This week, Jeans for Genes Day invites employees to wear jeans to work in return for a contribution to the charity that supports children affected by a genetic disorder in the UK.
As this event gains more engagement every year, it raises a valid question; is there any reason why employees of certain sectors can’t take a more casual approach to their workwear every day?
Dress codes
You know that times have changed irreversibly when Goldman Sachs relaxed their dress code for their IT and Engineering teams. The banking giant, known for their strict dress codes, updated their policy recently in an attempt to attract younger IT and tech employees with their year long casual dress code.
Dress codes are often used in the workplace and there are many good reasons to have one, for example to wear a uniform to communicate a corporate image and ensure that customers can easily identify them. Often dress codes are introduced for health and safety reasons, for example health care where employees may not be allowed to wear jewellery for safety reasons when around patients and certain clothing may not be allowed in factories while operating machinery.
Ok, so we’ve mentioned a few reasons when dress code is must. But what about when it’s not? Here it becomes more ambiguous. It seems that dress codes will continue to be more relaxed, especially when there’s no justification in some industries to wear certain clothes, but how can you create a clear policy that everyone not only understands but also buys into?
There are three key points to keep in mind:
Be accommodating
Listen to your people and don’t underestimate the power of a more relaxed dress code. It might seem like a small thing, but your employees see modern approaches as hugely beneficial, so don’t underestimate it.
Be Fair
Dress codes must apply to both men and women equally, although they may have different requirements, such as ‘men must wear a tie’. Reasonable adjustments must be made for disabled people when dress codes are in place.
Be Clear
Make sure that your policy is crystal clear so employees understand exactly what is expected of them, but make sure you cater for those exceptions that are guaranteed to arise and question the policy that you’ve shed sweat and tears over. As an example, if your employees want to break the rules for the day to wear a Christmas jumper, make sure they know that they need to ask permission first to take part, if this is what you expect from them.
Read our blog here for more tips on creating a dress code in the workplace