How Do You Feel About These Detailed Grooming Standards for Men and Women at Work?

Grooming Standards

Grooming Standards for Ladies

Hair: should be neat, well styled and should appear professional

1. Hair should be trimmed regularly, neatly combed and in place always.

2. Shoulder length hair should be neatly pinned to keep away from face.

3. Hair longer than shoulder length should be cut straight evenly and tied at the nape of the neck.

4. The bun must be secured at the back of the head or slightly above the nape with a black net.

5. Do not use colored / plastic bands.

6. Hair should be clean, non- greasy, free of oil, color and streaking.

7. Permed and curly hair should be kept neat and restrained.



Finger nails: Well maintained and clean

1. Neatly cut , shaped and clean

2. Excessively long nails are not allowed.

3. Use only light and neutral color of nail polish

4. Nail polish should cover entire nail, never chipped



Jewellery on hands: Conservative and Elegant

1. Only one ring on each hand, rings should be sober, conservative and not too large.

2. Watches should be conservative and not flashy or too large.



Other Jewellery:

1. Only one set of earrings

2. Dangling or flashy or large size not permitted

3. Two thin bangles, either of gold or silver, permitted.

4. One thin gold or silver chain.

5. Only a small nose stud.



Footwear: Proper footwear should be worn all the times

1. Closed black leather shoes

2. Always well polished and in good condition



Toenails

1. Short and maintained clean

2. Nail polish should match finger nail polish and should not be chipped



Makeup: Simple and basic make- up

1. Appropriate foundation suited to each skin type should be used to avoid oily looks

2. Eye shadow to be subtle and not too loud

3. Eyeliner to be thin, straight and applied neatly



Uniform: Immaculate,(perfect and clean) Smooth, Clean, without creases or stains



1. Light color Formal shirt, full sleeves,

2. Formal Trouser, front creased

3. Matching silk scarves

1. Sari to be pinned neatly

2. Pins should not be visible

3. Sari to be worn in a way that the navel is not visible

4. Blouses with high back (no deep cuts), sleeves up to elbows.





Grooming Standards for men

Hair: Conservative and well maintained, short neatly cut

1. Should not fall on forehead, touch the ears or touch the collars.

2. Neatly combed, not oily, not premed.

3. Only conservative hairstyle permitted.

4. Moustaches neatly trimmed.

5. Should not cover upper lip.

6. Face clean shaved

7. Beards only permitted as part of religious sentiments.



Nails: Trimmed and well maintained

1. Clean and dirt free.

2. No nicotine, carbon or ink stains on the fingers.



Ornaments

1. Only one simple ring on any one hand

2. No bracelets or bands (excepts for religious reasons)

3. Watches should be conservative and not flashy or too large.

4. Leather strap should either be black, brown or tan

5. Metallic strap should be gold or silver





Footwear: Well maintained, well polished, in good condition

1. Only black shoes are permitted

2. Socks to match the color of the shoes or trousers





Uniform: Immaculate, spotless, well ironed

1. Light color Formal shirt, full sleeves,

2. Formal Trouser, front creased

3. Matching Tie

4. No loose threads or broken buttons

5. Cuffs and collars to be stain free and clean.

6. Belts should be plain black or brown, not cracked or dull, simple non flashy buckle, not more than 1.5 “wide.

7. Always wear a vest. (cut banyans)

Fathima

Hi Fathima,

Thank you for the list. However, I believe this is for the executives who work on the floor in a retail chain, such as multiplexes and malls, right?

Regards,
Deepthi

Dear Deepthi,

It is not only for the executives; it is for everyone. If we maintain our standards, it is good for all of us.

Regards,
Fathima

Dear Fathima,

Though rightly pointed out that all executives should maintain certain standards when it comes to grooming, I feel it is highly industry-dependent. The grooming tips shared by you are reflective more of staff employed in the hospitality and service sector - hotels, frontline staff, aviation, and to a certain extent banks (not PSUs), etc.

If you happen to have a glance at other sectors e.g. media and entertainment, manufacturing, you will find it absent to a great extent. Not because they don't know how to groom themselves but because they are more spontaneous and don't restrict to such rigidities.

But thanks for sharing the list. I personally think it's very comprehensive and useful.

Warm regards, - Archana

Dear Fathima,

Thank you for sharing the information; it would be very useful. It appears as if you are from the hospitality sector. If so, do you have pictures representing the different hairstyles for males and ladies, and would you mind sharing the same?

Regards,
Sudhanshu
sudhanshuroy@gmail.com

Wow... that's quite a list (and very impressive).
In today's professional environment, the only place I see people dressed this formal is Manhattan, NY. There is only one industry (to my knowledge) where people still wear suits to work - Finance (stock brokers and other financial company employees). Others who (lose the coat, but) wear a tie are those in the banking and insurance sectors, hospitality (of course) managing the front office (reception area), and car salesmen (or any high-end store/door-to-door salesmen). Vests have almost but disappeared, existing only in either weddings worn by grooms/grooms' men (tux) or waiters in some high end restaurants.

Here are a few bottom line tips for professional appearance for men or women (not nearly as detailed as Fathima, but).
1. Go with the flow of the working environment following the majority (formalwear or informal wear) (just don't overdress, under dress, or sexually provocative appearing out-of-place for your workplace).
2. Clean yourself up before you show up to work (unless you are a construction worker or a car mechanic - where you get dirty. So clean up after work)
3. No shabby facial hair or shabby head. (Men: Chest hair? Save it for your significant other and cover it up for the rest). Let not people wonder if you just got off the bed and walked straight to work (again unless you are a construction worker or a car mechanic etc)
4. Make sure you are at least odor-free (wearing a cologne or perfume? choose a light one, not strong) - just don't smell like you came out of a two hour workout, or ran a marathon on your way to work.
5. While contrast colors are better, any well-chosen combination is good. Wearing shoes? No food or beverage spills or scratches please (don't have to keep'em sparkling every day, just keep'em clean). Wearing light colors? No residues of your activities when you wore them last time (please! Whatever you did when you wore them last time, we don't want to know).

Just simple common sense things that don't take too much time to do, but go a long way to maintain professional (as well as socially pleasing) appearance.

Enjoy…

Regards,
--Som G