A Delightfully Tacky Yet Unrefined Employee Handbook

At one time in my life I thought I wanted to go into human resources. I eventually changed my focus, but I still love learning all the employment laws. I'm kind of a geek like that, but it's a hobby.

Recently I started helping a business with an employee handbook. Acknowledging that plagiarism is the highest form of flattery, I started by doing some research on similar industry employee handbooks. As I was browsing through samples, I came across the Hooters Employee Handbook.

A lot of time is spent discussing the physical appearance of the Hooter's girls. Here are some of my favorite excerpts.

• Our look is wholesome, yet sexy.
• Approved name tags are to be worn at all times on the left side of the Hooters Girl uniform. No provocative nicknames are to be used.
• The Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and innuendo based on female sex appeal is commonplace

WOW! That's a far cry from the usual "be at your desk, prepared to work at the start of your shift" and "limit personal calls to break time" that most employee handbooks have.

Well, I guess it could be worse, your employee handbook could say something like "The entertainer with the least amount of clothes on has control of the stage" or "You may drink while on your shift, but do not get falling down drunk."