If you’re a small business owner with staff, at some point you’re going to have to deal with a sticky, employee-related situation. Whether it’s an employee who’s always out sick, staff who look for sneaky ways to abuse benefit privileges or team members being careless on social media, your people may make choices that don’t suit your business—including what they wear to work.
It’s a situation no business owner wants to face, but you and your employees may not be on the same page when it comes to appropriate work attire. As workplace dress codes continue to get more casual across the country, business owners and their staff may struggle to determine what’s acceptable to wear at work and why.
Use these tips to determine how to communicate with staff when an employee wears unprofessional attire.
1. Have an answer for ‘Why Can’t I Wear This?’
It’s important that all members of your staff understand why certain clothing items or styles aren’t acceptable in your workplace, and that sometimes it’s about more than just making a good impression. For instance, if you work in an environment with machinery, tools, heavy equipment or other potential dangers, inappropriate work attire may not adequately protect your workers. Even worse, some clothing, such as inappropriate work shirts with wide, loose sleeves, may interfere with equipment and pose a safety hazard.
2. Send out reminders when necessary.
Sometimes, the best way to deal with a minor “wardrobe infraction” is to post a reminder list on the wall in the break room or send out a simple company-wide email reminding your staff of the expected dress code. This subtle reminder may be all that’s required to get the attention of the specific offender, plus any others who may be tempted to stray toward inappropriate dress. If this doesn’t work, though, prepare to talk to the staff member in question.
3. Be really specific about acceptable work clothing.
When communicating to your employee about what is and isn’t acceptable attire, be as specific as possible. Explain that what they’re wearing isn’t safe while working at a lathe, for example.
Also prepare to clearly explain what’s included in any terminology you use. Instead of saying that your employee should avoid “casual wear,” specify that they should avoid “weekend casual wear” and list the clothing items that are included in this category.
For example, your non-acceptable “weekend” casual wear list could include:
- Athletic shoes
- Flip-flops
- Sweatpants or yoga pants
- Hats
- Hoodies and sweatshirts
- Halter tops
- Crop-tops (belly-baring shirts)
- Jeans
And your acceptable “business casual” list could include:
- Khakis
- Cotton trousers
- Skirts
- Blouses
- Polo shirts
- Pullover sweaters
- Cardigans
The key is to clearly communicate to all your staff what is and isn’t acceptable work attire.
4. Understand the do’s and don’ts for talking about inappropriate clothing.
Before you talk to your employee about his or her clothing choices, review this list of what to do and what to avoid.
Do
- Make the conversation easier by preparing. Make sure you are well-versed on your company dress code, and more importantly, that your dress code is legally compliant.
- Choose a private setting to talk to the staff member, so you can address the issue without embarrassing them in front of others.
- Choose your words carefully. For example, “I’ve noticed your clothing choices, which, though they may be appropriate outside of our office/shop/business, are not in keeping with our dress code. I’d appreciate your cooperation in making some minor changes.”
- Introduce your meeting as a time to clarify your dress code and make sure your employee understands it.
- Be specific about the problem. For example, “The shoes you’re wearing expose your toes, so they don’t meet the safety requirement of closed-toe shoes in our dress code.”
Don’t
- Attend alone, especially when speaking with an opposite-sex employee. Bring in another staff member.
- Make it a personal attack on the person’s character. This is about the clothing they wear at work, not an attack on their lifestyle, religion or political choices.
- Use the word “improve.” If you do, it may sound like you’re dealing with a performance issue.
5. Have “The Talk” with your employee.
If an employee wears inappropriate workwear after you’ve sent out a group email, it’s time to talk specifically to them. Keep in mind the information from tips three and four, and act quickly.
“Don’t delay taking action—even if just verbally and even if you learn of the infraction long after it occurs,” says human resources attorney and counselor Charles Krugel. Clearly point out any dress code violations plus how to remedy them.
Discussions about acceptable workplace clothing can be uncomfortable. They require a sensitive and delicate approach. To keep inappropriate clothing at work from becoming an extended issue, the best strategies are to head it off before it even starts and address any wardrobe infractions immediately.
