by Bob Schmidt

Created on: May 24, 2007

Setting a dress code in the workplace accomplishes several things; it establishes an atmosphere of professionalism and uniformity, eliminates the potential for inappropriate clothing being worn by employees, and allows employees to easily meet expectations.

First impressions are lasting images in most people's minds, and competitive markets do not permit us to be lax about how customers perceive our business. Whether we are talking about uniforms, or simply uniform dressing codes, customers appreciate being tended to by professional looking sales personnel.

Since many offices are now much more diverse than ever before, the establishment of uniform dress requirements eliminates the potential variances of opinion as to what is appropriate in the office. It can be surprising how distracting a "maverick" dresser can be to other employees. A woman wearing provocative clothing can anger other female employees, while distracting male employees.

In some cases, employees make great efforts to please their employers. They want to meet expectations in every area. Without a stated dress code, they must depend upon their own judgment. That can be stressing to those who realize that they do not have a knack at fashions. Since everyone has different tastes, dress codes eliminate problems.

Within any potential dress codes, a word of caution is in order. Employees like to express themselves in their manner of dress. Happy employees need to feel as if they look good, so make sure that individual expression is not totally eliminated by overly strict control of attire. Image, and professionalism are not synonymous with being a control freak!

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