Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings made a dig about remote work and workplace attires, and it did not sit well with many online.
During a Tuesday night segment of “NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” the panelists each shared their — mainly lighthearted — takes on something they wish they could bring back from “extinction.” Media personality and attorney Rachel Lindsay said she’d want to see an abundance of Blockbuster Video stores, while CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter said he’d want to resurrect the AOL Instant Messenger away message feature.
Jennings, for his part, opted to target American workers who have office jobs.
“America, I’m going to hold your hand while I say this,” he said as he looked directly at the camera. “We’re going back to the office five days a week, and we’re going to wear business attire. We’re no longer dressing like hobos, and we’re no longer going to act like every job is a part-time job.”
“Go back to work, put on a tie, stop whining, let’s get back to business,” he added.
“Start with Elon Musk,” panelist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas shot back, referencing President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser who’s typically seen wearing a T-shirt and a “Make America Great Again” cap at meetings at the White House.
Jennings’ comments reflect some of the negative attitudes people have had about remote work since its rise in the U.S. after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump and Musk have recently mandated that federal employees return to the office, and some companies have either ended remote working options or have switched to a hybrid work policy after going fully remote in 2020.
People on X, formerly Twitter, slammed Jennings for his remarks, with some saying he appeared to be centering male employees.
“I’m so sick of this notion that wearing a suit and being in a certain spot at certain times of the day is more of a priority than productivity and effectiveness in your job,” one X user wrote.
“Of course, it’s always implied that work from home means ‘don’t do any work at all’. As if there aren’t any mechanisms in place by employers to monitor if work is being done or not,” wrote another.
One X user quipped, “Who can afford ties now?
While fully remote work may not, for several reasons, be suitable for every business or person, comments like Jennings’ amplify negative stereotypes about people who work from home. But some research has linked remote work with increased overall productivity, while a 2023 Pew Research study found that a majority of people who can do their jobs remotely said that working from home helped them get work done and meet deadlines. Remote work has also helped make the workforce more inclusive for many people with disabilities.
Jennings’ quip about people needing to wear a tie comes off as “condescending,” said Hallie Kritsas, a licensed mental health counselor and therapist with Thriveworks.
Kritsas, who specializes in self-esteem, workplace issues and anxiety, told HuffPost that “insinuating that someone who doesn’t dress in a suit and tie is dressed like a ‘hobo,’ could come across as minimizing and condescending to many, positioning them as less worthy or capable due to what they wear.”
“It also devalues those in the workforce that are in a field that doesn’t have a uniform, but definitely doesn’t lend itself to a suit and tie,” she said, adding that his remarks send “a message to people who may not be able to afford business attire that they do not belong in the workplace.”
Associating suits and ties with productivity is exclusionary, Kritsas said.
Kritsas pointed out that wearing certain outfits “might not be feasible for someone with a disability or sensory/touch issues.” She also referenced the fact that suits (which can be viewed as a symbol of status) and certain dress codes often carry higher price tags — and that that can be exclusionary to those who can’t afford it.
“It also suggests that one’s attire makes them better than those who cannot afford to wear the same things,” she said, which can make workers “feel inadequate.”
She continued, “Creating anxiety for workers around the topic of dress can actually have the opposite effect on productivity than leaders might hope for when pushing these blanket rules.”
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