REWARD INSIGHT
Office dress codes
Lynn Morrison, head of business engagement at Opus Energy, discusses switching to a more casual dress code and how to go about it
T he tech start-ups may have spearheaded the dressed-down office trend, but nowadays more and more companies are adopting it. Dress for the job you want When people say you should dress for the job that you want, they usually mean that you should look to the senior members of your organisation. When you’re a small business that might not make as much sense. Rather than modelling your wardrobe choices off the company owner’s closet, you may be better off thinking about your customers instead. Who are your customers? How do they dress? What do they expect to see when they meet you? The answers will vary widely depending on your type of business. For example, if you are an auto mechanic, they might prefer branded overalls. If you’re a retail shop, smart casual could be a better fit. If you’re running a service business with limited face-to-face contact with your customers, allowing your employees to wear comfortable, casual clothing could be a free employee benefit. Unless you’re running a fitness centre, having some sort of minimum standard that rules out activewear is still a good idea, and a reasonable request in exchange for the luxury of otherwise dressing as they see fit. Sell in the new standard Introducing or making changes to the workplace dress code can easily set off grumbling if it isn’t handled properly. Before you make any changes, let your employees know that you are looking into the idea and the reasons why. If you’re simply doing this because of your personal preferences and the end-result is bound to be unpopular with your employees, you
should go back to the drawing board. If possible, invite your employees into a meeting and walk them through your thoughts. Outline important points such as customer expectation, business positioning and employee well-being. Give them the opportunity to ask questions and try to address any concerns face-to-face. This will help make it clear that their opinions are valid and give you a chance to further explain your motivations. ...changes to the workplace dress code can easily set off grumbling if it isn’t handled properly Be clear of expectations You may think it goes without saying that, even with a casual dress code, you would choose to dress smarter on a day when you must visit a client or run an important meeting. But not everyone will think the same way as you. While your co-workers and employees would never want to be patronised, it would be useful to outline exactly what the parameters of your dress code are. Perhaps it means you can dress down in your work space, but external visits are smarter, or an ‘emergency tie’ is kept in the desk drawer, just in case a customer wants an impromptu meeting. Without pre-set parameters like these, it can be very hard to justify your concerns if employees perceive themselves to be following the guidelines. And, of course, the person who enforces the code must
be the one who sticks to it most doggedly – you wouldn’t want to set a precedent of different rules for different people (unless these have been employed for a valid reason). Circle the date Before implementing your new dress code, be sure to give employees (and possibly even yourself) time to purchase any new items needed for their wardrobe. If the change is significant and is likely to cause employees to incur sizeable expenses, you may want to provide your existing employees with a personal budget to help cover some or all of the costs. Mark the start date in everyone’s calendar and send out a reminder a few days before. Give your team a few days of leeway before speaking to anyone who fails to comply. If appropriate, outline clear penalties for lack of compliance (disciplinary, sending home, eventual dismissal) and follow through with anyone who isn’t in-line after the first week. When looked at in isolation, it is silly to think that anyone would risk their job because of a change in dress code, so it may be a sign of deeper problems or other job-related dissatisfaction. Once you’ve got more than a couple of employees, making sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to company dress is important. The last thing you want is for one person to come to a client meeting in jeans while the other is in a suit. Select the standard that is best for your business and your customers, and work with your team to get everybody on board. n For more tips, guidance and information for small- to medium-size enterprise and start-ups, visit www.brighterbusiness.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | July/August 2017 | Issue 32 32
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