Nancy Sinatra famously sang, “These boots are meant for walkin’,” and that’s exactly what a long-time employee did when the new boss told him he couldn’t wear his cowboy boots to work.
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It happens all the time. A new boss comes in and sets a new dress code to promote his or her vision of professionalism and uniformity. But if the current dress code is iconic, reflecting the history of the organization, it may be problematic to some workers.
The new sheriff of Sublette County, Wyoming, decided to standardize the appearance of his staff by having them wear a standard outfit of black slacks, black boots, a tan shirt, and a black baseball cap.
However, one 28-year veteran of the force, who wore what may be considered typical Western sheriff’s attire of a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a vest (HRSBT doesn’t know if it had a star badge on it), wasn’t inclined to go along with the new dress code.
According to an article on National Monitor.com, while the new sheriff supported the “Western way of life and look” and wore it himself off hours, the decision to ban the cowboy boots was made for safety reasons—cowboy boots have leather soles that can cause officers to slip.
However, the veteran officer, who had started his law career in Montana, decided he didn’t want to give up his look, so he gave up his job instead.
Comments to the National Monitor article were interesting. One post supported the sheriff’s desire for a professional look for his staff, stating that “cops should not be playing cowboys and Indians at work.” However, others did not support the change, one posting that the sheriffs are “local cops,” and another that the new sheriff must be a “greenhorn tenderfoot.”
Well, the cowboy hat works for Raylan Givens.