A workplace policy called “Traditional Fridays” has sparked an online debate after an employee claimed their company penalizes employees who don’t follow the dress code. According to the post, employees who don’t wear traditional attire on Friday are expected to make a monetary donation — ₹100 for regular employees and ₹500 for top management.
The employee shared his frustration on social media, claiming the directive came via an HR email. “I just got this email from my HR. Don’t they have anything better to do?” they wrote. Explaining the background, the employee added that the organization initially observed casual Fridays, which later shifted to formal or traditional attire. While most employees now wear formals, an individual said he does not own Indian clothing and is unwilling to spend money on it. When the last email came in, they said they had reached a breaking point and asked, “Is this even legal?”
The employee ended the post with a sarcastic remark: “Lowkey wants to show up in a lehenga and call it ‘traditional’ to piss them off.”
Here is the link to the viral post
What did social media say?
The post quickly drew reactions from other users. One person recommended a direct response, saying: “Just come back, I don’t have any money, I got a secret Santa message the other day and said I didn’t have any money for it because I didn’t get a raise this year.”
Another user questioned the legality of the move, writing: “It’s not legal, but it’s tricky how they subtly force you to pay CSR contributions.” They went on to suggest paying the amount while asking for proper documentation, adding: “Be sure to ask them to properly invoice you, provide a tax-deductible receipt and include all necessary details,” and encouraged colleagues to do the same and create a detailed paper trail.
Others responded with humor. One commented: “You can wear a kimono. It’s traditional.”
A fourth user took a more formal approach and suggested that the employee ask HR to justify the policy, writing: “Ask them to show research studies with actual statistics proving the positive impact of this decision on employee productivity and morale and an updated contract with this addendum.” The user also pointed out that “any financial penalties imposed by an employer on an employee are void unless they are legally binding and clearly stated in the contract.”
A fifth commented, “I will wear chappal + lungi + a shirt that looks like a bed sheet.
