Does Your Dress Code Address "Flip Flops”?

One of the most important things a manager can do to set healthyboundaries in the office is to define a dress code. It's morecritical today than ever before. Young men today show up for jobinterviews wearing shorts and muscle shirts. Others look likethey just crawled out of bed wearing baggy jeans pulled down toreveal their boxer shorts, baseball cap turned sideways andthree-day stubble. Young women show up wearing mini skirts as ifthey just came from a nightclub. Others wear low-rise jeans,flip flops, and spaghetti strap tops with their bellies hangingout.

Managers ask me where it will stop. It will stop where you makeit stop. Your values differ from those of other generations, andyou must decide what's appropriate. Organizations struggle withthis nationwide. Churches have relaxed dress codes to allowpeople to wear jeans and shorts. Most four-star restaurants nolonger require coats and ties for men. While churches andrestaurants are loosening their dress codes, otherestablishments are tightening theirs. A Burger King in Kentuckymakes their employees remove all facial piercings when theyclock in. Prohibiting facial piercings is a black and whiteproposition, but dress code becomes a murkier issue when tryingto specify wardrobe do's and don'ts. Defining "business casual"for women is a nightmare. Fiserv Solutions in Jacksonville,Florida, offered the best solution I've seen. They went throughdozens of magazines and clipped out pictures of women's fashionstyles. They then pasted the photos on poster boards which theydisplayed in their break room. One board is labeled "No" and theother is labeled "Yes".

The key to making a dress code work is to keep it updated. Bothprivate and government sectors are forced to constantly updatetheir policies to keep up with social and technical trends. TheMarine Corps updated its uniform regulations in 1996 to prohibittattoos on the neck and head. The Army updated its policies in2002 to authorize the wearing of pagers and cell phones forofficial Army business. The Air Force updated its policy on bodypiercing in 2003 to prohibit "body mutilation" such as splittongues. The Navy updated its policy on pagers in 2004 to allowsailors to wear personal digital assistants and cell phones forofficial Navy business. The new policy also allows femalesailors to wear pants for official duty or even formal events.All branches of the military now have policies which requiremembers to remove objectionable tattoos at their own expense.Failure to do so may result in punishment up to involuntaryseparation. The Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida,loosened its dress code in 2000 to allow moustaches. Theyloosened it again in 2003 to allow women to wear hoop earringsas long as they are no larger than a dime. They allow only onering per ear, which must be worn at the bottom of the ear. Postearrings are allowed as long as they are no larger than aquarter. Women may wear open-toe and open-heel shoes, buthosiery is required. Men are allowed to wear braids in theirhair as long as they are above the collar. Men are not allowedto wear Oxford style shirts.

Different generations in the workforce make dress code evenmore important. Generation X is highly independent and known forbeing non-conformist. They came of age when flannel andearthiness was trendy. They may show up with body parts fullycovered, but with wet hair and no makeup. They believe the aunatural look is wholesome. Generation Y, also known as theMillenials and Echo Boomers, values conformity, but theirfashion trends can be so outrageous that many don't know how todress appropriately for work. Seminar attendees constantly askme about young women with their "jelly bellies" hanging out forthe world to see. This is a result of Generation Y being raisedto include everyone and accept everything, so they let it allhang out - literally. They haven't learned that they have toaccommodate the employer, not the other way around. They'reaccustomed to society, including over-indulgent parents,accommodating them. By defining a dress code, you're bringinguniformity to as many as four generations who all have to adaptto the same standard long enough to earn a paycheck. This alsosends the message that you're the boss.

Glenn Shepard is an internationally recognized expert on management and leadership. This article is excerpted from his book How to Manage Problem Employees: A Step-by-Step Guide for Turning Difficult Employees into High Performers. Get his free mini-course “Moving from Management to Leadership” now at http://www.Free-Minicourses.com