A woman’s “inappropriate” work outfit sparks a TikTok debate after a human resources complaint

A woman who shared footage of her office outfits on social media has sparked a debate on TikTok about whether her company was right to tell her she dressed inappropriately for work.

In the viral video, which has garnered over 120,000 likes, she explained that she received an email from human resources complaining about her clothing.

The outfit in question was a simple black bodycon dress with a high neckline, which the woman’s colleague claimed was “distracting” to other employees that day.

“I received an email from Paula this morning essentially saying that she wasn’t happy with what I was wearing to work,” the woman, who didn’t want to give her name, told her male colleagues.

“I think this is appropriate work attire,” the woman’s colleague replied after looking at her dress. “Okay, I guess that’s the main problem,” she replied, considering the matter resolved.

Days later, the woman made another clip and revealed that she had been invited to a meeting with the human resources representative who had initially complained about her outfit.

She once again shared the outfit she wore, a long-sleeved black wrap dress with a V-neck.

“So today is the day I have my meeting with Paula,” she said. “I generally wear a blazer. So she can’t be evil. Can she?” she asked. “Let’s see what she says.”

The meeting with Paula didn’t go well. “I have to admit I’m a little disappointed to see how you dressed after the email today,” the HR rep said.

In response, the woman clarified that she had spoken to the colleague she works with and told her there was “no problem” with her clothing.

“I haven’t spoken to Matt,” Paula chided. “I really don’t think he’s in a position to say what he did. We need to address this issue as we receive comments from other employees.”

The woman then asked why it was her fault if other employees were distracted by their clothing. “It’s not my fault, Paula,” she said. “It’s kind of up to them.”

Paula then claimed she received comments from the woman’s colleagues saying she was begging for attention with the clothes she wore to work.

“Okay, yikes. “Okay,” the woman scoffed in response.

When asked if she would dress differently in the future, the woman replied that she would go shopping on the weekend and thanked Paula for her time. The video has divided the TikTok comments section, with some users claiming the woman’s dress was appropriate while others understood their colleagues’ perspective.

“This is a club dress,” one person wrote.

“I was so ready to be by your side! But then you stepped away from the camera,” another commenter added.

“HR is right,” claimed a third person, while another called the outfit too “short and tight” for the workplace.

“If you wore it with tights and a long cardigan, it would be fine. But on its own it’s not office wear,” another person said.

Meanwhile, others defended the woman, insisting it wasn’t her “fault” if her colleagues were distracted. “I think the comments about you begging for attention were completely inappropriate, but at the same time those comments are appropriate for the office,” one supporter said.

“I’m a little disappointed in the comments,” another person added, to which another commenter replied, “Same. Others have to mind their own business.

“That says a lot when someone else’s clothing affects your work performance.”