Comments on: Does your dress code hurt retention?

By: Maria Joseph

Maria Joseph — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:51:03 +0000

Not sure what the big deal is about this. I can see requiring individuals who meet with customers and the public to maintain a business dress code, but it does not make much sense for individuals who don’t interact with customers/public. Professionalism comes from within, not from what one is wearing.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:56:35 +0000

When I was hired in my current job, since our department (HR) is geared towards internal customers, we had a relaxed dress code. We could wear business casual (dress/khaki slacks and button-down or polo-type shirt). If we had planned meetings with senior management or similar situations, we were expected to dress appropriately for the event/meeting. We got in a new HR director and he required the men to start wearing ties and generally wanted a more “formal” day-to-day dress code. This did nothing for our productivity or relations with our customers, but did decrease the satisfaction of the current employee base.

By: KT

KT — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:58:35 +0000

The dress code should be appropriate to the actual work being done.

I worked in an office where where we had little or no direct contact with people from the outside. Most of our contact was in the form of phone calls, email and letters. Our dress code allowed jeans and sneakers, and ties were seldom spotted in the office. However, if any of us had a meeting with someone from the outside, we dressed professionally, which included a tie for the men. This compromise was great for moral. Enforcing a rigid professional dress code when we rarely saw anybody that didn’t already work there seemed arbitrary and pointless, but employees could readily see why they needed to show up in their ‘good clothes’ for an outside meeting. I should add that our normal dress code was casual, but not sloppy – no shorts, torn jeans, t-shirts, etc were allowed and we rarely, if ever, had to do anything more than mention to an employee that their clothing was a little too casual. The employees understood that the casual dress code was a bonus that would be lost if it was abused. Most of the time, the employee’s own judgment and peer pressure from other employees was enough.

On the rare occasion that people from the outside came through the office, they saw casually, but neatly, dressed employees hard at work…

By: Angel E

Angel E — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:33:44 +0000

We require a professional dresscode. Body art(tattoos and guages)are not to be visible. We do not have a casual Friday. We did try to loosen our belt so to speak by allowing capris. However, it became a problem when employees began showing up looking like they were dressed for the beach instead of the office. We have since disallowed capris.

By: Barbara Wyman

Barbara Wyman — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:46:23 +0000

I once worked for a company that had a casual dress code policy and posted the following in highly visible areas for customers and clients to see: “Our dress code is casual but our business is anything but casual”. Because employees also saw this message, dress code never got too casual – everyone maintained a professional appearance.

By: Margaret T

Margaret T — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:38:59 +0000

This issue is part of a bigger problem. There are exceptions but in general the Gen-Y employees come in wanting to do as they please, dress as they please and make top dollar for mediocre work. There’s a loss of respect for professionalism, and dress is just the most immediately obvious part.

By: Barb Leyba

Barb Leyba — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:30:43 +0000

Interesting that the dress code violator is a woman. Unfortunate, but true. “Business casual” capris have turned into fruit salad and Hawaiian themes. Even more disturbing are the denim capris with sandals and white socks! Flip flops have not been an issue since they are strictly forbidden, but try as we might, our employees just can’t seem to put the term “business” with “casual.”

By: Pamela Williard

Pamela Williard — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:17:55 +0000

We changed our dress code a few years ago to a business casual logo wear option. It has helped in some ways, but in others is just as difficult to enforce as when we had a typical dress code. It is a concern to me in recruiting gen-y. As much as we might like to relax it, as a credit union it is appropriate to present a professional image to our membership – tattoos and piercings don’t fit. It is a constant battle to make sure all supervisors are consistent. These days it requires education – why doesn’t a flip-flop with sequins count as a dressy sandal? Not everyone knows. We hold each other accountable as managers and supervisors to address issues as they come up. It can be offputting to employees to be confronted, but hopefully in the long run we’re doing a favor by teaching them what is not acceptable in the business world while maintaining the image and brand we desire.

By: Carol P

Carol P — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:48:15 +0000

Our office does not have a dress code, but we do not have walk in business. When we have clients visiting we dress business casual. It is concerned a wonderful perk to all employees. Out of 25 employess, we have only 3 employed here less than five years, most over 10 years.

By: Andy Greene

Andy Greene — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:09:47 +0000

Do I like it when job candidates or current employees come in looking like they’re going to a trashy nightclub, the beach or a frat party? Absolutely not. I also agree that it can reflect poorly on professionalism.

But I also know that a dress code has been a losing battle for us. We still have one, but we only really get upset if something is too far over the top. We once had a male employee come in wearing a shirt with an obscene phrase on it — we sent him home.