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My son and I work for a National agency and he recently attended the company’s annual meeting out of town. He is 26 years old. Suggested dress code was business/business casual. He wore a soft pink/salmon, not bright at all, suit for the daytime conference. It was a suit he purchased and had professionally tailored. I was with him when he purchased it and thought it was a refreshing yet professional look, given he is a young man. One doesn’t have to look like they’re dressed for a funeral to work in a business setting. He wore a solid white dress shirt underneath, no tie, dress shoes and a matching belt and upon his return home was admonished by another executive he really admires whom proceeded to tell him that his boss(executives boss) told him that my son looked disgustingly unprofessional and he advised him he is to never wear that suit again. To say I’m disappointed is putting it lightly. This was by far, one of the most unprofessional conversations I can imagine anyone having with a productive employee. In addition, during the convention my son had called me to let me know he’d gotten so many compliments on his suit and how sharp he looked. Kudos to my son because I’d have gotten up and walked out after politely letting the boss know just how unprofessionally he had just behaved.
I read all your blog posts and have been following you for a long time. After reading your blog I am inspired to write some content on this topic.
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Thanks for posting this. This is really good.
You’re welcome, Brooke!
Very interesting stuff to read.
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Hey I just wanted to chip in here. I run an IT consultancy here in the UK. We went down the route of mandating what people wear to work from the outset. However after several years of this rigid approach, we ripped up the rule book and told people to wear whatever the heck they wanted. From the moment we ditched it productivity went through the roof.
Staff feel more comfortable, you can’t tell the MD from any of the other staff. People communicate far better. They are also far more willing to stay late.
Would you like to know what our customers have said? Nothing, not a single thing. In fact many of them have followed our lead. Concentrate on getting the job done to the customers satisfaction, that’s what really matters to customers. FYI Customers are free to walk into our office whenever they like, no announcement or appointment required. Many of them do just that when they are passing. They stop in for a coffee and a chat, you’d be surprised at just how much extra business revenue that generates.
Concentrate on how they interact with others and how they do the job. Just my two cents, but it’s really worked out for us.
thanks for sharing
Barring a company with frequent client visits, or safety issues, this seems like a great deal of energy being put forth about something that objectively doesn’t really make a difference. Is generational griping really worth the time spent?
Is the work product high quality? Is actual behavior professional and appropriate? Those are the questions that really should be at hand. I work at a successful small (10-person) company that pulls down just over 2 million a year and has clients in the office roughly once every 1-2 months. When clients come in, we will dress business casual, and when we travel for business we will dress to the standard of the location where we are guests, but for the purposes of an average workday its a non-issue. The work gets done, we are highly recommended in our industry, and we all take home a nice profit share. No one’s yoga pants or full tattoo sleeves get in the way of that. Just my two cents.
Policies regarding dress and appearance should always be written, illustrated, and posted/distributed regularly so that everyone has them as a point of reference. Videos and other media, including mobile apps, help drive the policies home in fun and non-threatening ways. Company policies, however, should accommodate regional, seasonal, industry- and job-specific requirements, and be applied consistently. Communications in team and individual discussions should focus, as other posters have articulated so well, on how a person’s appearance is a reflection of the pride they have in their own accomplishments, their team’s success, and their role within the company. It is an unfortunate fact of workplace life, but important to convey, that excellent work performed by a talented individual with an appearance that is “workplace non-conforming” will eventually stumble up against members of management who will equate that person’s free-spirited approach to wardrobe and personal appearance with an equally casual approach to their work, and judge them accordingly when the salary and advancement goodies are being handed out. At the same time, as members of management ourselves, we should be able to look beyond the book’s cover, knowing that at some point in our own youthful century we have been guilty of similar infractions, and raged against the management machine would could not see our contributions.
Now: what do we do about the person in our organization who is charged with creating and disseminating all the dress and appearance policy material, but is themselves a prime offender 🙂 ???
