Q: I just hired a new employee who dressed very professionally during the interview process, but has since come into the office in very casual attire. How to I tactfully share with him that he needs to dress more professionally?
A: Employee appearance is an essential part of many businesses who wish to convey a particular image to customers or ensure their brand guidelines are adhered to. First impressions count and, in today’s saturated markets, a bad first impression can lead to a customer being lost to a competitor.
It is vital that employers are taking action as soon as they become aware there is an issue with employee dress because leaving this to continue will make it harder to resolve later down the line.
Employers can initially tackle this informally by taking the employee to one side and having an informal chat about their workplace attire. It may be that the employee was not aware of what was required of them once they got the role. Where there is a company dress code in place, their attention can be drawn to its existence, where it is located and what requirements this places on the employee.
Any non-explicit phrases such as “smart office attire” should be explained to the employee. For example, some companies may require shirt, collar and tie whereas others only require a smart shirt to be worn so an explanation may sometimes be helpful. If there is not a dress code, outline what standard of dress is expected. It is important to explain why a dress code is in place, as understanding the need for it makes it easier for employees to comply.
In most cases, an informal chat will be enough to change the way the employee is dressing as the company’s requirements have been reiterated to them in a positive manner. When this does not work, the employer can commence a formal procedure under their dress code or the normal disciplinary policy.
Any formal sanction needs to be reasonable in the circumstances so employers are likely to have to start at the lower end of their sanctions with generally a verbal warning, although this can be increased if the employee has any live warnings on file.
Continued flouting of the requirement to wear professional dress will enable the employer to award higher sanctions, eventually moving through to final warning and, potentially, dismissal. This is likely to only occur in extreme circumstances because the earlier warnings should be sufficient to change the employee’s attitude to breaching the dress code as they become aware that flouting this is not tolerated.
Peter Done is managing director of law firm Peninsula
