Dress Code
By Regina M. Robo, News Editor
www.Salary.com
Decoding the Dress Code
It's not your parents' workplace anymore - nor their dress code. Gone are the stuffy three-piece suits and conservative skirt sets of times past, replaced with a canvas of khaki on which a world of individuality is expressed, as if to say, "Trust me: I'm casual." In some corporations and industries, it's Casual Friday every day of the week. Yet even with today's relaxed standards, it's still not a good idea to show up for work in torn shorts and a baggy tee shirt. Especially if you deal directly with customers, the way you express yourself to the world is far more important than the true you - at least while you're on the job. With a little thought and creativity, you can bring the two into harmony with positive professional results.
Evaluate your workplace
Whatever shall you wear to work? Before you can answer, look around you in the office - as early as the interview stage. What's the company style? How does dress relate to the nature of the work? What are people wearing these days to make design presentations? automobiles? closing arguments? pizzas? Get ready to dress the part - in this year's style.
Look to your coworkers for direction, and take your lead from the top, as the catch phrase "dress for the job you want" still applies.
"There's a gray area," said human resources professional Lena Bottos of Salary.com. "If your boss breaks a few dress code rules, then it's okay to adjust your wardrobe choices. Just don't be the first one in the office to break the style barrier."
Also, think about who visits your office when deciding how to dress. Is your space open to visitors, or is it strictly down-and-dirty? Are the visitors from inside the company or outside? What impression do you want to leave on them? And don't forget company executives - top brass might not appreciate the deep cultural symbolism of your latest music concert acquisition.
Some people keep a business suit or the equivalent in their office or workspace in case guests arrive on short notice. Are you ready for a television crew to arrive and film you for the news?
The do's and don'ts are changing
Etiquette books tend to take a conservative approach to the office. Emily Post, for example, swears that "business casual" doesn't exist, while Amy Vanderbilt prefers women not to wear pants to the office. Workplace style in the 1990s was liberated from the structured 1980s, and improvements in synthetic fabrics have given designers new materials from which to create casual clothing that appears professional. During the Internet boom, the startup culture of the West Coast brought business casual to an art form.
So, is it "anything goes" today? As in the past, your appearance on the job is a mirror that reflects your personal style in the context of the office culture and the nature of your job. What you wear continues to say a lot about your work. So think about your company, your teammates, clients, management, and your position when reaching into your closet, and you'll always come out a winner.
Clothes that Say "Pay Me More"
In most jobs, it's unlikely your employer will ever send you home to change if you break one of the written or unwritten rules of the corporate dress code. But every day, you get a chance to make a statement about your value to the company through your choice of clothes. Moreover, salary negotiations can happen at any time. So don't get caught off guard in your old lucky sweatshirt from your college exams on the day the company decides to offer spot bonuses. Here's a list of ways to say "pay me more" - or at least avoid saying "pay me less" - with your wardrobe.
Would you ask for a raise wearing...
- Loud colors
- Bold patterns
- Oversized buttons
- Tank tops
- Tee shirts
- Athletic shorts
- Athletic sandals
- Scuffed shoes
- Shiny or see-through fabrics
- Tight/revealing clothing
- Ripped jeans
- Showy belt buckles
- Anything dirty, stained, or torn
- Shirts with offensive words or pictures
- Tattoos/piercings
Ladies, could you keep a straight face asking for a bonus wearing...
- Fishnet stockings
- Visible lingerie (bra straps, garter belts, etc.)
- Glitter/club makeup
Gentlemen, how will it affect your total cash compensation if you sport...
- Messy facial hair
- Baseball cap
- Bawdy tie
Would you pay more for a dirty car?
Think of yourself, for the sake of illustration, in terms of a product you sell your company every year. If you want to resell the product at a higher price next year, you'll do your best to present it in good, clean working order. That includes the following.
- Cleanliness - Practices vary from culture to culture, but in U.S. business it's customary to arrive at work having showered and shampooed within the previous 24 hours.
- Groomed nails - Fingernails should be kept clean, short or moderate in length - and out of your mouth.
- Cheerful breath - Food-related bad breath can be managed by keeping a toothbrush at work for those after-lunch meetings. Chronic bad breath is a treatable medical condition; consult your doctor if you think it's you.
- Understated scent - Light, discreet perfumes and colognes are a form of personal expression and pride; but overpowering scents can detract from your more important messages about the work itself.
Body Art in the Workplace
Nearly 40 years after "flower power," body art has seen a resurgence. Men and women flaunt pierced navels at the beach, sterling silver glinting in the sun. Tattoo parlors have popped up in suburban areas in response to the demands of the younger generations, while some Baby Boomers are reviving their flirtations with their inky past.
This form of self-expression, once strictly reserved for bikers, sailors, and other unsavory types, has found its way into the boardrooms and backrooms of companies all over the world. Although the corporate world is loosening up, not all Wall Street investment firms and family-friendly malls are ready for studded and inked employees.
"Generally, I think body art is viewed as a negative thing in the professional world," said Cathy Cluff, director of operations, advertising, and marketing at the Oaks at Ojai and The Palms at Palm Springs, two California-based health and beauty spas. It may be a harsh reality to accept, but fashion statements can cross the line of personal expression into potentially career-damaging ideograms.
Consistency, respect for diversity are keys to a successful policy
Companies can limit employees' personal expression on the job as long as they do not impinge on their civil liberties. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers are allowed to impose dress codes and appearance policies as long as they do not discriminate or hinder a person's race, color, religion, age, national origin, or gender.