I very much appreciate your addressing this. This has become a huge issue in the United States. Professionals have taken the casual dress way too far and created an atmosphere of sloppy and this sends a signal to customers that the company will also treat the customers casually not taking their concerns seriously. How we dress in the workplace also represents what we hope to achieve. We have a family multi-media production company. I have hired temporary employees in the past and because of this attitude, I have stopped hiring outside of our own family. We have had to be vetted by the federal government because our work requires us to go into elementary schools and we must present ourselves in a manner that is trustworthy. We had a temp. at one time who was a teen and she had experimented with dying her hair blue right before the event. At the time, we were nervous about addressing the problem but as it turned out, she became convicted to cover her hair when she frightened the elementary school students. She realized that the fun she was having experimenting with her hair as a teen was inappropriate for the leadership position she was in during that situation. She had to make a quick decision about what she wanted to achieve and because she cared about children, she chose to cover her head. As a production company, we have a strict dress code. I can’t begin to tell you the times that we’ve been given greater opportunity just because we “looked” professional. It was often a foot in the door to dress in a manner that was not extreme in any direction. Ultimately, it comes down to the individual having their own priorities – their sense of fashion and expression or the success they hope to find in a particular field of work.
While I appreciate the discussion on odors from people, I do not agree with stronger fragrances to mask it! Many products contain chemicals that are so toxic to our systems! Same goes for laundry soaps, dryer sheets, after shave, etc. Perhaps we all work remotely so that we don’t have to maintain the false idea of office culture equaling productivity?
Great point, Ana! Many companies have policies for no fragrances.
So out of touch with Silicon Valley culture. While sexually provocative attire, torn clothes and others in the list are not acceptable, you will find a lot of employees caring less about jeans, shirts, etc as long as they are not provocative, torn or with any political or biased in any way message.
It also depends on what type of company you work for. If you work for a bank, financing institution, legal firm, casual business attire is the norm. High Tech companies are more flexible. Suits and ties are hardly the norm in Silicon Valley except for certain circumstances. The key thing is to get the job done and the business going forward without distractions while being comfortable.
Thanks for sharing, Jose!
As a female supervisor, I came to realize the importance of a written dress code not just one you feel is understood. I also think it is a tricky practice to compliment employees on their dress or appearance since I have seen instances where people regard this, valid or not, as sexual harassment.
Thank you for sharing your opinion, Anne.
On this issue, I am not a fence rider. While jeans or casual attire are appropriate in our administrative office for staff members who do not meet the public, or those involved in physical activities , most of our staff are in a public setting who meet a wide variety of ages and social groups in our communities including children, youth, adults and seniors. A conservative dressy-casual approach would be more appropriate, however our Board approved policies, written back in the day when standards and fashion were quite different, do not cover such topics as leggings that are so tight that the indentation of the butt can be seen (sorry – I know it’s gross), or a blouse that is so low that the cleavage, or lack of, is visible. These staff personnel are serving children and youth who are impressionable, community leaders who support the libraries, and seniors whose standards are more traditional. While administration has taken action, and wisely so, on staff members whose body odor was offensive or their perfume was too strong, they have turned their heads and have not acknowledged staff whose attire is closely akin to that of a trendy fashion magazine.
How does one convince the administration that all breaches of the dress code need to be addressed?
Thanks for sharing!
The smell issue is really frustrating. Our office is in a building with 3 suites. The attorney’s suite across the hall has a woman in her 60s, whom I have known for many years because our children went to school together, who operates their front desk. She has particularly bad body odor regularly which most likely comes from clothes that have been worn more than once and cigarettes. She is a doctor’s wife. She has expensive clothing. I can tell the moment I walk in the building that she has been there. The entire hallway smells and often she leaves the door to her suite open for air flow and light. It’s nauseating. I have complained to the landlord tactfully and have even installed an Airwick in the hall, which was removed for some reason. As far as I’m concerned, there is no way to approach this topic with her.
I love this last comment the best! Thanks for the tips! Be clear, be to the point…. be kind. Be firm. Got it!
