Employees who present themselves professionally will be the people who get promoted. Presenting yourself professionally includes not only dressing professionally, but also behaving professionally.
There certainly could be circumstances where an employee presents themselves extremely professionally through the way they dress, but their behavior and their conduct don’t match.
The way an employee dresses should never be the only determiner for whether they get a promotion or not.
Professional Dress Codes
A professional dress code usually applies under circumstances where people are dressed in business attire, which could include suits, ties and dresses or skirts. Professional dress is usually needed when companies have to represent themselves to the public or to clients or if they provide legal advice, etc.
In these situations, it’s important for all company employees to present themselves professionally because they could possibly hurt the reputation or credibility of the company if they don’t.
Many company dress codes use the words, “professional appearance,” to describe how employees should dress for work. This phrase, however, is usually too vague. The definition of professional dress for one company may differ from another. It just depends on if the business is in the public eye, if they have frequent face-to-face contact with clients or if they never leave the office.
Employer Concerns
When it comes to implementing a professional dress code, many employers have concerns about whether or not employees will follow it or if it’s the right type of dress code for their company.
The main thing that needs to be on an employer’s mind when introducing a dress code policy is making sure the policy aligns with the company’s overall philosophy in terms of its business operation strategy, mission, etc. The company needs to make sure its dress code fits with its business image and is not a result of a particular incident with an employee not dressing properly that caused the company to change the policy.
There are many benefits for employers who implement professional dress codes such as:
- It can be a very positive way for new employees to come in and understand the culture of the organization and how professional dress fits in.
- Having something in writing that outlines what constitutes a professional dress code, that way employees know how they are expected to dress and it doesn’t become an interpretive situation.
- It makes a case-by-case analysis unnecessary. Allowing employees to interpret a company’s dress code policy, rather than just telling them what they can’t wear, sometimes causes problems.
- Implementing professional dress codes makes it easier for a company to prove how its code of dress relates to what’s good for the business. This will ensure everyone understands your dress code policy isn’t about style or fashion, it’s about the business.
- It makes it easier to address issues when they arise since there is a policy already in place.
In my next Insight, I’ll tell you the steps you can take to implement a professional dress code at your company.