Who's the boss?
Although much body art is decorative, fashion is not its exclusive purpose. In the Maori culture of Polynesia, for example, it is customary to apply tattoos to areas of the body including the face in a spiritual practice known as Ta Moko.
Human resource experts will recommend that a company's dress code not only adhere to the government regulations, but also be based on legitimate business reasons, and be applied consistently. "This type of issue speaks to things like gender, race, setting and enforcing policy, and standing by that policy as well," said Mallary Tytel, president and CEO of ETP, Inc., a Connecticut-based nonprofit health and human resources development corporation.
Consistent application of a policy is an issue behind a recent lawsuit that arose after Ameritech Corp. asked three of its telephone line technicians to lose the jewelry, or lose the job. The company claimed that facial jewelry could be a potential safety hazard. The employees fought the "safety-based" policy and were subsequently suspended without pay. The workers filed grievances with their union and are taking part in an in-house investigation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a government agency designed to protect workers on the job, said people working near electric lines, including telephone workers, should refrain from wearing all types of jewelry. Unfortunately, Ameritech's current policy only attacks non-traditional facial piercings, and not ear piercings or other jewelry. The suspended linemen have stated that they would return to work if the policy applied to all jewelry and to all employees, a change that would follow the OSHA rules to the letter.
Enthusiasts sometimes argue that piercings and tattoos are inherently spiritual. "Body art is a form of sacred self-expression," said Rose Pulda, proprietor and senior body piercer of Miraculous Creations in Worcester, Mass., a body art emporium. "There are as many reasons for getting [piercings] as there are people getting them. But it's personal, it's a deep soul kind of thing."
Tytel agreed that body art with religious and spiritual connotations falls into a different category. "If you require business attire, the key is to create a dress code including a body art policy," she said. "This of course does not speak to tattoos, piercings, or body art that have religious, ethnic, or cultural meanings."
Body art policy can be tied to corporate dress code
While managers offer varied advice on how to create a solid dress code, most recognize that policies can differ across industries and corporate cultures. "There are extremes," said Duncan Browne, senior vice president of Newbury Comics, a Boston, Mass.-based chain of music and comic retailers. "I don't think many employees of banks display body art, but at a place like Newbury Comics, let your freak flag fly!"
Tytel agreed that policies are just as unique as the body art they regulate. "It depends on the company's mission, goals, and desired outcomes, in terms of identifying what's in the best interest of the corporation," she said. "You may want to tie your policy to a general dress code policy - that way it provides a context."
Companies should have a policy in place before conflict arises. "In our employee manual, we have a section about employee personal appearance where it says 'no excessive piercing and tattooing,'" said Browne. "We wanted to make sure we have the option based on management discretion, that if somebody is found to be excessive, we can do something about it." Even though body art is prevalent among Newbury Comics employees, the company has yet to dismiss an employee due to the policy.
They used to say, "Get a haircut, son"
As body art becomes easier and safer to apply, the percentage of employees reporting to work with body art increases. However, most corporations do not have a policy in place, since it's only recently that tattooing and piercing have become more mainstream. "Companies need to look at how they are going to address this issue in the future," said Tytel.
The situation also addresses the generation gap between Baby Boomer management and junior Gen X-ers, ironically recalling the cultural divide in the late 1960s and early 1970s over facial hair and skirt lengths. "As we start recruiting more high school and college graduates, we have to start looking at different issues than when we entered the workforce," said Tytel.
Can freedom of expression be good for business?
The justification for many corporate policies about appearance is the impact on customers and other business associates. "Hiring a person is ultimately about qualifications, but the employer does have rights," said Tytel. If clients have a problem with certain modes of dress or ornamentation, the human resources department may have to take that into account when interviewing prospective candidates. "The main thing is that if it makes one of our guests uncomfortable, then we have to implement a policy to prevent that from happening," said Cluff. "It's just like anything else - if a person isn't willing to wear the uniform assigned to them, they would not take the job, or they would receive a notice."
But a similar rationale has justified many discriminatory practices in the past - including not hiring women for executive positions because of the impression it might make in certain international settings; conducting business at exclusive country clubs because it's what clients expect; and prohibiting hairstyles that are prevalent among an ethnic minority that is not well represented in the company in the first place. The most progressive companies keep an eye on how the general culture changes, and revise their policies and practices to keep pace.
Moreover, taking a candidate out of the running because of body art isn't always practical. "You'd obviously want to talk about the issue, reach some compromises," said Tytel. "Can the person do the job? If they are sitting in a computer lab, not dealing with clients, perhaps it doesn't matter what they are wearing."
Tytel cautions HR professionals to separate their personal views from their company's. Also, she recommends that companies work with their clients to educate them about religious or cultural forms of expression if necessary.
And you never know: some clients may respond favorably to a pro-piercing policy. Pulda, who sports many noticeable tattooes and piercings, said, "I won't shop at a store that I know doesn't allow them - and they're missing out, because I love to spend money."
Back to Job Related Articles
About Salary.com -
Salary.com is the leading provider of compensation related data, applications, and services to enterprises, small businesses, and individuals. Salary.com's products shape, influence, and facilitate millions of pay related decisions each year. Salary.com's enterprise software helps companies manage their compensation expenditures with real time, decision ready data and analytical tools. Backed by a team of Certified Compensation Professionals, Salary.com is your partner in compensation.