Thank you, Henry!
Yes, wardrobe & hygiene can make an indelible difference in the workplace. In 1976, at age 20, I was hired as a teller at a large branch (50+ employees) of the largest bank in the world.
Much to my surprise, there seemed not to be much of a dress code. So I chose to dress as I had learned while working in a Midwestern department store during high school. I was always clean, and wore blouse & skirt or a dress, even though many employees wore jeans, dirty clothes, and some garments that almost verged on costumes.
I was an excellent teller… for exactly 9 full days… when the branch manager offered me a promotion… to the job of “General Ledger Desk.” I accepted.
This was a job that I was not trained for, not qualified for, and didn’t understand. Five days in, I begged to return to my teller job. It was allowed.
Then I was asked to be the vault teller on a team to open a new branch. I was one of the youngest people there (age 21) and many other qualified candidates were passed over for the position.
In both of these instances, I knew then (and I’m even more positive 42 years later), that it was strictly my hygiene & wardrobe that pushed me ahead of the pack.
In 1985 I started my own professional organizing company, and very quickly understood how important “appropriate personal presentation” was in the business word.
I developed standards for the teams that worked on our client projects.
In corporate settings, corporate wardrobe… period.
On residential hoarding jobs, SAFETY FIRST! Long pants, close-toe shoes, company apron, no dangling jewelry, gloves, and (occasionally) breathing masks.
None of these items are optional. Ever. And yes, I will halt the project and send them home.
My workers clearly understand both my wardrobe requirements, and more importantly, why they are so important.
Basic clarity makes it all pretty simple.
Mary E. Rossow
RossowResources.com
Thank you for sharing, Mary!
I have always wondered why insurance companies don’t make an effort to help small businesses to reduce risk, such as producing industry-related best practices for risk management. I would love to read a magazine that gives me tips on how to do this. But here we have advice on how to dress.
Hi Todd,
We have several articles on managing risks for small business owners here (link to category). If you can tell me a little bit about your business I’d be happy to also direct you to more specific article and guides.
I wear casual clothes (sometimes sweats!) to work 3 out of 5 days a week, oversee 12+ employees, and successfully manage a 5.5 million dollar company. I think dressing for productivity is more important day to day and that staff should know when more formal attire is needed (events, meetings, etc.). Otherwise, keep people comfy and productive.
Thanks for your feedback Joshua.
My brother is taking me for the first tattoo tomorrow so excited
I have had this problem, and have gotten around it by requiring that everyone is clean and I have supplied company uniforms. I’ve let the employees pick out the style. I also have the added advantage of working in an industry that requires certain special clothing and have communicated the expectations well in advance before hiring.
“No flip-flops, work boots, bathing suits, torn or holey clothes (esp jeans), midriff-exposure or sexually-explicit/exposing attire. If the President of the United States or the Chairman of the Board of (our national professional society) stopped by unannounced, would I (your boss) be embarrassed by what you are wearing?”
We also had another clothing-related policy that was implemented after repeated, unwanted comments about short, tight, new, pretty and/or frilly dresses: “When you are tempted to comment on someone’s attire, whether man or woman, say ‘I like your tie!'” No man has ever complained of sexual harassment when a co-worker admired his new silk tie! It always made people laugh.
Regarding the smelly employee, my partner has had the talk on several occasions with different employees and usually says something in private like “I don’t know if you’ve changed brands or something but I think your deodorant is giving out on you during the day.” Very embarrassing but effective. I have a question regarding male employees wearing makeup (eyeliner and glitter perhaps not removed from after-hours activities) in a professional office environment where client interaction is common.
We see this a lot with our clients! I love this article. Often, it’s a matter of how you’re communicating the message. Why their attire matters, instead of “this is not allowed”. We create videos for employers to communicate hard topics like this with their employees. We have a specific video on this topic because it is a growing issue amongst the Millennial population especially.
We build these videos so that employers can have a casual conversation with their employees to help them understand what is acceptable. I hope this helps some of you.
