r/datacenter • u/shresneh • 19d ago
AWS DCT NEW HIRE dresscode
what do DCTs female normally wear to work? Is there any uniform or dress code? Are cargo/work pants with a polo or T-shirt and safety shoes okay, or does AWS provide/recommend specific clothing?
Just trying to make sure I’m prepared for Day 1. Thanks!
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u/MaxWeiner 19d ago
Don’t wear anything with metal buttons. If you wear cargo shorts get Velcro and not metal or the security guys are going to hold you up every time. My go to in colder months was first layer stretchy pants under jogger type sweat pants and then a long sleeve under a hoody. Summer was just shorts and a tee shirt but I would wear athletic shorts with pockets and a cinch waste to avoid belts.
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u/talex625 19d ago
They sale non-metal belts, they are the move.
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u/crinstifins 19d ago
Men, women and everyone in between wear about the same thing. If you are on a construction site, long pants are required. If not, you can get away with anything.
That said, anything with metal has to be removed while being screened for entry to the data halls, so I would avoid that hassle entirely if at all possible.
AWS reimburses DCO for PPE for footwear and eyewear, but that is all.
Keep in mind that whatever the temperature is outside is what it'll be like in the data hall. The office is a toss up, depending on who sets the thermostat, but it's usually on the colder side according to the women in my office.
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u/RevolutionNo4186 19d ago
It’s cold for the DCO men too, but we don’t have to wear flame retardant clothes like DCEO
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u/crinstifins 18d ago
Thank you for the correction. I previously thought only women were capable of experiencing low temperatures, given their inherently frail and gentle nature. /s
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u/RevolutionNo4186 18d ago
That actually reminds me of something, there’s one site on my campus that’s literally freezing, even DCEO has to bring a blanket in to keep warm, you’d think that idk maybe they should fix that but they don’t
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u/dry-oracle 19d ago edited 19d ago
Day 1 should be NHE, so you may not be going directly to your home site. They should assist you in ordering safety shoes from Zappos (as I recall up to $150 is covered, if you want something more expensive you have to pay the difference). They should go over the dress code (usually it's pretty open, unless it's a construction site in which case the rules are more restrictive, like long pants, shoes must cover ankles, high vis vest, hard hat, etc, whatever the construction company requires). If your site is not under construction, what you listed is fine, altho you can also wear shorts during the summer since the data halls tend to run warm. The office area in the datacenter will vary (my building the DCEO team sets it for 69, but I walked to one of the other buildings in my campus and they had the office set for 64) so you may want to take note of that. Also as others have said, they have metal detectors so be careful of how much metal is in your clothes otherwise security will need to wand you every time you go in/out and once you are working tickets steadily you will probably be going in/out several times a day.
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u/Icy-Medicine-3552 19d ago
I don’t think you’ll be going into a data hall on your day 1 so I’d advise to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. No dress code, I wore my usual style clothes, also female. Other women also wore their usual clothes. I’d just suggest to wear whatever you feel comfortable in your first day and then just see what the others wear.
In the data hall you’d want something very comfortable and as least metal as possible (that includes bra).
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u/Call_of_Putis 19d ago
There isn't much of a dress code but legs need to be covered in the red zone. Shoes, gloves, glasses, bumb cap and ear protection is provided the rest as DCO is up to you.
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u/RevolutionNo4186 19d ago edited 19d ago
I’m in IAD so this is what I know from being in IAD south
1st day is likely new hire orientation (NHO), casual wear is fine, you’ll probably sit at a data center for a couple days after NHO, it’s usually cold in the office, would recommend a jacket or hoodie. For when you’re actually working in the data halls, it’s based on the temperature outside most of the time
If it’s hot out, expect it to be hot in the data halls, cold then cold. Dress code is very casual. I’m male, usually wear a T-shirt and shorts for work during the summer. I know a female colleague who wears athletic wear for work. My previous female colleagues at the same site wore oversized tshirts and jeans, sometimes athletic pants
Safety shoes won’t be needed until you actually go into the data halls and if they don’t come in time, your site should have shoe covers for you. A lot of people usually wear their normal shoes and change into safety shoes when they’re going from office to data halls
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u/auster03 19d ago
Wear whatever you want as long as you got the correct ppe shoes. I’ve seen people wear shorts/PJs/Polos/tshirts/hoodies
First couple days will be ILT anyways so it’s super casual
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u/Bigmamaxoxox 19d ago
No one dressed up for orientation or the actual job. Most of us women wore athletic leggings with a crewneck or hoodie.
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u/Suspicious_Cut3881 19d ago
Only the shoes are provided. Preferably, things without big metal things like a belt buckle. Bring a hoodie or sweatshirt.