Clear policy on dress can save employees’ feelings

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Dear Joan:
Recently, you wrote about setting expectations and maybe this is where you can help us in handling a dressing for performance issue in our professional office.

Early times in our doctor's office, we asked the office girls to wear white uniforms. Our thinking changed in the last few years and thought maybe they could wear appropriate skirt-blouse-sweater and slack combinations.

This is not working. The clothes are less than suitable-looking more like jogging attire. And on top of this lax attire, they now feel free to wear no make-up.

This employee is a long-time person with us, and a friend, which makes it very difficult for us to tell her!  Her job performance and attitude to please are very good and we need her, as this is our number one girl of two receptionists.

We hope you can give us suggestions; we know employers have this problem and you know how this is handled without hurting a friend's feelings.

Answer:
I can understand why you don't want to tell your friend and associate that she isn't dressing appropriately. She is under the impression that her dress is perfectly acceptable, since no one has ever mentioned it before. In fact, I don't think you'll need to criticize her appearance. However, as the employer, you do have the right to establish dress code guidelines for your place of business.

Here is a way to approach this problem, without criticizing your friend's choice of attire. If you are the office manager, discuss this with the doctor and suggest that the entire office go back to wearing white uniforms. Although she technically doesn't have to wear a uniform because she doesn't deal directly with patients, here are some good reasons for returning to this policy. Suggest that it looks more professional, gives the impression of a sanitary environment, and will make the office staff look more like a team. Ask the doctor about a "uniform allowance," an amount of money that the staff can use to buy uniforms. This will ease the financial burden of buying a number of new uniforms and will soften any complaints that surface.

When you announce it to the staff, you may want to do it with the doctor present, so he or she can reinforce the message. Simply explain it in a matter-of-fact way; you wish to be competitive and create the right image. If your friend objects and says that what she wears doesn't affect how sanitary she is, explain that patients' perceptions are important, even though they may not be accurate. (Also, check into the OSHA regulations; there are new restrictions on uniforms and sterilization.)

Dear Joan:
The Administrator of the company recently informed the management staff that we were expected to wear skirts or dresses on a daily basis. The reason being is that the parent company follows this guideline and if they were to see us in dress pants we would be frowned upon. The dress code policy does not state that women in any position should not wear pants. Can the company enforce an unwritten dress code like this? Also, is there a tactful way to express to upper management that it is not necessary to wear a skirt everyday to perform your job duties. And if one did wear dress pants is that a reason for disciplinary action?

Answer:
Your administrator is doing you a favor. He or she realizes that you aren't going to make a favorable impression on the parent company and it could hurt your career. Although what you wear doesn't determine what kind of performer you are, it does send important signals to your customers, colleagues and employees. You probably won't be "disciplined" for wearing pants but you won't get ahead either. Your administrator doesn't want your appearance to get in the way; why not remove this negative perception, so your performance can shine through?

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