Q. Many of my staff come to work in jeans and casual t-shirts but I would like to introduce a more professional dress code. What’s the best way to do this?
A: To ensure your preferred workplace dress standards are clear to all staff, the best way to achieve this is by introducing a company dress code. A dress code is a policy which outlines what dress standards are considered acceptable and unacceptable for your company, and may also cover other details such as appropriate hair styles, jewellery and grooming.
Some tips for your dress code:
- We recommend employers always consider what is appropriate and reasonable dress for your company’s industry, the clientele and the position types within your company. For example, requiring a call centre employee to wear business attire is probably unnecessary as they will never be seen by your clients. Rather, in this case it might be better to stipulate certain clothing types that are not appropriate or safe for the workplace such as ripped jeans, offensive slogans and flip flops.
- Once the policy is drafted, get it sense checked by several people and consider any feedback.
- When you are ready to roll it out, ensure it is well communicated to staff and provide a specific date for when it will commence. I
- It’s always a good idea to give at least a couple of weeks of notice to allow employees to ensure they have the appropriate attire ready to go for day one.
- Ensure the dress standards are upheld in accordance with your policy and if they are not adhered to, that corrective discussions are had with employees. We recommend you obtain HR advice prior to taking any action however.
If you would like assistance with developing an appropriate dress code for your company, Industryus HR can assist. Call us on 07 5655 4047 or click here for a free quote.