. If you have had to wear a suit to work every day, haven’t you wondered why? If you are the CEO or in charge of a company, haven’t you wondered yourself why you are making your employees waste all that money and come to work and spend the day in uncomfortable clothing?

Give your suit wearing employees a raise. Tell them every day is casual day. And if they choose to dress to impress anyways? RECOGNIZE THEM! Take them to lunch, fill up their tank, do something other than making or demanding they wear a suite to work in 120 degree weather...