To Pantyhose or Not to Pantyhose?

Do you remember the chaos incited by the young women who wore flip flops to the White House? Well, there is an equal yet more career damning discussing underway- and has been underway for some time via whispers in the office. Should professional women have to wear pantyhose in the office? (The "have to" isn't meant to denote a written rule mind you.)

The issue has a number of strong opponents and proponents. One class you might not realize is that of our senior women in the workplace. Many of whom couldn't fathom a more unladylike issue pertaining to attire. (Well, they could really. But for the sake of this argument lets remain focused.)

Generational differences between working women can cause havoc in the workplace. Especially, if one of the seniors happens to be in charge of your performance evaluation- or have the ear of the person who is.

Dress, language, vehicle of correspondence (email versus formal letters- and don't mention mobile device "overuse or abuse"!) and aggressiveness (sometimes called assertiveness) are some of the areas where our senior and younger generations conflict.

The answer to wearing pantyhose in your workplace is ultimately up to you. I encourage you to (1) know yourself (2) know your boss/es (3) know your customers (4) recognize the workplace climate do's and don'ts (and consequences for not following them) and (5) talk with fellow employees about the issue (youth and seniors alike) to get their feedback.

The larger issue at hand here is opening the lines of communication between our senior and youth colleagues. Develop mentor programs that pair them up and foster healthy dialogue about workplace issues. Its like a good marriage, it may be spiked with a little conflict here and there but its all in how you handle the conflict that matters. Respect has to be a two-way street for it to work well.

For your information (FYI)- as a coach, business owner and confident woman, I choose to go pantyhose-free during the warm months. And, I never wear them with pants. In fact, I wear more pants in the colder months to avoid the circulation-denying, rubber band-ed-ness, itchy issue all together. ;)