Enforcing Your Dress Code in the Summer Months
Banish the Office Beach Bum Mentality
As the weather warms, halter tops, flip-flops and Bermuda shorts may make their way into the workplace, despite what your dress code says about what’s appropriate to wear. Workplace attire is a growing issue as workers’ priorities in work apparel center on casual comfort. A recent poll by Yahoo! HotJobs showed that 25% of workers report having a casual Friday and an additional 32% say every day is a casual day at work. With all this emphasis on “casual” in the workplace, lines of appropriate attire become blurred, and more and more workplace fashion faux pas are slipping through, making dress code enforcement a hot issue for the summer.
So what should you look out for as workers begin to don attire more appropriate for the beach than the office? Here are some typical summer workplace attire issues and tips on how to address them.
To Flip or to Flop?
In recent years, flip-flops have become a must-have for women from New York to L.A. But their casual vibe caused a media uproar when a group of students wore them to White House to meet the President. In fact, there is a lot of controversy over the appropriateness of this beach shoe away from water. So are flip-flops an appropriate choice for work? Experts agree that unless you’re in a line of work at the water’s edge, it’s best to steer clear of flip-flops at work. Flip-flops convey the air of vacation, making employee behavior even more relaxed. They can also be a safety hazard, causing slips, falls or equipment malfunctions. Flip-flops are a dress code issue for both men and women, but policing the flip-flop in women’s fashion can be more difficult because the shoe comes in a variety of colors, heights and styles. If an employee trots in with flip-flops on, it’s best to request that they return home and change to safer, more appropriate shoes.
To the Beach or Bust.
During the summer, beachwear at the office isn’t restricted to shoe choice. Employees in a workplace with a casual dress code may show up in shorts, tank tops or halter dresses, whether there’s a beach-themed party that day or not. Far worse is when employees wear swimwear as undergarments that show underneath normal work attire. When an employee arrives at work looking like they’re headed for sandy beaches, let them know that such attire isn’t appropriate for work but that when their shift ends, they can change into their beach gear before they head to the beach or pool. You may want to send employees home to change if the offense is obvious. Otherwise, simply tell each employee when the infraction occurs that they will be expected to not wear such clothing again or they will be sent home to change.
Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie Attire.
Women’s fashion has taken hemlines up and down throughout the years, but regardless of what’s “in,” summer is a time when many female workers will wear clothing that’s shorter, tighter or more revealing. Regardless, revealing clothing is not appropriate in a business setting. However, addressing this issue can be difficult. Many employers fear that addressing revealing clothing will stir up problems, but actually, it’s in their best interest to address the issue each time it arises. This establishes the precedent that workplace attire must adhere to your stated policy standards and helps you to avoid showing favoritism. Send employees home to change when they wear too-tight shirts or too-short skirts and you’ll have the power to send home workers wearing other inappropriate items.
Addressing these workplace dress code issues when they arise will keep your workforce looking professional and appropriate during the hot summer months.
Be the One Fostering Growth
Reward Employees with Career Opportunities
Retaining excellent employees is difficult, and according to HR professionals surveyed by HR Executive, 45% believe it will be somewhat harder in the next year to keep top talent, while 18% said it will be significantly harder than in the past. So what can you do to make sure you keep your most motivated, productive and valuable employees? The best way to approach this challenge is to provide opportunities. Especially for your best performing workers, it is important to give them more stimulating work when they master certain tasks. Repetitive, unchallenging work will create restlessness and cause valuable employees to seek change by leaving to work elsewhere. To avoid this turnover, offer employees career paths, training opportunities and challenges.
Increased Responsibility
When employees accomplish their main duties consistently, on time, with quality results, it is time to add responsibilities to their positions. Many employers are hesitant to let an employee who is great at one thing start doing another task, especially if the worker doesn’t have experience in the area. But what these employers don’t realize is that not giving a motivated employee more responsibility will make them feel trapped, destroying a productive spirit. It can also cause you to lose that employee. Plus, when a worker has proven himself in one area, it’s a good bet he’ll rise to the challenge of a new task. But simply adding new tasks and challenges to a role isn’t enough. It’s vital to offer training to help employees reach their potential.
