She Wore Flowers (and pink streaks and feathers) In Her Hair

By Leslie Austin / April 10, 2013 / Uncategorized No Comments

She Wore Flowers (and pink streaks and feathers) In Her Hair…. When was the last time you walked into a company you considered to be a professional environment only to be greeted by a smiling individual sporting technicolor hair or large, graphic body art? Did this encounter leave you wondering if this company had a dress code? It doesn’t seem like that long ago when crafting a professional dress code policy wasn’t something that took intense thought and deliberation. However, looking around many offices today it often appears as if there are differences of opinion as to what constitutes “professional”.   The amount of details to be considered, discussed and compromised in order to write and implement a dress code seems enormous. It is becoming apparent that as “Millennials” enter the workforce, many standards, including dress codes, seem to be developing to deal with their entry. Digressing for a moment, for those of you wondering what a “Millennial” is, this is the generation born between 1982 – 2000, also commonly known as Gen-Y. As Baby Boomers begin to retire, more Millennials are joining the workforce and bringing with them new social and cultural views about fashion and forms of individual expression. As such, employers are constantly striving to balance these new ideas against existing standards and customer expectations.

Questions I have seen many clients struggle with include, but are not limited to:

•  Am I allowed to prohibit visible tattoos on my staff or does this violate their rights?
•  I had an applicant I really liked, but she has a gold tooth cap and I don’t think my customers will understand this. Do I have to hire her or can I talk to her more about this without there being an issue?
•  We are a restaurant and part of our image is  a “cool and fit” vibe and so we have very short skirts as part of our female staff’s uniform. Is this OK?
•  I am not wild about these new, ornate hairstyles such as blue streaks, corn rows and “bedazzling”, but what can I prohibit and where do I have to draw the line?
•  I had an employee tell me the dress code violates her religion’s dress requirements. Am I required to grant an exception to this policy?

As you can see, with questions such as these come many additional considerations about:

• What is legal
•  What is a “best practice”
• What is best for my company’s culture

Generally speaking most professional, office type environments should have a written policy clearly outlining expectations and prohibitions. The use of specific examples in a policy can help eliminate confusion and also limit an employee’s likelihood of wearing items which could lead to greater issues and complaints under a company’s sexual harassment policy. Employers should try not to be too rigid though and leave a little room to balance things based on their need to service customers and meet the expectations of their customers. Supervisors should be well trained on consistent application of the policy and what to do (usually best to engage HR) when an employee requests a religious accommodation relative to the dress code policy. And while we’re on this topic of a dress code policy, it is usually a good idea to include in this policy additional information outlining grooming and hygiene standards as well as to address the use of perfumes/colognes as fragrance sensitivity grows as a workplace concern. Generally speaking, it is far easier for a supervisor to have a conversation with a “smelly” employee if that supervisor can simply reference a grooming and hygiene standard. Need help putting together an effective dress code policy for your organization? Please give us a call at HR Solutions, we’re happy to assist.

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