Lecturers beware. Not content with trying to micromanage your working day, managers now want to control the way you dress.
After last week's introduction of a prescriptive "dress code" for staff - including a ban on women baring shoulders or midriffs - at the North East Surrey College of Technology, lecturers' union Natfhe passed an emergency motion at its conference last weekend stating that it would "rigorously oppose such measures".
Short skirts, jeans, trainers, skimpy tops and shorts are all on Nescot's hit list, which deems such items scruffy.
The motion said Nescot had brought in the dress code after "a disappointing inspection, suggesting that it was the lecturers' appearance that resulted in a poor Ofsted grade thus diverting attention from management failures".
It said: "Conference reaffirms its opposition to the introduction of a list of acceptable and non-acceptable attire. Such a list means all lecturers are expected to look the same - the look being of one culture and class."
The dress code says staff must wear "modern professional" clothes. It warns that an "unkempt" image is "disrespectful" to visitors and the public. It stipulates that women should show neither shoulders nor midriff, and that their skirts must be at a "discreet" length. Men must not wear shorts, jeans or trainers, and should wear a tie if meeting anyone from outside the college.
Delegates applauded Nescot lecturer Loraine Monk, who, as she spoke in favour of the motion, whipped off her jacket to reveal her shoulders. "This means I'm no longer a professional," she said.
"I teach media - if I wore a suit, students would have less confidence in me. What is 'smart' (dress)? It is prescriptive and insulting and means managers can pick off people individually."
She told delegates to be alert because other colleges had asked Nescot for a copy of its dress code.
A Nescot representative said the code's post-inspection introduction suggested no link between staff dress and the poor result. "Staff were coming in (to work) in shorts and sandals. We just wanted to achieve a more professional air," she said. She said staff had been consulted and most were happy with the "reasonable" guidelines.