Drafting a business’s handbook is an arduous process, but it’s an accomplishment that is often a relief to complete. Right now, it may be time to go back and review your company’s dress code section.
When drafting a dress code, less is more. No, not less clothes. Less rules.
And Not Just the Clothes
In keeping the code neutral, steer clear of grooming pitfalls. A company may require employees to come to work professionally groomed, so long as it doesn’t place an undue burden on one gender. For instance, if men are required to come looking “clean and kept,” women cannot be required to come with makeup, jewelry, and stockings. Even placing a difference between men and women, regardless of burden, can become an issue with respect to gender-fluid individuals. Again, it’s best to keep it neutral, and refer to facial or physical appearances as “clean and kept.”
If you are unsure whether your corporate handbook contains dress codes that violate Title VII or various state laws, contact a local employment lawyer today. A legally trained expert can view your policies in light of current laws in all the states in which you do business, and give you either peace of mind, or a few tips to implement.
Related Resources:
- Find an Employment Attorney Near You (FindLaw’s Lawyer Directory)
- Can You Make Employees Wear a Wig? (FindLaw Free Enterprise)
- Top 5 Employee Dress Code Mistakes to Avoid (FindLaw Free Enterprise)
You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help
Civil Rights
Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Criminal
Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records
Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules
