TAKE A NOTE: WORKPLACE DRESS CODE POLICIES

SUMMARY: Readers may remember that, last year, Emily Blunt criticised the Cannes film festival when a woman was denied entry to a screening for wearing flat shoes and that in May of this year it was reported that a woman was sent home from work after refusing to wear high heels. With recent statistics showing that women are buying more trainers than high heels it may be fair to assume that flat shoes are replacing heels as the woman’s shoe of choice. But how does this impact on the workplace and how might organisations deal with, what might be termed, more casual attire being worn by its employees? This is where the use of a dress code policy comes into play. For those employers considering the implementation of a dress code policy we have set out below five key considerations which should be taken into account when deciding the dress code that best suits your organisation’s requirements.

Workplace Dress Code Policies

• Make dress codes relevant to roles – consider the reasons behind the code.
• Ensure the code is non-discriminatory, applying equally to men and women. Different standards of dress can be identified as long as the standards, for example for males and females, are equivalent and applied equally.
• There could be a requirement to cover tattoos and body piercings if there is a sound business reason for this e.g. a customer facing role.
• Workers may want to wear items that manifest their religious faith e.g. a hijab or kippah. It may be possible to restrict this, but there could be discrimination issues – seek legal advice!
• The dress code should be in writing and communicated to all staff. Consultation would help to increase overall adherence.

CONTACT DETAILS

For more details about workplace dress code policies, please contact:

fgmedia@fgsolicitors.co.uk

+44 (0) 1604 871143