EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This executive summary provides our findings and evaluation of the topic Employers
should be free to institute dress codes.
Actually, dress codes are popular policies in the workplace and can be found within
companies of all sizes. Dress code is defined as a set of rules that specifies the required manners
of dress at school, office, restaurant, and so on. It might cover not only outfits but also individual
garments, accessories and footwear. The employers should take advantage and disadvantage of
dress code into consideration before making the policies.
1. Pros of dress code
Dress code has positive effects on both internal and external aspects.
Internal aspects:

Dress code promotes a sense of unity among the staff in order to create a professional
environment in the company. It promotes team spirit among employees, and maintains
consistent image that communicate the firms standards and culture to its clients. It also
imperatively bridges the gap between employee image and corporate image locally and
globally.

Dress code helps to prevent distraction during the working process as it levels the playing
field among peers in regard to offensive or abrasive personal styles. A unified code helps
reduce harassment or unwarranted confrontations that might arise from behavior born of
an employees personal style. When people dress in a more uniform manner, it is easier
for others to see past individual idiosyncrasies and treat each other as equals.
For example, forty percent of 1,000 human resource executives surveyed in 1999 by
Jackson Lewis, an employment law firm, said easy-going dress codes improved

workplace productivity, but when polled a year later, 45 percent linked laxer standards to
tardiness and absenteeism, while 25 percent said more casual attire contributed to
flirtatious behavior. More than 1000 human resource executives who had implemented a
dress down policy reported a 30% increase in flirtatious behavior, contributing to an
increase in sexual harassment lawsuits.

Dress code boosts employees productivity.

In the study Power of personal appearance of Judith Rasband, Conselle L.C. president

and CEO, Director of the Conselle Institute of Image Management, she indicated that: What you
wear and the way you look affects: the way you think, the way you feel, the way you act or
behave, and then the way others react or respond to you.
Positive Perception
It may not be totally fair, but the way you dress at work affects how people perceive your job
performance. Someone who takes the time to look good and be well-groomed is seen as being
more serious and motivated about her job than someone whose style of dress seems lazy.
According to a 2008 article by Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for
CareerBuilder.com, the site conducted a survey in which 41 percent of all employers said that
employees who dress more professionally are more likely to be promoted. In the financial
services industry, the number was even higher -- 55 percent
Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8136169_importance-professional-dressworkplace.html#ixzz349D46XOi
Stephen Goode states the findings of research psychologist, Jeffery L. Magee:
Continually relaxed dress leads to relaxed manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity
and leads to a decrease in company loyalty and increase in tardiness.

 External aspects:

Dress code gains impression of a trustworthy company with professional employees from
customers. It ensures that when customers look at the staffs, they see people who are
dressed appropriately for the industry, which may boost their confidence in the business
as a whole.
Among the 218 organizations responding to the XpertHR dress code survey, 156 (72%)
have dress code regulations or guidelines, or operate a policy on dress or appearance at
work. The two charts below illustrate the benefits and successful rate of dress code for
those firms.

2. Cons of dress code

Staff may be unhappy if there is a substantial cost implication as they have to buy new
clothes suitable for the firms dress code policies.
Dress codes may also be seen to limit freedom of expression. In some firm like Google or
Facebook, employees are allowed and encouraged to dress casually as they want to create
a fun, creative and comfortable environment working place. These firms culture
emphasizes creativity as their competitive strategy is differentiation. Googles principle
philosophy is you can be serious without a suit.

 Enforcing a dress code can be time-consuming and can cause tension if staff has to be
reprimanded for non-compliance. Dress codes must also be fully compliant with
employment law, adding to the administrative burden.
To be more specific, in a survey conducted by XpertHR we has mentioned above, a large
majority (74%) among 156 firms which have dress code indicated that they have
experienced one or more problems with their dress code. The most common issue, which
concerns 53% of employers, is that it can provoke complaints from employees. Other
issues are:

too much energy is spent policing the code - 33%;

code adds to the risk of discrimination claims - 28%;

can create additional costs - 28%; and

can demotivate employees - 17%.

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