Dress code

[Fabienne]

This policy is to assist employees in making decisions regarding appropriate dress.  It was created to allow you flexibility and creativity to your own personal style.  With that said, employees are expected to use good common sense and business judgment in their individual dress habits.

NOTE:  It is always appropriate to wear business attire at any and all times.  Staff involved with Board Meetings are expected to wear business attire for the duration of the meeting or event.

Helpful Tips:
Pay attention to details, if in doubt don't wear it.
Be aware of the condition of your clothing.  It is important that your clothes are pressed, clean and in good condition.  Be wrinkle free.
Items that are torn, frayed, faded or wrinkled are not appropriate.
All shirts should be tucked in and belts worn where appropriate.

Examples of items that are appropriate

"Docker" style pants (pressed and not faded)
Collared shirts
Sweaters
Vests
Skirts, suits and dresses of appropriate length
Blazers or sportcoats
"Polo" style shirts
Short sleeve dress shirts
Turtlenecks
Skorts/culottes/split skirts of appropriate length

Examples of inappropriate casual dress

Collar-less shirts
Clothing that is faded, frayed or torn
Clothing that is too tight, too short or too revealing
Sports attire/sweat suits/jogging pants
Tank or halter tops
T-shirts or sweatshirts
Shirts of any kind with inappropriate or suggestive logos, graphics or words
Shorts
Spandex, form-fitting pants or other "trendy" fashions
Stretch pants/leggings/stirrup pants
Mini-skirts or spaghetti strap of any kind
Casual sandals, clogs or hiking boots
Athletic shoes
Denim of any kind or color
Any type of leather pants

It is always appropriate to wear business attire at any and all times.  Staff involved with Board Meetings are expected to wear business attire for the duration of the meeting or event.

The warehouse, mailroom and duplicating staff may wear denim, appropriate T-shirts and athletic shoes but all other items in the dress policy apply, including shirts tucked in.

 

[Bradford]

Looks pretty standard to me.

Basically the same dress code as we've had at nearly every company where I've been.

Bradford

 

[Mike C.]

There's alot of flexibility in there but what get's you is when they say,

"employees are expected to use good common sense and business judgment in their individual dress habits."

So basically, if I want to wear no socks and pants that have no break, I don't think that would fly.

 

[LA Guy]

It's not so much what is not acceptable that scares me, but what is:

"Docker" style pants (pressed and not faded)
"Polo" style shirts
Short sleeve dress shirts
Skorts of appropriate length

No no no no no.

 

[Fabienne]

The biggest victory is: HR, upon much pleading and well constructed argumentation, agreed to make the wearing of pantyhose/stockings "optional". Ouf .

 

[Manton]

I wouldn't be so hard up about fading and fraying. I have some fine shirts whose cuffs are a little frayed. I still wear them. Ditto a little fading.

I wouldn't be so hard up about wrinkling either. Nice clothes made of natural fibers wrinkle. The only way around it is to wear polyester at all times.

 

[johnnynorman3]

It's not so much what is not acceptable that scares me, but what is:
Quote:

"Docker" style pants (pressed and not faded) "Polo" style shirts Short sleeve dress shirts Skorts of appropriate length
No no no no no.
But what if we want to hit the links after work? Isn't it pathetic that "dockers" have become synonymous with cotton pants? Honestly, my negative mental association with "Dockers" prevents me from wearing even the nicest khaki colored cotton trousers. Pity, as they are often the most comfortable form of trousers during the summer.

 

[Fabienne]

I wouldn't be so hard up about fading and fraying.  I have some fine shirts whose cuffs are a little frayed.  I still wear them.  Ditto a little fading.

I wouldn't be so hard up about wrinkling either.  Nice clothes made of natural fibers wrinkle.  The only way around it is to wear polyester at all times.

Absolutely. Nobody ever dared say anything to me, and I wear linen in the summer, I have a suede skirt (I suppose that qualifies as leather?), and I don't worry too much about skirt lengths, tight fitting clothes, for example. I think my outfits are usually fairly well put together, so in the end, any dress code policeman wouldn't even notice the infraction. Stealth Fabienne...

 

[philosophe]

The biggest victory is: HR, upon much pleading and well constructed argumentation, agreed to make the wearing of pantyhose/stockings "optional". Ouf .

That's a major victory indeed.

