'Rs 100 fine if you don't dress traditional on Fridays': HR email leaves employees stunned at workplace rule

An internal HR email mandating traditional attire on Fridays, with fines for non-compliance, has sparked backlash online after an employee shared the message on social media.

According to the email, employees at the company’s head office are required to wear traditional Indian attire every Friday as part of a “Traditional Fridays” initiative. Those who fail to comply will be asked to contribute Rs 100, while members of senior management who do not follow the rule will be fined Rs 500.

The email said the collected amount would be deposited into a corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund maintained at the head office. It described the move as an effort to encourage cultural participation and make Fridays “vibrant, festive and impactful.”

The employee who shared the email said the office earlier followed casual Fridays before the rule was changed, adding that the sudden enforcement left many workers confused and upset.

“We had casual fridays for the first 6 months i was here. Then, they changed it to formals/traditional on fridays and i was like, okay. Most of us wear formals, including me (i just don't have simple indian wear and do not want to invest in any). They send this mail today and i lost it...is this even legal? Lowkey wanna show up in a lehenga and call it "traditional" to piss them off,” the employee wrote.

Just got this email from my HR. Do they have nothing better to do?
byu/Beautiful-Apricot-36 inIndianWorkplace

Netizens reaction

The post, shared on Reddit’s r/IndianWorkplace forum, quickly drew criticism, with users questioning the legality and fairness of penalising employees for their choice of clothing.

“Isn't CSR supposed to come out of company profits? It isn't a charity donation where they want everyone to pitch in. Ask for tax deduction certificate and whether can you choose which charity to donate to,” a user replied.

“Hi! Lawyer this side. This is not legal. A company cannot impose fines on their employees for a certain work attire. Also, CSR is a legal obligation on a company, not its employees,” another noted.

“Encouraging culture is fine, but penalizing people for what they wear feels misplaced. Participation should be optional, forced “fun” usually just breeds resentment, not engagement,” a third expressed.