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Dressing Right for Work

NEW YORK, New York. Not long ago, three young women entered a Manhattan job-placement firm, looking for office jobs. There was just one problem: The women were wearing tank tops and flip-flops. This attire, according to Tory Johnson, the firm's CEO, is "totally inappropriate in any office." This situation occurs at many companies. Employees arrive at work in attire that a business owner considers unsuitable for the workplace. The solution, experts say, is to create a formal dress code. Many businesses today are following that advice and setting obligatory clothing requirements. One goal is to encourage workers to project a professional image. Another goal is to help ensure employee safety.

Businesses have several important reasons for creating official dress code policies. An employee's appearance—bad or good—reflects on the company. A business where workers are dressed inappropriately may be considered unprofessional. For this reason, many companies consider it important to pay attention to what their employees are wearing.

Logos Research Systems, Inc. is a Bellingham, Washington-based software business. It decided to change its image by establishing an official dress code policy. Previously, Logos allowed employees to wear just about anything to work. Then, the company's president, Bob Pritchett, realized that his own attire was not reflecting well on the company.

Dan Pritchett is the company's vice president for marketing and business development—and Bob's brother. Dan explained that Bob "got tired of being embarrassed." This would happen when customers, vendors, and even journalists would show up wearing business clothes while the president of the company was wearing shorts. The company decided to set an official dress code policy. It wanted to project a more professional appearance.

"It goes back to image…your company—what are you saying to your customers," said Bonnie Beirne. Beirne is director of service operations for a company that helps businesses perform better.

In addition to image, dress codes can be vital to employee safety. For example, many industrial companies adopt dress code policies to ensure that garments worn by employees are not caught in heavy machinery. These businesses might require that employees avoid wearing loose-fitting clothes, for example. Even in workplaces without heavy machinery, such as some offices, safety can be an issue. For example, if an employee is wearing flip-flops instead of regular shoes, dropping a heavy box on a foot could lead to injury. It could also possibly lead to a costly insurance claim.

Experts say that employers have a right to set policies regarding employee appearance. They also say that those policies should specifically state what is considered appropriate and inappropriate attire. For example, if the company wants to allow workers to wear shorts, the employer should make clear how long the shorts should be. The company should also specify whether cut-offs are allowed. Experts strongly urge employers to put dress codes in writing. This is to further clarify the policies and avoid confusion.

Experts emphasize that most employees want to dress appropriately for their jobs. They explain that some, however, are simply unaware of what is expected. Experts recommend that employers who want to ask employees to modify their attire should simply explain that choice of clothing conveys a message to customers and vendors.

When companies must address the issue with an individual employee, Beirne suggests doing so in a nonthreatening manner. She says companies should not single out the offending employee. The company, she says, should require all employees to observe the same policies. "Keep explaining, 'This is how we want our company to be run,'" Beirne said.

Most employees, experts say, are eager to conform to company policies.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.