 

[dah328]

I don't think I've seen a dress code spelled out even at the major NYC investment bank where I used to work. Â Even if it did exist, it certainly wasn't enforced as was evidenced by the not-altogether-uncommon pair of jeans and/or athletic shoes. Â I wish casual Fridays meant only that waistcoats were optional with one's suit.

dan

 

[imageWIS]

Oh god.

Lets see, today at work I am wearing:

Gray short sleeve GAP t-shirt, un-tucked
GAP Cotton / Linen baggy string-tied "˜Beach Pants' in off-white (ecru?)
Black with gray stripe leather Puma Speedcats

In other words I broke all of your "˜rules'. Do I care? No. Does anyone else in the office care? Am I going to perform my job any better if I was wearing one of my MTM T&A shirts, RLPL wool pants, Cartier belt, A&E shoes, and Zegna Tie?

The answer is a resounding: No.

Jon.

 

[dah328]

Oh god.

Lets see, today at work I am wearing:

Gray short sleeve GAP t-shirt, un-tucked
GAP Cotton / Linen baggy string-tied "˜Beach Pants' in off-white (ecru?)
Black with gray stripe leather Puma Speedcats

In other words I broke all of your "˜rules'. Do I care? No. Does anyone else in the office care? Am I going to perform my job any better if I was wearing one of my MTM T&A shirts, RLPL wool pants, Cartier belt, A&E shoes, and Zegna Tie?

The answer is a resounding: No.

Jon.

Well, that may be appropriate for your job. I wouldn't consult with an attorney, banker, or doctor who dressed like that.

dan

 

[Manton]

Oh god. Lets see, today at work I am wearing: Gray short sleeve GAP t-shirt, un-tucked GAP Cotton / Linen baggy string-tied "˜Beach Pants' in off-white (ecru?) Black with gray stripe leather Puma Speedcats In other words I broke all of your "˜rules'. Do I care? No. Does anyone else in the office care? Am I going to perform my job any better if I was wearing one of my MTM T&A shirts, RLPL wool pants, Cartier belt, A&E shoes, and Zegna Tie? The answer is a resounding: No. Jon.

Let's reduce this reductio ad absurdum all the way to its absurd essence. Â Would you vote for a candidate for high office who dressed as you describe? Â Would you be happy if an American President represented the nation at an overseas summit in sweats? Â Would you hire someone who came to a job interview in pajamas? Â Would you trust your money to a financial planner wearing paint-splattered overalls? You may, for the sake of ideological consistency with your ealier post, answer "yes" to all of the above. Â I can assure you that in this respect at least, you are an outlier among the human race. No one is saying that a person's worth is defined by his clothes, or that job performance correlates in any significat way with style acumen. Â However, humans are not andriods. Â They are not by and large perfectly logical calculating machines that can look past all externel factors and judge others soley and abstractly on performance. Â We -- all of us, in all cultures, in all parts of the world -- have developed styles of dress and varying levels of formality to project a certain message of seriousness that helps to smooth over some of the inherent awkwardness of political, business, and social interaction. Â This is done both as a protection to oneself, and out of respect for others. Â Call this shallow if you want, but that's human nature. Â You might as well rail against the wind. Also, the businesses of life and commerce are transacted partly with people we know well, partly with people we know a little, and partly with people we don't know at all. Â Therefore, societies that function well require a high level of trust between aquaintances and strangers. Â Predictable, orderly, tradtional, serious clothing helps facilitate that trust by sending the right signals. Â A boardroom full of Asians, Americans and Europeans who don't know each other but who have come dressed for business is a place where business is more likely to get done. Â A room full of men dressed like clowns is a circus.

 

[Mike C.]

In other words I broke all of your "˜rules'. Do I care? No. Does anyone else in the office care? Am I going to perform my job any better if I was wearing one of my MTM T&A shirts, RLPL wool pants, Cartier belt, A&E shoes, and Zegna Tie? The answer is a resounding: No. Jon.

I'm sure the Taco Bell customers don't care what you're wearing either. Ouch.

 

[Fabienne]

There is this one manager at our company who argues that on Fridays, productivity is down BECAUSE, she says, people are allowed to wear casual clothing.

She is well-known for spending hours on the phone. I have heard some of her conversations. I could have finished them in a tenth of the time it took her. She's good at socializing, but not so good at being succint. She wastes more time than anyone I know. She always wears a suit.