What to wear in the workplace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7SGpqV15cI
I saw some posts about employees who smell. I would suggest hiring a personal coach for these employees. Often it helps bringing in a third party to work with the employee and helping them understand how a certain behavior effects others and their own personal brand. I know a great coach who knows the corporate world very well; she also travels. I have her website below if anyone is interested.
One possible solution …company purchased shirts with the logo! For an employee who may have a financial strain in upgrading their wardrobe, you have now provided a convenient solution. I run a small company so budget wise it really isn’t going to break the bank. Promote it as an additional benefit that allows for a team look! Have long and short sleeve options, not all the shirts have to be the exact same; style and color the employee can pick. Wearing the company shirts can be optional and when employees visit job sites it provides identification and advertising.
michelle in Portland – tell the bank supervisor that you almost did not sign the paperwork that was delivered by the slovenly dressed person because you did not believe that he actually was a banking professional.
I have needed to address these issues in Church (for my readers and other ministers), and I’ve found that it is SIGNIFICANTLY easier to have members of the same sex address clothing issues than to have the opposite sex criticize wardrobe choices.
I run a financial services firm and have struggled with this for years. I have an extensive employee manual which lists appropriate and non-appropriate attire. If my policy is not followed, I write up an employee. Period.
We have become far too slack with what is defined as appropriate work place attire. Client facing roles in particular need to present a certain level of decorum.
I believe that if your employees don’t like the policies or are offended, as stated by Mouse, then they can seek employment elsewhere.
Employees must continually be made aware of what is appropriate to wear and what is not. This goes for regular employees and part-time and temporary employees, including those supplied by a temporary personnel agency or contract employer organization. Remember what is acceptable to one generation may be totally repulsive to another generation. It is better to have a descriptive policy that has been written and approved by your legal team in advance and posted on your employee bulletin board and in the employee personnel policy manual. The posting should give examples of what is appropriate and what is not. Everything should be written in clear sensitive plain English.
I had this happen once years ago in an environment where everyone was expected to dress professionally. Suits were the norm.
One of my employees frequently wore clothes with hems coming out, buttons missing, dirty cuffs, torn shoes etc… this was a sales position and although she was inside sales, it was still office professional.
I counseled her, wrote her up, tried to motivate her with “gift cards” to nicer stores for meeting sales goals etc… then on a trip to Asia with my sister who was in the clothiing industry we had a conversation about this. She told me she had a similar employee and on casual Friday would wear super short shorts, when others were dressed in walking shorts. BTW she was an executive for an outdoor apparal co. … she said “I’ve come to the conclusion that what some people see in the mirror is not what I see when I look at them, so in this case I had to make a list of what she was “allowed” to wear and what she was not and then enforce it by sending her home if she didn’t follow it.”
It can be very demotivating to have to do that for both the employer and the employee but sometimes you have to take that hard line. You cannot always worry about someone’s feelings when they just aren’t getting it. You don’t have to be mean but you do have to stress the importance of the dress code.
And I am a big fan of the suggestion of discussing expectations in an interview up front, so everyone knows what is expected.
Regarding “smells” that’s a tough one and is embarassing for the employee but it’s important to counsel them gently and let them know that it has come to your attention that there is offensive odors and possibly there needs to be a change of “deoderant brands”….that maybe this one is just not compatible with their chemistry.
I am with Romina,
We have a similar problem with odor. I have had others in the building comment about the odorous person. So far I clean constantly and use fragrance deodorants that you plug in the wall. I was hoping this might indirectly help the conscience kick in for this individual but to no avail.
Help!
I am practice manager for physician office in Plano, TX. When employee is hired, the physician and
I advised the new employee that per our office policy they can not show any tattoo’s nor can they were
any scrubs that are stained, torned (have holes) or have skull with cross and bones. We are in medical professional and we are the face of the office to the patients and should be professional in our appearance.
