Undressing the Dress Code:
From July 2005
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“I had a guy go in to a high-end agency wearing dark jeans with this enormous trench coat, his hair slicked back and a T-shirt with a Cocoa Krispies box imprinted on it,” Cox continues. “I think he was going for the eccentric, quirky look…” he says, trailing off seemingly still unsure what was in the guy’s head.
“In some environments funky T-shirts or flip-flops or ripped jeans might be acceptable, but they might balk at a mesh tank top and nipple rings or a full-face tattoo,” Cox says wryly.
“When it’s business casual, I recommend Dockers and a polo shirt. You can’t really go wrong with that, and then you can get in and see if jeans and a polo are cool.”
As with all aspects of successfully navigating the human resource waters, it usually boils down to recognizing contexts, being consistent and using plain, old-fashioned common sense, especially in the corporate environment.
“You don’t want to stand out as a worker,” says Cox, “especially coming in from an agency.”
Afraid to Stand Out
On the other hand, employers also are scared to stand out these days, concerned that if they say, “Hey, that shirt doesn’t quite fit the company policy,” they might be slapped with a discrimination lawsuit.
But, according to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers are allowed to impose dress codes and appearance policies, as long as they don’t discriminate or hinder a person's race, color, religion, age, national origin or gender.
Continued...
“In some environments funky T-shirts or flip-flops or ripped jeans might be acceptable, but they might balk at a mesh tank top and nipple rings or a full-face tattoo,” Cox says wryly.
“When it’s business casual, I recommend Dockers and a polo shirt. You can’t really go wrong with that, and then you can get in and see if jeans and a polo are cool.”
As with all aspects of successfully navigating the human resource waters, it usually boils down to recognizing contexts, being consistent and using plain, old-fashioned common sense, especially in the corporate environment.
“You don’t want to stand out as a worker,” says Cox, “especially coming in from an agency.”
Afraid to Stand Out
On the other hand, employers also are scared to stand out these days, concerned that if they say, “Hey, that shirt doesn’t quite fit the company policy,” they might be slapped with a discrimination lawsuit.
But, according to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers are allowed to impose dress codes and appearance policies, as long as they don’t discriminate or hinder a person's race, color, religion, age, national origin or gender.
Continued...
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