Dress Code Dilemma: How Should HR Handle Jeans on Saturdays?

Hello,

Our company has implemented one rule, and that is that no one is allowed to wear jeans, not even on Saturday. If anyone is not following this rule or regularly doing the same thing, what aspects or actions should we take as the HR of the company?

What is the laid-down dress code?

Has the "no jeans" restriction been publicized to all employees in written form - circular, notice board, etc.? Employees can be warned for the first time for a breach of the dress code. It is important to use tact when addressing violations of the code and to highlight how such violations can impact the working atmosphere.

It is a breach of discipline if an employee intentionally violates a company rule, and in extreme cases, actions including dismissal can be taken.

Dear Anna, You could have provided a little more information in your post. What is your designation? Are you from HR? Who issued this diktat? Why was the need felt to issue it? Jeans are an accepted outfit across India, so whose proprieties are violated if the employees wear jeans on Saturdays? Is this rule for the office staff or for the workers on the shop floor who cannot wear tight-fitting garments because of the nature of their work?

Which city is your office located in? Are you from a metro or from some state capital, or is your office situated in the interior part of a state? Are there any objections from the locals living near your office area?

There are many questions associated with your post. Please provide further elucidation to receive a proper reply.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Dress Code and Jeans in the Workplace

Is wearing jeans an accepted outfit across India? Whose proprieties are violated if employees wear jeans on Saturdays?

If the owners of the company decide upon a proper dress code that they feel aligns with the company image, can employees defy the directive? A company may want to project a serious and sober image and therefore ban jeans, T-shirts, and chappals in the office. I feel this is a reasonable restriction, and employees should abide by it or leave if they feel that the dress code is being imposed.

Regards

Dear Mr. Nathrao, What you say is correct, albeit theoretically. Owners of the company have complete authority to make the rules of their choice. Employees have no choice but to abide by the rules or just quit. Nevertheless, this school of thought was compatible with the pre-liberation era. Post-1991, a lot of social changes have come up, and today the world is far more informal. Therefore, what remains to be seen is to what extent authoritarian ruling of this kind will help the owners in building consonance with the generation of the 21st century. The onset of social media has evolved society in almost every country. The evolution of society because of social media is so comprehensive that a country like Great Britain, known for its stiff-lipped citizens, has also become far more informal.

The Challenge of Hiring and Retaining Employees

Getting the right candidate is a big challenge today. Added to this challenge is retaining employees. The wide availability of opportunities or avenues has made job candidates choosy. As early as 2004, when I wanted to recruit an Accounts Assistant, I had approached a job candidate. The chap tersely replied that he would look at the website of the company and then decide whether he would like to join or not. Few candidates spurned back-end jobs at the hotel because of the uniform they were expected to wear. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge of the job market since then.

Cultural Consistency in Company Rules

Therefore, by creating rules that are inconsistent with today's culture, will we be staving off worthy candidates? This is a question on which owners need to ponder. Few IT/BPO companies have gone even further and have allowed informal outfits on all days. Against this backdrop, withdrawing the facility of casual wear on the sixth day is almost anachronistic.

We do not know in what context the post has been given, which is why I have asked a few questions to the poster of this post. Unless the poster comes up with their replies, we cannot make any judgments. Conformance to the conventions sounds good, but if it hinders the growth of the company, then whether to continue with it or not is a call that owners have to take.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Shri Divekar, I agree with what you say—dress codes should not be too restrictive or rigid. Freedom of dressing, as long as it is decent, should not be subject to real interference. However, it is a thought process, and some may still be in a conservative mode. The armed forces have a range of dressing practices that are slowly getting liberalized. Dress codes for the dining room and formal parties are all prescribed, and a breach of tradition is dimly viewed. Nonetheless, our armed forces are an example of discipline and professionalism.

Implementing a Dress Code Policy

Your company may not want to see its employees wearing jeans. It would be better to implement a dress code and provide financial support for it. You could either offer good quality dress materials to the employees or provide a uniform allowance based on their ranks. Never impose a dress code on employees under the guise of compensating them for their services. Also, avoid implementing punishments as they are the worst form of discipline.

Understanding Organizational Culture vs. Society

Society is not the same as your organization. Society is like a vast sea where many different individuals coexist in freedom, even though they may compete with each other.

Thank you.

Regards

Dress codes are common in a large number of offices, including professionals, hospitals, and even in the industry. It is essential that higher ranks, including owners, strictly adhere to the dress codes and set an example.

It's great to read all the comments, and I also support liberty and flexibility in the working environment. However, being a part of such an organization, I have to follow the code of conduct.

Question on Dress Code Enforcement

My question was regarding the rule we implemented that jeans are not allowed, even on Saturdays. So, if anyone is not following this rule and continues to repeat the same mistake, what kind of punishment would be valid to apply to ensure this failure does not occur again and the reputation of the HR department is maintained?

Regards,
Archana Sinha
HR Trainee
Bajaj Capital Limited
Nehru Place

A mild counseling first - tell your employee that casual dress can give the wrong impression to customers who may also think, "Will they be casual with my money, filled in forms, etc.?"

The second violation can result in a warning, and beyond that, more severe punishment.

As you are in the Wealth Management & Financial Services industry, I guess this is an office job and follows a 6-day workweek. In this case, yes, HR can set up the dress code as no jeans on workdays, as the work involves meetings with customers, and jeans can be considered too casual for somebody handling your money.

If you follow a 5-day workweek, then Saturday working is over and above the office curriculum, and hence the dress code can be a little flexible on that day.

You can ask employees to attend work but deduct half a day's leave for the dress-code violation (half-day absence in compensation for "sending the employee home for changing the outfit").

Don't worry about further degradation of the company's HR name. HR's name is always already degraded in every organization. :-)

I know of a big production company where the Parsi owner used to send male employees home even for not having shaved daily, and that company is very famous nationwide for its strong ethics and very good treatment of employees. These small things help maintain office decorum and are not really a reason to offend employees. Nobody resigns from an office job for dress code reasons.

Best Regards,
Amod Bobade.

Dress Code Guidelines in the Workplace

In my opinion, a dress code cannot be imposed absolutely, though the company can have some guidelines for maintaining office decorum. As such, no amount of rules will define the right dress for the office. It is to be left to the judgment of people to dress appropriately and provide them broad guidelines to adhere to (e.g., writing "Formal shirt" will suffice instead of specifying "full sleeves shirt in pastel colors either plain or with stripes or..." etc). You may also list what will be considered inappropriate (like mini skirts or tattooing, for example).

However, in case a company observes non-adherence to these guidelines, action can be taken. After all, dress code guidelines are part of a company policy, and their violation will amount to disciplinary action. This will include counseling as a first step, reprimand as second, and subsequently, a warning letter or sending the employee home to change. Just my views. Others are welcome to share theirs.

Regards,
Nayana