Business Attire

Imagine this: the owner arrives in the morning, and is greeted not only by the company’s receptionist, but also her exposed navel. A scenario very likely to happen at a small business this summer; as soon as it gets hot, people start dressing alike - something which is not always seen as professional.

The solution is to create a dress code - something that every business has the right to do. That means telling every employee:”I realize we don’t have something in writing, but I’m going to be putting together a policy communicating our dress code policy more formally.”

An owner also needs to tell his employees that their appearance delivers a message to both customers and vendors. It goes back to image and branding for your company - what are you indirectly saying to your customers.

A dress code should spell out what isn’t and is appropriate for that certain company. It should be specific: if you allow workers to wear shorts, make clear how long they have to be, and if you are banning cut-offs, say it. State it too if it’s ok for women to wear sleeveless tops but no tank tops, and if their blouses shouldn’t be made of see-through fabric.

You should also look at the physical environment within your company: if there’s a lot of exposed skin in your office might it be because the air conditioning is faulty, or perhaps because there are no shades on the windows to prevent the sun from streaming in? If so, you should remedy the situation, and, in the process, acknowledge your employees’ needs.