Your Summertime Office Image: Infield at a NASCAR Race or Professional Workplace?

Is your workplace looking more like a beach party or Caribbean cruise than a professional office these days?

If so, you're not alone. As many managers and HR professionals will attest, when the mercury rises, the “casual” in business casual tends to dip to new lows in the workplace. Flip flops, halter tops, tank tops, short shorts, and other fashion faux pas begin to show up like so many unwanted guests when summertime arrives.

And according to a 2007 Yahoo! Hot Jobs “Dress in the Workplace” poll of workers and job recruiters, casual is clearly “in” when it comes to workplace dress. Nearly half of U.S. workers opt for jeans or other attire when dressing for work, while 37 percent choose work clothes that are considered business casual.

It's all part of a growing trend: Many businesses have retired their traditional coat-and-tie dress codes and have selected a more dressed-down approach. The theory driving the change? Comfortable workers are more productive.

But experts point out that overly casual office attire can create a host of problems in the workplace. Employees who look like they're headed toward the beach or who could double for NASCAR driver groupies can send the wrong impression to internal and external customers.

So how do you keep the summertime loosening of fashion sense from destroying your company's image without cooling off employee morale?

Here are some tips from Mary Lou Andre, president and founder of Organization By Design Inc., and editor of www.dressingwell.com; and Susan Heathfield, writer for the About.com Human Resources Web site and owner of Williamston-based Heathfield Consulting Associates, a management and organization development firm that specializes in HR-related services

• Consider the culture: When it comes to appropriate attire for your business, one size definitely does not fit all. “It's the nature of your business that determines your dress code,” Heathfield said. How much interaction do your employees have with customers? Answering that question can help determine the appropriate attire for your workplace. When she helps create dress codes for business clients, Andre also takes other factors into consideration, such as the company's organizational chart, the company's brand, what kind of benefits the business offers employees, the region where the company is located, and other considerations that help define a company's culture. “We do that really to create that buy-in.”
• Create a code: “Your employees actually want to know what's appropriate in the workplace,” Heathfield said. To design a policy, it's a good idea to create a committee made up of employees, managers, and executives, she said. A dress code is “fundamentally very intrusive to most people.” But if you get people involved in the process, it creates buy-in.
• Provide training: Have a training session for employees and managers so that everyone learns what's appropriate, Andre said. And to help enforce the code, Heathfield said, make sure employees sign a statement saying that they have received the training, and that they have read and understand the policy. The training doesn't have to be a run-of-the-mill session either. Heathfield helped organize a “fashion show” for one client as a way to help employees understand the company's definition of business casual. A local store supplied the clothing, and runway participants received gift certificates.
• Walk the talk: Once the dress code is in effect, make sure that executives are setting the right example, Andre said. If employees are supposed to be wearing business casual attire, it sends the wrong message if top-tier executives sport jeans and sweatshirts.
• Educate early and often: Get the word out about your company's dress code during the hiring process and when you're orienting new employees, Andre said. Monthly or quarterly meetings also can provide good opportunities to quickly review dress code basics with employees. Such reviews are especially helpful when seasons are about to change, such as right before Memorial Day and Labor Day, she said.
• Pick your battles: Even with a well-crafted dress code, there still can be a lot of room for interpretation, Andre said. If an employee is coming to the office wearing dated clothing, or if you simply dislike his or her “style,” it's probably best to keep your opinions to yourself. On the other hand, if a female employee shows up wearing a tube top, it's probably time to have a conversation. Two questions can help you determine whether to confront someone: Does the clothing create a distraction? Is the clothing choice disrespectful to others?
• Confront violators: Managers do not do employees any favors by avoiding the tough conversations about dress code violations, Andre said. What to say? Something along the lines of: “Your clothing is distracting. Your clothing isn't professional.” Treat dress code violations like any other breach of company policy, Heathfield said. A verbal warning would be appropriate for a first offense. For the second? Send the employee home to change. Give the employee a written verbal warning for a third offense. Sometimes there are other considerations when confronting employees. For example, a male manager may feel uncomfortable confronting a female employee, Heathfield said. In such instances, it may make sense to have a female supervisor address the problem or to have an open-door meeting with another female supervisor in the room. If someone is dressing inappropriately all the time, get HR involved.
• Be consistent. Make sure that the dress code is consistently enforced, Heathfield said. It is not okay for one department to get away with a lax interpretation of the dress code, and for other departments to be held to a stricter standard. This is where the challenge comes in for human resources – making sure the rules are evenly and fairly applied.

Additional Resources:

• “Dress for Work Success: A Business Casual Dress Code,” by Susan Heathfield, About.com.
• “Dress and Grooming Toolkit,” member-only access, Society for Human Resource Management.
• “Employees' Summer Attire Causes Dress Code Headaches,” Employment Law Today.

Written by Jenny Cromie, certified human resources specialist (CHRS)