Inappropriate office attire

[boyblue]

My assistant on occasion wears what I believe to be inappropriate office attire. I may be wrong so I figured I’d ask you guys. Are these appropriate ?

Clothing:
Fitted tops
Tops that show midriff when arms are raised
Sleeveless tops
Low cut tops
Hipster jeans or slacks

Footwear:
Push ins like thongs or flip-flops
Open back shoes
Tennis shoes

 

[bsifonte]

As an employer, I think it is acceptable for you to establish a dress code, most corporations do, and other types of jobs require people to wear uniforms, so it is not out of line. You need to explain to your employee the type of image you would like, and let her know it is expected, and of course that your place of work is not a beach.

Maybe you can have one dress-down day!!

 

[geekette]

My assistant on occasion wears what I believe to be inappropriate office attire. I may be wrong so I figured I’d ask you guys. Are these appropriate ?

Clothing:
Fitted tops
Tops that show midriff when arms are raised
Sleeveless tops
Low cut tops
Hipster jeans or slacks

Footwear:
Push ins like thongs or flip-flops
Open back shoes
Tennis shoes

Fitted tops should be great - a nice, tailored appearance. Do you actually mean "form fitting", as that is something different, and yes, inappropriate in the work place.

I'm betting she's young and dressing young. Midriff baring is not appropriate, low cut is just wrong. Sleeveless, well, people argue this. Here, our dress code says sleeveless is only ok if a sweater or something is worn over it.

Hipsters - if we're talking so low that, um, stuff can be seen, Not Appropriate. If we're talking nice slacks that are cut lower, some of us have body types that these styles really work for so if they're nice enuf, that should be ok.

Flip flops - unless you're a lifeguard, NO. Open back and tennis shoes depend on environment.

If I can find our dress code, I'll send it. I agree with previous poster, you need to have the conversation. You will also need to use a phrase kids have cringed at for years: Appearance Counts.

If there are more people in the office, you can draft a dress code "for everyone", otherwise, I think it's just one uncomfortable conversation.

 

[DeniseM]

blueboy - I agree with Geekette, but I'm wondering if office dress in the Bahamas is a lot more casual than most mainland cities?

Also, just curious, what do you wear to the office? If you dress pretty casual, then an easy way to make the change is for you to set a new policy for BOTH of you, stating that you think the office needs a more professional image. Might be less awkward. So that might mean that you have to move up from Dockers and polo shirts to slacks, dress shirt, and tie, or something.

If you can afford it, you might offer her a $500 - $1,000 clothing allowance to go out and buy some office attire. Most women would be pretty happy about that.

 

[Dave M]

Also an employer here. Our office dress code is as follows:

It is [our] desire to maintain an atmosphere of professionalism and decorum for the benefit of employees as well as to convey a positive impression to visitors. Please dress appropriately for our business environment each day.

[Some wording omitted here.]

Business casual is crisp, neat, and should look appropriate for a chance meeting with a customer or vendor. It should not look like cocktail party, picnic or athletic attire.

We have also published the following:

Examples of what is considered inappropriate

· Sweat suits
· T-shirts or sweatshirts
· Shorts
· Spandex type clothing
· Bared midriffs, halter tops or tank tops
· Sheer or revealing clothing
· Backless or low-cut tops
· Mini-skirts
· Jeans of any color/style
· Evening wear
· Flip-flops
· Sneakers

Speaking to some of your specifics, we allow open-backed shoes and sleeveless blouses.

If someone dresses inappropriately, HR speaks to the individual about it. If it happens a second time or if the first time is outrageous (?), we send the individual home to change.

 

[ctreelmom]

I work in a retail setting for a high-end jeweler--very conservative, family-owned. We ladies must wear a skirt or dress slacks and a blouse or other appropriate top or a dress with a jacket. The jacket must have lapels. Now that summer is here, and our store gets very warm, the code is relaxed a bit. I may forego the jacket if I'm wearing a blouse with sleeves, but I may not wear a tank top or other sleeveless top without a jacket.

When wearing a skirt or dress, I must wear stockings and I cannot wear open-toed shoes, sandals or sneakers. For the men, it's a suit and tie; they may shed the jacket in the hot weather.

 

[Gadabout]

You couldn't pay me enough to dress up for any job.



The thing I'd be most concerned with as an employer is the footwear. Drop something on an unprotected foot on your property, and now you have a workplace injury. No open-toed footwear, period.

I would think that maybe some of the more casual attitude towards dress is due to the weather, and whether or not the employer keeps the office at a proper temperature for the style of dress desired.

 

[boyblue]

Thank you everyone that responded you made my work pretty easy. I just printed out this thread and after a brief discussion gave her the printout to read.

 

[DeniseM]

Thank you everyone that responded you made my work pretty easy. I just printed out this thread and after a brief discussion gave her the printout to read.

And how did she respond?

 

[MRSFUSSY]

Hi, maybe I missed it but did you ever mention what this gal did for a living. Her dress code sounds like she might be waiting on tables at an open air beach stand. As an employer myself it is always up to me to set the standards. We had quite a mess with one gal who didn't bath much (I guess) and never used deoderant. When I spoke to her very kindly, so got mad and quit.

