Dress codes should be driven by social norms and employee ambition, not employer mandates.
Long before the casual dress trend arose, an insurance broker that I worked for moved to Florida and launched a casual dress code/tradition. It never felt right to me, not because it broke some rule but because of how I felt dressed down. We still dressed up for visitors, and I wondered why, if casual was OK, the company was ashamed to have outsiders see it. Sometimes, people would embarrass rivals by failing to tell them that visitors were coming, leaving them as the only casually-dressed people. I eventually seceded from the casual norm and dressed for business every day.
Years later, another company that I worked for operated in office space that was decent but not upscale, but the staff dressed for business -- even a notch of sharpness above business (e.g., French cuffs, jewelry, etc.) -- and the atmosphere was very energetic.
Later, the company's new president "liberated" the staff from the unspoken dress code as part of his program of doing everything different from what his predecessor did (sound familiar?) He told us to wear what was comfortable. That resulted in a noticeable decline in the energy level of the office environment. I continued to dress for business, since that was what was comfortable for me. For the first time ever, I got disparaging remarks about dress from the president for dressing for business. Some liberation!
Casual dress codes may also send the subtle message, "You're nothing special, so you don't have to look special." If management expresses its preferences and sets the example by looking sharp, serious, and businesslike, others should get the message and follow. No need to punish anyone, except for really offensive things.
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George Reardon Esq.
Principal
George Reardon, Attorney & Counselor at Law
Houston TX
(281) 888-6641
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-10-2021 09:35
From: Lisa Zand
Subject: Staffing Office Dress Code
At our office, we have a typical office attire dress code Mon- Thurs and casual Fridays. It seems that in the last couple of years the understanding of "office/ professional" attire is just not understood.
We give out a dress code policy with examples and still, it is a daily issue and our business manager is completely frustrated. It is such a waste of time for us.
I wanted to know what other agencies are doing and if you have these problems? We are an independent agency with a staff of 10 people.
If you have any suggestions, please share.
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Lisa Zand
President
APS Employment Services Inc.
Saginaw MI
(989) 921-0358
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