Why Make A Dress Code? Fewer Worries, Fewer Accidents, and Fewer Lawsuits

Whenever you talk about dress codes, you run into sticky issues with the First Amendment and the right to free speech. You and everybody else have the right to free speech... but so do companies.

Businesses also have the right to express messages in a manner that they see fit, and court rulings have backed that up. It makes sense. After all, an employee is working under the terms of the employer, so it's logical that the employee would need to follow the employer's rules.

If you're trying to promote a certain message with your business, then it's absolutely imperative that you institute a dress code. A precise dress code in conjunction with custom embroidered uniforms can have a dramatic impact on your business.  

Uniformity

Image source: Armyrecognition.com[/caption]

Uniforms give off a message of uniformity. Well, that's kind of obvious, isn't it? It's right there in the name. Uniforms or unified dress codes can help to foster a cohesive group identity for your business. If one of your employees is dressed in a suit and tie, and another employee is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, then they're each going to be sending different messages to customers. It's probably safe to say that most customers would just assume that the guy in the suit worked there, while the guy in the jeans was another customer. A cohesive dress code can cut down on confusion and lead to a more productive work environment.  

Safety Hazards

 

Certain types of clothing just don't meld well with certain types of businesses. A factory worker who wears a tie around heavy-duty machinery would risk getting strangled. A chef wearing flip flops would risk injuring his feet by dropping knives or boiling water.

Dress codes are a simple but effective way to cut out any dangerous clothing options in favor of safer alternatives. If you use custom embroidered uniforms, then that's killing two birds with one stone -- your employees will have a more unified look and you can eliminate any potential safety hazards.
 

No more "Is this too formal?"

You're staring at your closet. Over on one side you've got all of your formal stuff, and over on the other you've got your relaxed, casual stuff. You scratch your chin and wonder, "How formal is this event going to be, anyway?" We've all been there before. Dressing too formally or too informally can lead to inappropriate and embarrassing situations.

Establishing a dress code cuts out that worry. Instead of stressing over whether or not an article of clothing is appropriate attire, employees can simply consult the dress code.  




A great example of this comes from a legal issue last year. Lauren Odes, pictured above, worked at a lingerie shop and was fired after one week for allegedly being "too hot." Her employers had repeatedly asked her to wear less provocative clothing and at one point even asked her to go buy baggier clothes. The catch? There wasn't any sort of actual dress code in place. Odes explained, "When I first started working there, I asked what the dress code was, and I was just told to look around and see what everyone else was wearing." Hence the lawsuit.