A dress code is a very important thing in company management. If a company doesn’t have strict rules of clothes that staff is to wear, then it will become a circus and it won’t make the impact of a trusted organization. But creating dress-code rules might be a little bit tricky without a special guide.
First of all, it should be clear why dress code is so necessary. As no company can exist without interaction with other people, its image plays a great role. Many people won’t make business with staff members sloppily or in some casual clothes with different prints, etc.
Another point is that dress-code will protect you from untidy employees who don’t maintain proper hygiene. And the third reason for implementing a dress code is that it will be one step ahead to protect staff from such problems as envy and rumors, as similar clothes don’t imply that there will be some reasons for them.
So, what should employees wear? “Above all, the employees need to be neat. The dress may be casual or more formal business attire, but this is something that will vary greatly from setting to the setting”(Baldrige, 1993, p.572). Before creating a dress-code list of banned clothes, each should be thought over whether to be banned or not. But there are some common things which are inappropriate for wearing in the office. These are various hats, sweat pants, sweatsuits, tank tops, halter tops, or muscle shirts, clothing with dirty language or obscene images, and torn clothing.
Staff should be dressed according to the aim they serve. It would be funny if you come to a fast-food restaurant, and you will be served by a person dressed in business attire.
But some things oughtn’t to be banned. They are hijabs (as it may offense religious feelings) and facial hair or special headwear (as it also may violate religious beliefs).
To make sure that every employee is aware of intentions to implement dress code, staff should be informed orally and the dress-code list should be hanged on the noticeable place in the office. It “will save countless headaches from challenges and interpretations of the dress code if it is very specific on potential problem issues” (Carton, 1990, p.841).
It can happen that some members of staff will object to the new rules. Therefore it should be explained that dress policy doesn’t make them change their wardrobe completely, but it is implemented to keep order in the office.
If a new member of personnel is employed, he must be informed about the dress policy. It will help to avoid some conflicts on this ground in the future.
To achieve a more positive experience when creating a dress policy, it will be essential to ask employees about their wishes and religious beliefs. Thus, some religious and other conflicts can be avoided which will save a positive and friendly atmosphere among staff members.
Dress policy is necessary for a healthy collective body as it serves different aims. It reduces stresses and the number of quarrels among staff members as everyone is dressed similarly, also it adds to the positive image of the company automatically ranking it higher and some conflicts, such as religious or sexual, can be avoided. If nothing is provoking and confusing in clothing, then there’s nothing of the kind in mind. All the most respectable companies do have their dress policy. So won’t making of the dress-code list be the first step towards great business achievements?
Reference List
Baldrige, L. (1993). Letitia Baldrige’s New Complete Guide to Executive Manners. n.d.: Scribner.
Carton, S. (1990). Employee dress code fuels cartoon controversy. In American Libraries, v. 21: 841.