No doubt your workplace has a set dress code as to whats appropriate to wear to work or not. The code is usually defined by what interaction the employee has with a client or a customer. Some have a uniform which has to be worn while others have a suit and tie for the guys and appropriate business wear for the girls. Whatever the code is, you need to know what it is and be part of the enforcement process. The company would have spent a lot of time and money so the appropriate image can be projected by their staff.
In just about all the places I have worked over the years, there was always a strict dress code in place weather I liked it or not. Some of the uniforms were shockers!! In one place, the uniform for the guys was a denim shirt with the company logo on it and black cargo type pants. For the girls it was the same shirt and a black skirt. They looked absolutely ridiculous in them I thought but, for the time being, it was part of my job to make sure they wore them. I fought long and hard to get them to change it and after a long battle, they did.
Even if there is no uniform as such, you have to keep an eye on what your staff are wearing and make sure it’s appropriate. With guys, the worst thing I had to tell one is to go home and get his tie and told him to make sure he wears it for every appointment but unfortunately, without being biased or anything, its usually the female staff that gave me the most trouble with this issue. Two instances pop into mind straight away as I’m writing this. One was a young lady who started with us when she was about 19. She was very pleasant and everything but she had a habit of wearing very tight tops that exposed a lot of cleavage. Nothing wrong with a little cleavage you say and I agree, but when you can park your bicycle between them, then there’s a problem. She became a total distraction at the office. Guys would drop their pens on purpose and asked her to pick it up for them just so they can get a good look. When I realised what was going on, I had to tell her to dress a little less revealing. Another incident was a little worse. It actually offended some people. A sales woman we had who was in her forties came into the office one day to pick up some mobile phones to sell that day. When I saw her, I was dumbfounded. She literally looked like that woman from the “Drew Carey” show. She was wearing dark blue eyeshadow, dark red lipstick, way too much blush on her cheeks and messy blond hair. The outfit she had on was like something that a retired prostitute who’s staging a comeback would wear. The skirt was so short that if she put her hand in the air and waved at someone, you would see everything! I had never seen anything like it. The whole office stopped and went very quiet. I was taking a sip of coffee when I saw her through the glass walls. You can imagine where the coffee went. I called her into the office straight away and told her in no uncertain terms to go home and change. She could see nothing wrong with what she had on and argued till she was blue in the face. I’m all for freedom of dress and all that but when you are at work, the company has every right to say what’s appropriate or not. Your staff are representing the company. Can you imagine what sort of business her clients would have thought she was working for? Not a telecommunications one I’m sure! In the end though, she got the boot for many other things she did that weren’t in line with company policies.
Managing people sometimes comes down to dealing with embarrassing and uncomfortable issues. What a person wears is a reflection on who they are. As a manager, you have to assess within company guidelines as to whats appropriate or not. Check with your Human Resources Department as they would have the company dress code policy. You have to make sure that your staff project the kind of image the company expects. However, don’t let your tastes and standards rule what you deem as appropriate or not. Give people the freedom to wear what they feel comfortable in as long as it conforms to the companies dress code.
Cheers
Andrew Bailey
P.S. I always love to hear feedback on any of my postings. Please leave a comment. Thank you.
Posted in Management Articles For Managers | Tags: appropriate, code, dress, managing, staff, standards, suits
I really like what you write on here. We try and read your blog every day so keep up the good articles!
Hi Ross
That’s a hard question to answer as to her reasons but I do think that maybe you should have a quick word to her about the way she dresses and that you don’t appreciate her leaning on your desk. It might be a turn on for you but it will in the end lead to trouble and mainly for you unfortunately.
Let me know how you go with that.
Cheers
andrew b.
I quote what one lady said , “The reality is that men are wired to react to female sexual displays. What they do about it is another story. Nevertheless, most women know very well that they do this to men by displaying their breasts. That is a good part of why women do it ?for the power it has to open doors and male wallets.
Well I’m teaching English to a class of adult students and one of the female students who has a beautiful figure and big gorgeous breasts comes into class wearing tight skimpy tops and tight pants which emphasize her breasts and her figure. She often asks me over to her desk with a question. She’s friendly to me and comes up to my desk to ask something . Is she teasing me ?she must know that it really turns me on. Or is she just being friendly -is she deliberately trying to turn me on for fun- I don’t know why she dresses like that in my class. I’ve been very helpful and nice to her with her English studies and this is how she repays me -sexually teasing me
Ross
Some fashion tips for you guys. If you are not very tall, avoid horizontal stripes totally, it makes you appear even wider. Go vertical instead.
Nice post… Thanks for sharing your such a nice person!…
I absolutely agree. That is exactly how I understand it. Thanks!
Such a usefule blog wow !!!!
Thank you for a very clear and helpful post. I am definitely a violator of many of these rules. I often find myself conflicted when writing a blog post because I see myself writing more than people want to read, but I feel that I have to do the subject matter justice by thoroughly covering it. I feel that by following some of these rules I end up cutting out important aspects to the discussion. I guess you have to find a balance.
Hi,Fantastic article dude! i am Fed up with using RSS feeds and do you use twitter?so i can follow you there:D.
PS:Do you considered putting video to this web site to keep the people more enjoyed?I think it works.Kind regards, Cyndy Leader
hi
sure, not a problem.:-)
cheers
andrew b.
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