Dress Codes Should Consider Culture And Clients

David Monks’ commentary was included in an article for the Society for Human Resource Management on summer dress codes.

You may not have to take it as far as one judge did—when he banned sleeveless shirts in his courtroom—but it’s a good idea to revisit your summer dress code now, before you’re forced to address hot-weather attire that may be unsuitable at work.

During summer, many companies allow workers to dress more casually, which means women’s hemlines can creep up, men may show up in shorts and both may shed the fancy footwear for flip-flops.

“The line that an employer draws should involve a balancing of several factors, such as risk management, culture of the workplace and any image the employer wants to convey to clients, customers and other outsiders,” said David. “Sandals, capris and sleeveless shirts may be no big deal to some employers but simply not appropriate in the minds of other employers.”

Click here to read the full article.