Employee Dress Codes

Can organizations tell employees how to dress and groom? In general employers can regulate an employee’s appearance. Many employers this day and age require employees to wear formal attire. Many employers do require employees to follow a dress code that is forced by the company’s policies. Most dress codes are legal and do not discriminate. Employers can regulate clothing, piercings, nails and hair depending on the environment of the organization. Food industry’s like Hershey or Cargill typically require employees to wear hair nets for women or men who have long hair. False nails are prohibited in these facilities and somewhat violate FDA laws. There are also regulations on facial hair for men. A lot of dress codes are enforced for the safety of the employees. There are some employers that require their employee’s to wear uniforms so that all of the employees look uniform. The law gives employers a lot of leeway in creating the culture they desire in their workplace, which includes allowing the employers to make the decision on how employees should dress and groom. There are some employers that like to create a professional setting by requiring their employees to wear suits. Other employers like to create an environment that is casual that allows employees to wear T-shirts and denim jeans. Any rule that is created by an employer is fine as long as it doesn’t violate state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination and harassment. Some employers can impose a different standard of grooming for women and men employees. Women can wear their hair long and men are required to wear their hair short is an example.
According to the reading many employers have a code of conduct and handbook that is given to …show more content…
(2013). Dressing the Part? The Significance of Dress in Social Work. Social Work Education, 32(3), 365-379. doi:10.1080/02615479.2012.667798

Bryars, L. L. (2011). Human resource management. Boston, MA: The McGraw Hill