Here’s how to ensure your employees look the part – and to know what that means at your company
Feel like your workplace dress standards are slipping?
You might need to enforce the rules more rigorously – or the dress code itself might need a rethink.
““We need to be thoughtful about what the requirements of the job are, in large departments… and we need to be able to confidently and clearly express those in a dress code or in a uniform document. Buy-in is critical,” says Tamara Glick of Trademark Image.
While giving employees the opportunity to express themselves through their clothes is important, HR has to draw a line in the sand.
“Businesses shy away from it because of the level of respect they have for individuality, and because there is so much room for variation and so much fear of being seen as someone who is approaching it ineffectively or potentially insulting someone, or having to have a difficult conversation.”
While some offices are going totally casual, or allowing staff to dress according to their day, Glick suggests HR look department by department at what the rules need to be.
“HR plays such a critical and valuable role, because without them being the ‘roof’, then managers won’t feel supported, and so it is all a check and balance for everyone.”
She adds that there may be confusion over a lack of clarity in the rules – or what “smart casual” really means.
“Hopefully, when things are clear and accepted, then you don’t need to wait until something will change, because it will be well understood.
“Things get really confusing because people are unaware of the preference that casual Friday dress is two steps down from what you would ordinarily wear from Monday to Thursday. The reason for that is there’s really no education being done to the mass public about what this looks like – we just sort of suss it out … and just try and figure out what is appropriate and what’s not.”
Glick suggests HR professionals should be as aware of dress code trends as they are of employee benefits – and ensure they enforce the rules swiftly to avoid encourage other staff to flour them.
“They need to have a clear record of infractions. If there have been concerns raised or questions, then I think that needs to be well-documented, just like any other conversation that an HR representative might have to have with an employee.”
It’s important to understand that work dress can feel quite private to employees, so HR should approach it from a place of compassion, growth and success.
“If this person is out in the field, then the conversation might be around how they, as a representative of the company out with their clients, needs to be front of mind, and here are the expectations - ‘we would love to see this improve, because all of the work you do is so great’ … If we’re looking at someone who has all the skills but just can’t get promoted because their appearance does not fit that next level, then the gift of training and coaching and mentorship is what will help that person succeed.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to equip someone with great potential with even more skills, even more strings on their bow to achieve what they’re capable of.”
Related stories:
Is culture more important than revenue?
Is a bad job worse than no job at all?
You might need to enforce the rules more rigorously – or the dress code itself might need a rethink.
““We need to be thoughtful about what the requirements of the job are, in large departments… and we need to be able to confidently and clearly express those in a dress code or in a uniform document. Buy-in is critical,” says Tamara Glick of Trademark Image.
While giving employees the opportunity to express themselves through their clothes is important, HR has to draw a line in the sand.
“Businesses shy away from it because of the level of respect they have for individuality, and because there is so much room for variation and so much fear of being seen as someone who is approaching it ineffectively or potentially insulting someone, or having to have a difficult conversation.”
While some offices are going totally casual, or allowing staff to dress according to their day, Glick suggests HR look department by department at what the rules need to be.
“HR plays such a critical and valuable role, because without them being the ‘roof’, then managers won’t feel supported, and so it is all a check and balance for everyone.”
She adds that there may be confusion over a lack of clarity in the rules – or what “smart casual” really means.
“Hopefully, when things are clear and accepted, then you don’t need to wait until something will change, because it will be well understood.
“Things get really confusing because people are unaware of the preference that casual Friday dress is two steps down from what you would ordinarily wear from Monday to Thursday. The reason for that is there’s really no education being done to the mass public about what this looks like – we just sort of suss it out … and just try and figure out what is appropriate and what’s not.”
Glick suggests HR professionals should be as aware of dress code trends as they are of employee benefits – and ensure they enforce the rules swiftly to avoid encourage other staff to flour them.
“They need to have a clear record of infractions. If there have been concerns raised or questions, then I think that needs to be well-documented, just like any other conversation that an HR representative might have to have with an employee.”
It’s important to understand that work dress can feel quite private to employees, so HR should approach it from a place of compassion, growth and success.
“If this person is out in the field, then the conversation might be around how they, as a representative of the company out with their clients, needs to be front of mind, and here are the expectations - ‘we would love to see this improve, because all of the work you do is so great’ … If we’re looking at someone who has all the skills but just can’t get promoted because their appearance does not fit that next level, then the gift of training and coaching and mentorship is what will help that person succeed.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to equip someone with great potential with even more skills, even more strings on their bow to achieve what they’re capable of.”
Related stories:
Is culture more important than revenue?
Is a bad job worse than no job at all?
