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Some businesses choose to have a uniform their employees are required to wear throughout the year. This varies from business to business and depends upon the job role a person does.
However, other businesses decide to have only a dress code, e.g. a general idea of what can be worn, usually with a few select items marked down that should not be worn. For instance, some businesses don’t want their employees to wear jeans as they may be seen as looking too casual or unprofessional. Yet, other businesses also go for a more casual approach and allow their employees to wear whatever they want.
There is no right or wrong answer here and it really depends upon the business, it’s mission statement, work culture, and often the type of work undertaken by the business itself.
Check out this interesting video which talks about dress codes and how to avoid discrimination in certain cases. It’s an intriguing watch and certainly raises some questions and ideas.
Yet, how can you make sure that if you do have a uniform or dress code, your employees remain cool during the summer and warm during the winter?
It all comes down to flexibility.
If you have a set uniform, it may be an idea to have a different set up for summer and winter. That doesn’t need to be wildly different, but you could opt for thinner versus thicker fabrics, depending upon the time of year. You could allow employees not to wear jackets or blazers when it’s summer and go with short sleeves if possible. Basically, it’s about thinking how your employees feel as they sit at their office chairs and go about their work.
If you have a dress code, perhaps extend this during extreme weather to allow extra comfort. That doesn’t mean your employees should wear anything revealing or unprofessional simply because the weather is hot, but it’s important to think about their comfort. The same goes for the winter months; you could allow extra layers for the days when the weather is particularly cool.
The subject of what to wear to work has always been a contentious one but there has to be some easy to follow guidance passed through from management. As long as that guidance is flexible for different types of extreme weather, employees can be comfortable and productive at the same time.