 

[shagnut]

Mrs Fussy, boy did that bring back memories. When I worked at Circuit City we had a young "lady" who just plain stunk. My boss was uncomfortable discussing this with her and asked me to help her and talk to her. She cried when I told her but she did clean up her act. I did it as kindly as I could but it wasn't easy. There were a lot of younger kids working there so I was everybody's "mom" shaggy

 

[Htoo0]

Why did everyone assume it was a female?

 

[jme]

My assistant on occasion wears what I believe to be inappropriate office attire. I may be wrong so I figured I’d ask you guys. Are these appropriate ?

Clothing:
Fitted tops
Tops that show midriff when arms are raised
Sleeveless tops
Low cut tops
Hipster jeans or slacks

Footwear:
Push ins like thongs or flip-flops
Open back shoes
Tennis shoes

Are you looking to fire her? Please send pictures. jme

 

[Makai Guy]

Sounds like Linda (Shawnee Smith) on the old tv show Becker ..

 

[Jestjoan]

Becker was the brainchild of my B-I-L. I'm sure David will get a kick out of your reference.

 

[Jestjoan]

From my B-I-L:

I wonder if he’s ever seen the episode where Shawnee wore the see-through blouse. We added a black bar across her chest in post production, but the day we shot the sequence I’d never seen so many crew members paying attention.




I don't remember it at all but I wonder why she wasn't told to change her clothes.

 

[TerriJ]

Here is my rule at work - is he or she clean, covered, and are they getting their work done?

 

[Makai Guy]

From my B-I-L:

I wonder if he’s ever seen the episode where Shawnee wore the see-through blouse. We added a black bar across her chest in post production, but the day we shot the sequence I’d never seen so many crew members paying attention.

I don't remember it at all but I wonder why she wasn't told to change her clothes.

It just ran here a couple of weeks ago. I kinda paid extra attention myself. Is your B-I-L Dave Hackel (Hackle?)?

 

[Jestjoan]

Yes, Hackel is correct........I knew him before my S-I-L law renamed him Dave. LOL

 

[jlr10]

Why did everyone assume it was a female?

Because in my current office the women are the ones wearing fitted tops, tops that showed midriff and low cut jeans, and open back shoes, and flip flops, not the men. In a prior office we had a man who dressed,… how shall I say this…flamboyantly. Personnel knew how to address the lack of nylons and see through blouses, but had a hard time addressing shirts left open to the waist of the skin tight white jeans, and the large chest jewelry. But it was fun to watch them squirm with the issue.

The best answer I heard from HR regarding inappropriate dress was “If you have to ask if it is appropriate to wear to work, it isn’t.”

Also, what did the employee say after your talk and she read the postings?

 

[boyblue]

I'm sorry guys I didn't get right back to this thread.

Well firstly I didn't mention it before but the subject of my inquiry is also my S-I-L. We have a pretty good relationship so it wasn't uncomfortable. I asked you guys because I didn't want it to me imposing my old fashioned values inappropriately.

A little background: S-I-L is a trooper. She is the type of person that you have to tell to take a day off. In 7+ years I can’t remember her taking a sick day.

About our talk, it was fruitful. To clarify; the items I listed were not necessarily what she wears to work. She has never worn anything that was ever way out of line.

My concern before our discussion was that she was unclear about what I expected.

As a result of the discussion, I know that she is clear on what is expected and if she does show up in anything different I know it was either that all call in.

 

[DeniseM]

About our talk, it was fruitful. To clarify; the items I listed were not necessarily what she wears to work. She has never worn anything that was ever way out of line.

Then your original post makes no sense at all...what was the point?

 

[Keitht]

Then your original post makes no sense at all...what was the point?

The OP was asking for advice on inappropriate office attire and the specific items stated were simply example - at least that is how I read it. It seems she was asked what would or would not be appropriate so asked the good people here.

The office I work in initially simply invoked a 'dressing down' day on Fridays. Most people came in what would generally be classed 'smart casual', but one or two had different ideas. One came in wearing a leisure suit and filthy training shoes. Another in garish shorts, open sandals and a vest. We are a subsidiary of a bank!!

It is always the idiots who end up spoiling it for everybody. Because of their actions a list of 'inappropriate' items had to be drawn up. This included denim and any form of sports wear. The inclusion of denim meant that one lady who wore a very nice denim suit (not blue jeans type) on some other days couldn't wear it on the Friday. Framing list effectively is a nightmare.

 

[3kids4me]

I read it the way Denise did...especially because the OP said the following in his first post:

My assistant on occasion wears what I believe to be inappropriate office attire. I may be wrong so I figured I’d ask you guys. Are these appropriate ?

So I also didn't quite understand when he said:

About our talk, it was fruitful. To clarify; the items I listed were not necessarily what she wears to work. She has never worn anything that was ever way out of line.

But, as they say, whatever...lol....

Sharon

 

[boyblue]

I read it the way Denise did...especially because the OP said the following in his first post:



So I also didn't quite understand when he said:



But, as they say, whatever...lol....

Sharon

The list included things that were actually worn, things that if allowed might be worn and things that I felt might be inappropriate but had never been an issue.

I guess my initial question was unclear but I feel I got great input nonetheless.