I have a “big/tall” employee who is working very hard to lose weight and now his pants are hanging off his butt most of the time with his crack exposed when he bends over. He is of the age when that style was popular when he was in high school so, I don’t think he is aware most of the time that he is “exposed”. I recently pointed out that he needed to pull up his pants and he chuckled and said sorry he was “smiling”. I know he is sensitive about his size and he is a great guy, I am just at odds as to how to address this further without embarrassing him. Has anyone had to deal with this issue and how did you approach your employee?
Actually I had an employee who’s smell was so severe, that we had moved her desk multiple times. When she was out of sight, employees would spray her chair with a neutral scent. No one would use the bathroom after she was in it, because of the smell. Here’s my experience, hang on tight, it’s a doozy, but may help you to expect the unexpected.
I had a private conversation with her, complementing her dress, asking if her desk location was working for her, she said yes. I asked about how she was doing with everyone in the office. She said they don’t talk to me much. I then asked if I could talk to her sincerely and explain one concern.
I relayed the smell concern and that I was worried about her health. I knew her mother was an uncontrolled diabetic and maybe she was too, but I didn’t say that. So for this conversation, knowing she was appearing clean daily, probability lead me down this path. She subsequently saw a physician, and returned to tell me to go to hell. She left shortly thereafter.
These are great tips, but can anyone advise how to approach someone who’s clothes are appropriate but smells really bad?
Deb: stick with the conversation that references the policy for your medical facility. I have run medical facilities for years and casual has been redfined by some, to sloppy, grungy by some generations. This is easy, no tattoo’s visible is NO TATTOO’S VISIBLE, period.
Decorum…it’s that simple.
And while this may not fly everywhere, businesses of any size have background leaders whether they know it or not. They tend to fly above the fray and gossip, and are respected. But are more discreet, still in the grapevine and know things most managers don’t about a business’ underlying operation. The “corporals” of a platoon so to speak. They notice the little things…
A quiet comment to this respected “corporal” who would be closer to the “offending” employee might bring about the necessary change without being so direct in a formal superior/subordinate relationship.
Of course, this takes a tremendous amount of trust, and as I said might not fly everywhere. But I have found peer pressure works in places where more direct means would only make matters worse.
MM
How to address tattoos? We are a medical facility and our policy states – any visible tattoo must be covered. The staff wear long pants most of the time but occasionally wear capris – then the tattoo shows. I understand I need to talk to him/her but can you help me with the correct verbiage. Thank you
Thank you this was very helpful.
This resonates with me but in a different way. I live in Portland, OR where work attire has become far too casual, even sloppy. I just signed some loan documents brought over by a bank employee who frankly looked horrible. Baggy jeans, dirty hiking shoes, crummy shirt, he wasn’t even clean shaven. I was appalled. I know his boss well, and I am a shareholder in this small community bank. How do I tell his boss I wasn’t impressed?
I think you are coming at this in the wrong way – however, you didn’t need to tell us your five tips because they are pretty much typical and standard.
I have found a different way that has worked for me, but can also get me into trouble with the opposite sex as times have changed, so I have to be careful
1. Occasionally complement an employee on their new look or outfit and do this within ear shot of others.
2. During team meetings indicate an appreciation of how professional everyone looked when a potential client made a visit and the value to the company of that visual.
3. The way people look and dress depends on their particular job and the degree that they integrate with other employees and clients during the workday.
4. Continually emphasize to employees the importance of their work to the success of the company. You don’t always have to mention appearance as it becomes an obvious aspect.
5. Use your employment interview session to describe what is expected of each employee for the health and vitality of the company. You need to be clear about this and this is a time to outline the do’s and don’ts that make up a company’s success ratio.
6. If casual wear can get the job done, why worry. If clients do not come to the office, relax a little. When an important client is scheduled to visit, let everyone know in advance.
7. What you want in a productive office is harmony, production, efficiency, team spirit…dm
While some of this may be acceptable advice, I would put much of this not the way to skillfully manage people.
This is a bigger issue with your company, if this is how you address issues.
As your employee, I would take huge offense to these approaches.
thank you