Training Programs
You’ve hired each employee to perform specific tasks in a specific role. But once you’ve brought them on board, you have the opportunity to get to know their strengths. Take the time to discover these, and create training opportunities for employees in areas they show interest in within your organization. You can offer in-house training programs, educational assistance or professional development opportunities to employees to increase their knowledge. It doesn’t particularly matter what type of training you offer, as long as you are equipping employees for success in an area they are passionate about. This will go a long way in growing employees to their full potential. But to really engage employees in their jobs as they grow, they need a destination to work toward – the opportunity to grow not just in their jobs, but in their careers as well.
Career Paths
Nothing is more frustrating than to be working above expectations but feeling like you have nowhere else to go in a company. If you let your workers languish in an environment without hope for their careers, they will lose productivity and motivation, not to mention loyalty to your organization. But, organizations that invest in the careers of their workers will create employees for life. That’s where the concept of the career path is invaluable. A career path is more than a policy to promote from within. It includes having tiered job titles with specific requirements that employees can work toward, for example. It includes managers sitting down to talk to employees to see exactly where they want to go within an organization – whether within the same department or not. To really work, career opportunities can’t just exist in theory; you must create a clear road map that shows employees exactly what they need to do to get to the next level.
Here’s an astounding fact – 85% of workers say career growth is a top reward, while surveys of managers show developing direct reports comes in last in a list of 67 leadership competencies. What employees see as one of the greatest motivators is the greatest weakness for leaders. That’s why you can truly become an employer of choice simply by giving employees more responsibility, training and clear career opportunities. Use these tips for fostering growth, and you’ll be on your way to becoming the one place employees prefer to work.
Visit the Express Personnel Job Blog, Movin' On Up, to check out reader responses to what opportunities would keep them at their job, and vote in our online poll.
Become Indispensable
Boost Your Career by Investing in Personal Excellence
Whether you’re the owner of a small business or an entry-level worker hoping to rise to the top, one thing is the same – you have a job. But for many people, their job is simply that – work and nothing more. Experts say the younger generation is adopting the mindset that having a job is more of a right than an privilege. Many leaders and business owners push themselves early in their careers and burn out when they get to the top. Overall, the once prevalent strong work ethic is being replaced by a bare-minimum mentality.
But, this problem for the business world is an opportunity for a certain type of worker – whether they’re a business owner, entry-level worker or executive. People who go beyond average and become indispensable to their bosses, companies, clients or customers will truly excel in a time when excellence is at a minimum.
The bare-minimum mentality impacts more than career prospects for low-performing employees. It is taking its toll on the business world as a whole. In fact, one of the biggest topics in HR, management and business is the worker shortage expected with the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation. But in his book How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without, Glenn Shepard states that there isn’t a worker shortage. Rather, there is a shortage of skilled, hard-working, quality employees. And, that’s a problem for companies everywhere.
Here’s why: the largest investment for most companies is people. In fact, payroll is the top expense at most companies. What many don’t realize is that it is up to each individual to produce a return on their company’s investment in their job. Thinking of your job in these terms is an excellent way to see the benefit of being a highly-valued employee or a highly-productive business owner. What you do at work each day is not only an investment in your current job, it’s one in your career as well. You can choose to do the minimum required, or you can make the investment to work hard, be proactive, excel and do more than what’s expected and in turn boost your career and your business.
After all, in an age of fierce competition, a wavering economy, rampant layoffs and technological change, the workplace no longer offers the job security it once did. That’s why business owners, managers and employees at all levels must learn to be indispensable. This series, Become Indispensable, will discuss several ways you can become highly valued.
To learn more, listen to our podcast, and check out next month’s e-Xchange article.
Employment Situation Summary
United States
Non-farm employment rose by 157,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.5%.
Major Industry Employment for May 2007
• Construction: No change.
• Manufacturing: - 19,000
• Retail Trade: - 5,000
• Professional & Business Services: + 32,000
• Educational & Health Services: + 54,000
• Leisure & Hospitality: + 46,000
• Government: + 22,000
Canada
The unemployment rate remained at 6.1% for the forth consecutive month.
Major Industry Employment for May 2007
• Construction: + 22,000
• Manufacturing: - 12,000
• Trade: - 20,000
• Transportation & Warehousing: - 10,000
• Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing: No change.
• Professional, Scientific & Technical Services: + 11,000
• Business, Building & Support Services: - 3,000
• Educational Services: - 1,000
• Information, Culture & Recreation: + 16,000
•
Accommodation
and Food Services: + 15,000
• Public Administration: - 3,000
e-Xchange is a publication of Express Services, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2007.