Keep Your Shirt On

This week we were reminded that common sense is not so common.

Not long ago I read an article in The Wall Street Journal that lamented the lack of manners, social skills, and common sense of the younger workforce.

The gap is so profound, the article suggested, that training companies are being asked to teach people to eat with a knife and fork, and to keep their ripped jeans and tube tops for those special non-work occasions.

Those of us who have worked in the corporate world for more than a decade may find this news surprising. 

University graduates need to be told that what is appropriate at Cancun Spring Break might not be appropriate in the professional world?

But this week, we were reminded that this lack of common sense is not limited to the yutes of Gen Z.

Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, was in the news after sharing a photo on LinkedIn that had many people questioning his judgment.

In case you’re not familiar with Fernandes, he is 59 years old. 

He was born in Malaysia – but went to a posh boarding school and university in England, graduating with a degree in accounting.

And he’s had a successful business career, including building the low-cost airline Air Asia into a profitable company.

So what did this smart, successful 59-year-old CEO do this week that was so dumb?

He shared a picture of himself on LinkedIn.

And this picture told more than a thousand words.

“Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting,” he wrote on the post.

In the photo, Fernandes is seated in an office during a business meeting, while a woman stands behind him rubbing his shoulders. 

But he was shirtless at the time.

When I saw the picture, I wondered who decided this was a Kodak Moment – and if they planned to send the photo to the company’s PR team or the company’s HR team.

In what world does anyone think it’s OK to conduct a business meeting shirtless? 

We aren’t talking about the world of professional sports here, where the highest paid employees may not always wear shirts. 

We’re talking about a meeting in an office, where Fernandes is the boss. That means he sets the culture and expectations for everyone else.

Responding to criticism of the post, he deleted the image and made the point to say he had asked if anyone in the meeting minded if he had a massage.

But this is the tired and stressed BOSS asking his underlings if they mind.

When the colleague suggested he get a massage, he probably said something like, “Yeah, my shoulders are killing me. Does anybody mind if I get someone to work out the kinks while we’re having this meeting?”

If someone (boss or colleague) asked me this, I probably wouldn’t mind. I understand how shoulder pain feels – and the need to multitask.

But that’s me. I understand that others might not feel the same way I do.

And I would assume that any adult asking to get a massage in an office would surely keep their clothes on.

But that’s the problem with assumptions…

Imagine if the colleagues Fernandes asked made the same assumption I did.

They expected their boss would be getting a massage like people do in an airport terminal — where people sit (clothed) and get their shoulders rubbed for 15 minutes before they catch their flight.

And what if they DID feel uncomfortable once they saw their boss sitting there shirtless?

Who would be courageous (or foolish) enough to say, “Hey Tony, can you put your shirt on? I feel uncomfortable.”

And it’s also important to point out that this was not an example of what remote working has done to us. 

(Even the literary editor who zoomed in from the bath wore a shirt — even if it was made of mesh!).

Fernandes wasn’t joining the meeting from his house, or room at the Four Seasons. He looked like he was in an office meeting room.

So perhaps the companies offering “Business Etiquette 101” to those young ‘uns should extend their training to the executive level.

There might be a bigger market than they’d expect!

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and getting massages at a spa.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com

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