Our Human Resources Blog

With the return of summer and the temperatures outside starting to rise, many companies are instituting their summer dress code policies. While one of the benefits of working for some companies may be a relaxed summer dress code, it can be a nightmare for their human resource departments. Even the most casual of organizations have expectations that employees will use common sense in choosing business attire. This isn't always true. For some reason, the heat of the season is capable of causing even the most modest dressed employee reason to push the envelope.

The objective for most companies in establishing a causal summer dress code is to allow employees to work comfortably in the workplace. It's important though, for employees to still project a professional image. Since "business casual" can be subject to broad interpretation, specific guidelines are needed. The guidelines should clearly identify the standards and the parameters, as well as list the prohibitions. Dress code policies should be applied and  communicated to all employees equally and the consequences of violations should be clearly explained. Hopefully, by specifically outlining the dress code policy, businesses can more easily survive the summer season and employees can work more comfortably?