IT FACES DRESS CODE CHALLENGES by Lisa Kiava   (Click on title for article)

EMPLOYEEISSUES.COM

U.S. Employee Rights in Plain English  Dress Code Policy

Employers generally have the right to establish an office or business dress code policy as a condition of employment. For example, employers may define what business casual dress means and prohibit employees from wearing T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops and other overly-casual attire. Employers may also discipline employees for violating an office or business dress code policy.

However, as with all policies that govern employees, an employer must apply a dress code policy and related discipline equally to all employees in the same group. Otherwise, the employer faces the threat of discrimination lawsuits by employees.  A common discrimination that employees allege regarding a company dress code policy, is on the basis of sex. That's particularly so when employers have different dress code policies for each gender, and one or both are perceived by employees of a gender as unfairly singling them out. 

Employers have the right to establish different dress codes based on gender, because men and women have customarily dressed differently. However, employers may not establish or enforce dress codes in ways that discriminate based on gender.  For example, a court would likely decide that an employer has the right to require men to wear ties at work, while not requiring women to wear them too; but, a court likely wouldn't let an employer get away with permitting men to wear T-shirts against a dress code policy, while unfairly disciplining women for wearing them too.

Employers also generally have the right to establish an office or business dress code policy that requires employees to wear work uniforms as a condition of employment. Employers may require employees to pay for their own uniforms too, such as through paycheck deductions.

However, employers may not profit from requiring employees to purchase work uniforms. Additionally, work uniform cost may not drop employee wages below the minimum wage or standard overtime pay for those who are eligible, regardless of how and where the employees purchase their uniforms.

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Business Casual: The New Dress Code by Pat Boer, Monster Contributing Writer

There was a time when every professional knew you wore a suit on the job and for an interview. One Fortune 500 Company in Indianapolis even required prospective employees wear one when requesting an application. 

Times have changed. Now, men go to work dressed casually and women wear pantsuits. Today's question isn't, "Should I wear black or navy?" It's, "What's business casual and what's appropriate for my interview?"   In general, business casual means dressing professionally, looking relaxed yet neat and pulled together. Business casual is not a license to be sloppy or dress inappropriately. That means no shorts, low-cut shirts, flip-flops, ratty jeans or T-shirts. It does mean respecting and following your company's dress code. But what if you don't know the company's dress code, what to wear for an interview or even how to dress after a promotion to the executive suite?

When in doubt: Ask Human Resources

Generally, someone in the HR department participated in planning and adopting the company's dress code. HR may have handouts explaining the policy or can provide guidelines for business casual and what's appropriate to wear on the job at various levels.

Develop Savvy

Read more about what business dress and business casual mean. There are books on the topic and answers all over the Web. Debra Dzwonczyk, LBJ School placement Coordinator at the University of Texas, outlines the differences for men and women.

Business dress for women means a suit or tailored dress in conservative colors (black, gray or beige) with low-heeled, closed-toe pumps and conservative jewelry. For men, business dress means a conservative suit, not a sports coat, plus a long-sleeved shirt, tie and leather oxfords or loafers.  Business casual means a tie isn't necessary. Khakis with a long-sleeved shirt are popular. For women, it's a dress, skirt and blouse, or slacks and blouse with flat heels allowed.

Window Shop

Go to the stores to get a sense of the latest styles. Observe what the mannequins wear, particularly, at stores catering to business-casual clients like Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic or J. Crew.

Trust Your Instincts

Male or female, reluctant shopper or not, experts say no matter what's appropriate, it needs to fit well and you need to feel comfortable in it. If it doesn't, you need to keep looking. Shop around, try some stuff on, see what looks good to you and feels appropriate and then head to the register.

Consult a Personal Shopper

When all else fails, enlist the help of an expert. Most better clothing stores have personal shoppers or trained salespeople who can advise you. They'll help you choose and plan for a business wardrobe, paying particular attention to what's appropriate in your locale or region of the country. As a free service, this is one resource the fashion-challenged should take advantage of.   By learning the company's dress code and using resources either on the Web or through consultants at clothing stores, you'll soon find your own style and what's appropriate for your situation. You may even discover all you need to do is loosen your tie or switch to a sweater set to be dressed appropriately for today's new dress codes.

Is Dressing Like a CEO the Same as 'Dressing White'?

By Luke Visconti

April 23, 2008

The dress code discussed in a Diversity Inc article How To Dress Like A CEO, "navy blue suit, avoid flash, avoid sexy" is practically a worldwide standard in business but could be considered western European in origin, so in a narrow-minded way, you could say yes, it's "dressing white."

I don't think it's an important distinction--what is between your ears determines who you are. Corporate culture will reflect what is necessary to do business with the widest range of people. Since the United States has the largest gross domestic product (GDP) of any other single nation--almost four times as large as the next largest economy ( Japan)--it is only natural that other nations adopted our dress code. Further, psychological tests show that we are predisposed to trust people who look just like us. That's one reason sycophantic behavior is often successful.

Most human beings really don't like change. Having a dress code simplifies the number of variables we all have to deal with. This creates a comfort level from which we can deal with what business is there to do: Be profitable.

In progressive companies, such as those in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity, acceptable business dress has a broader definition and includes some ethnic/religious garb. It still may be mostly "dressing white," but these companies don't want their employees exclusively "thinking white." This reflects respect to the diversity of talent and business domestically and around the world. (Black, Latino and Asian households in aggregate have double the household income growth of white households in this country, and India and China have almost five times the economic growth rate of the United States, for example.)

It is important to understand that corporations with active diversity management adapt to and incorporate other cultures within their corporate culture. This practice will win over corporations that do not.

A senior-level corporate executive recently gave me this example: When he asked his two Chinese associates about their culture, they told him that Chinese culture held self-promotion in particularly poor regard. He realized his custom of asking associates if they were "ready to be promoted" was very difficult for his Chinese associates to answer affirmatively. In comparison, people brought up in the white American culture would say "absolutely," and he looked for that confidence.

He changed the way he asked about personal performance, thus recognizing true talent and learning a little bit about doing business in China.

As progressive domestic business embraces the change in our nation and the rapid increase in global business, barriers to cultural and/or religious dress are falling. For example, in many companies, women wearing a hijab would have limited opportunities. However, in DiversityInc Top 50 companies, it isn't as much of an issue (unfortunately, I can't think of a large U.S. company where I can realistically say it wouldn't be an issue at all).

Although I would not recommend a person abandon clothing that would violate their sense of modesty, adapting to the average helps a person focus attention directed at them to their performance.

Should you be evaluated by how you dress? In my opinion, yes; it's a sign of how you fit into the corporate culture and how much of a team player you are. Should a company have inclusive values concerning dress? Absolutely; it reflects a broad mindset about the talents of people and indicates the company is ready to do business and find talent worldwide.

If you're a person who wants to work for a company that is facing the future realistically--and you don't want to "leave yourself at the door"--then you should really study the companies on our DiversityInc Top 50 and find the ones within our list that fit your outlook most closely. If you want to work for a company not in the Top 50, study its web site, look at its work force and consider its philanthropy. Companies are not all the same, and being naturally compatible with the prevailing corporate culture is a logical step to a good career.