Dress Code

Carolsmith · June 2005

The dress code for the company has been business casual for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and what we call dress down on Thursday and Friday. Jeans are acceptable because on Thursday several employees test drive new owner/operators and Friday is just because it is Friday and those are the reasons for dress down on two days of the week. Over the years management has expressed the importance of dressing professional and being well groomed. We basically have most employees dressing professionally and of course there are a few that do not violate the dress code but just have poor taste. After reading the above what affect do you think it will have if the employees are told that they may wear shorts on Friday during the month of July to see how it goes. The owner of the company is building next door to the facility and he told a department head to announce that on Friday's during July shorts would be acceptable. Since he is the owner, it seems as though no one wants to challenge him on the decision, and I have been told by several to let it go if that is what he wants. Our building is climate controlled and usually very chillyt. What would you do?

pork1 · June 2005

CAROLSMITH: I believe I would put out a notice and identify with an adequate drawing of the type of shorts that are or will be acceptable. I would also include an acceptable top and coverage of the Belly Button and hip bones information that is important to the wearing of a short / blouse. Skorts is the term that we went to and is acceptable for wear in public and business dress down days. Don't6 forget the men for some of them wil push the limits and come dressed in an undergarment shirt that the young men wear as a top on the streets, but would not be acceptable even in on a dressdown day.

PORK

LivindonSouth · June 2005

Yes, be sure hip bones are covered. \\ My question to you is what type of business is yours? What industry? Who are your customers? Are you frequented by the public? A little about your size and demographics? Let's start from there.

Carolsmith · June 2005

We are expediters of freight. All employees are office workers and our building is about 11 - 12 years old, very large and tastfully decorated by the owners wife with the help of decorators. We have 140 employees in the building and 25 sales people working out of their homes. We have various vendors visit us as well as people who lease their trucks on with us (approximately 700 trucks, all independant contractors). We usually know when customers are going to visit and then for sure we need to dress in business casual. I don't believe shorts in a climate controlled building or an office environment is proper, but as of this A.M., it seems as though Friday is the day. I may be acting a little stubborn, but no one has ask me to put out a guideline or notice on this, it just has been verbalized to the Manager of our Operations (Dispatch) Department and a few people said they will wear shorts, but I heard several hourly employees say that they don't agree that shorts should be allowed and that it is too cold in the bilding anyhow. If need be I will set guidelines after I finish pouting. Thanks for all your responses.

HRinNH · June 2005

We don't allow shorts at all. Though we have a relatively small office staff, it would be too hard to police. I agree with Pork though; if you're going to do this, post example photos of what is and isn't allowed. Good luck.

Rockie · June 2005

We don't allow shorts at all for the same reasons we had to "outlaw" wearing jeans. People push the limit of good taste and can't seem to grasp that no one wants to look at their fat rolling between the top of a low cut waistband and a midrift top.

We go thru this every summer with people dressing to the limit with low cut tops and crop pants that are so tight, you are really thankful you CAN see the panty lines (it's good to know they still consider undergarments mandatory).

There have been a few cases where individuals were so bad we had to send them home to change (without pay).

I usually have to give my little "talk" at orientation that a medical practice is not a night club and our patients don't expect to see such outlandish outfits at a workplace. Oh, how I wish we could put everyone in scrubs!!!

JM in ATL · June 2005

Well it looks like I'm not alone. I don't know if that is reassuring or not.

I just sent out a dress code reminder b/c there was a young lady in the office who was exposing more boob than she was covering. Unfortunately she is not what you would call a.. um.. petite girl. So it was like boobapallooza going on in the CS dept.

Anyway - I agree that shorts have no business in the workplace (unless you're a gym coach). People don't grasp the idea of modesty and professionalism when it comes to shorts. THERE ARE nice shorts out there, they just seem to allude those with common sense.

Show pictures, document length, specify clean, describe material and include that they must be ironed and/or wrinkle free. This is especially important if you have employees who shop at Ambercrombie where they sell pre-wrinkled shorts.

Good luck!! I hope you don't end up seeing someone's end up!! (hee hee hee)

LivindonSouth · June 2005

Thank God and Calvin Klein that seersucker pants are no longer in style for men. Some years ago, I had a wiley old cuss, probably 55, who never wore anything but blue/white and yellow/white seersucker pants, which I thought to be thin cotton. This 'gentleman' also had a mechanical, hydraulic pump mechanism to keep him, shall we say, active. Well, those things always resulted in the 'owner' being about 45%, shall we say, UP. Couple that with seersucker and a deviant, wormy little, ball-headed guy with thick glasses and I had a recipe for disaster. This was the year before 'sexual harassment' became a popular byword and I think the law was crafted with HIM in mind. Thankfully he finally died.

Carolsmith · June 2005

I remember those ugly seersucker pants. Bad taste, especially in his condition.

Kent · June 2005

>Thank God and Calvin Klein that seersucker pants
>are no longer in style for men. Some years ago,
>I had a wiley old cuss, probably 55, who never
>wore anything but blue/white and yellow/white
>seersucker pants, which I thought to be thin
>cotton. This 'gentleman' also had a mechanical,
>hydraulic pump mechanism to keep him, shall we
>say, active. Well, those things always resulted
>in the 'owner' being about 45%, shall we say,
>UP. Couple that with seersucker and a deviant,
>wormy little, ball-headed guy with thick glasses
>and I had a recipe for disaster. This was the
>year before 'sexual harassment' became a popular
>byword and I think the law was crafted with HIM
>in mind. Thankfully he finally died.

WT · June 2005

We did permit shorts at one time. However, the shorts got way too short. Complaints would then come to my office asking me to go look at what so and so is wearing today. I really do not care for that particular duty. Running shorts with a slit up the side and panties hanging out of the bottom were about the last straw. We do not permit shorts in the office now. Maybe you will have better luck.

HRLASS · June 2005

We currently do allow shorts in the office in limited situations.
1) The Customer Service internal call center - but they are supposed to be of reasonable length - generally described as bermuda shorts.
2) Customer Service meter readers in the field - also bermuda shorts and I believe they fall into our uniform category which means they go to certain stores that offer an employee discount and can buy what the company has dictated in their size. These folks spend too much time outside in 90+ degree weather not to be allowed to wear shorts in warm weather.

lorrie · June 2005

My sister is a school teacher and their school says shorts must be long enough to extend past your fingertips when standing straight with arms at your side. I've always thought that made a fairly easy way to judge them, instead of measuring inseam etc.

Whirlwind · June 2005

Anybody who's measuring inseams in the workplace has got bigger problems than a dress code.x;-)

lorrie · June 2005

You are right! Measuring inseams at work is not a good idea. I actually do this for my teenage daughters. When we are looking at shorts in a store (before trying them on) I hold the inside seam between my forefinger and middle finger. If my fingers touch the crotch seam, they are too short. My daughters feel this is way too restrictive because it eliminates so many shorts, and I still think it leaves some way too short, but that is where I've drawn the line.

Luckily, we don't wear shorts at all in our office.

Dress Code

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