Setting a dress code is not as simple as it used to be. This 60-minute workplace dress code training explains your reasons and rights as an employer to set one as a condition of employment, and how to design a policy that fits your business.
You'll define business, business casual and casual dress, and work through professionalism in customer-facing roles, safety in office and manufacturing jobs, uniforms, piercings, tattoos, hair, fragrance and hygiene.
The session also covers cultural and religious considerations, younger workers' preference for informality, court cases on sex, gender, religion and race discrimination, and when dress affects performance for better or worse.
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
A well-designed dress code promotes a professional, safe and comfortable workplace that reflects your culture, while a poorly designed one can lead to legal claims. This session helps you set clear guidelines, explain the reasons behind them and handle religious and other exceptions properly.
It suits HR professionals, supervisors and managers, recruiters, training professionals, affirmative action officers, consultants and business owners.
AREA COVERED
Building the policy
- Reasons to have a dress code
- Your rights to set a dress code as a condition of employment
- What to include in your dress code
- Defining business, business casual and casual
- Professionalism in customer contact positions
- Morale and respect among coworkers
- Safety in office and manufacturing positions
- Uniforms and logo wear
- Piercings, tattoos and hair
- Perfume and cologne
- Hygiene
- Designing a policy that fits your business
Exceptions and legal risk
- Cultural and religious considerations and other exceptions
- Younger workers' preference for informality
- Court cases on dress: sex or gender, religion and race discrimination
- When dress helps or hurts performance
- Whether employers can strictly enforce dress and appearance rules
- Whether employers can require make-up for women or short hair for men
- Handling tattoos and body jewelry among younger workers
- Responding to requests for religious attire or headwear, and when safety comes first
- Different dress requirements for different classes of employees
- Legal risks of unlawful dress codes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explain your rights and reasons for setting a workplace dress code
- Create and implement legal policies on clothing, jewelry, tattoos, grooming and religious expression
- Define business, business casual and casual standards for your workplace
- Handle religious attire requests and balance them against safety
- Decide when different requirements for different employee groups are lawful
- Identify the legal risks of unlawful dress codes
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
- Human Resource Professionals
- First line Supervisors and Management
- Recruiters and Employment Specialists
- Training and Learning Professionals
- Affirmative Action Officers
- Consultants and Business Owners
A well-designed dress code promotes a professional, safe and comfortable workplace that reflects your culture, while a poorly designed one can lead to legal claims. This session helps you set clear guidelines, explain the reasons behind them and handle religious and other exceptions properly.
It suits HR professionals, supervisors and managers, recruiters, training professionals, affirmative action officers, consultants and business owners.
Building the policy
- Reasons to have a dress code
- Your rights to set a dress code as a condition of employment
- What to include in your dress code
- Defining business, business casual and casual
- Professionalism in customer contact positions
- Morale and respect among coworkers
- Safety in office and manufacturing positions
- Uniforms and logo wear
- Piercings, tattoos and hair
- Perfume and cologne
- Hygiene
- Designing a policy that fits your business
Exceptions and legal risk
- Cultural and religious considerations and other exceptions
- Younger workers' preference for informality
- Court cases on dress: sex or gender, religion and race discrimination
- When dress helps or hurts performance
- Whether employers can strictly enforce dress and appearance rules
- Whether employers can require make-up for women or short hair for men
- Handling tattoos and body jewelry among younger workers
- Responding to requests for religious attire or headwear, and when safety comes first
- Different dress requirements for different classes of employees
- Legal risks of unlawful dress codes
- Explain your rights and reasons for setting a workplace dress code
- Create and implement legal policies on clothing, jewelry, tattoos, grooming and religious expression
- Define business, business casual and casual standards for your workplace
- Handle religious attire requests and balance them against safety
- Decide when different requirements for different employee groups are lawful
- Identify the legal risks of unlawful dress codes
- Human Resource Professionals
- First line Supervisors and Management
- Recruiters and Employment Specialists
- Training and Learning Professionals
- Affirmative Action Officers
- Consultants and Business Owners
Speaker Profile
Dr. Susan Strauss
Dr. Susan Strauss is a national and international speaker, trainer and consultant. Her specialty areas include management/leadership development, organization development, communication, and harassment and bullying. She is an expert witness for discrimination and harassment lawsuits. She trains and consults with business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sector. Dr. Strauss has authored over 30 book chapters, books, and articles in professional journals. She has been featured on 20/20, CBS Evening News, and other television and radio programs as well as interviewed for newspaper and journal articles. She has her doctorate in organizational leadership, is …
Upcoming Webinars
Elevate Your Workplace Wellness: 10 Critical Wellness Facto…
Project Management For Administrative Professionals
Onboarding is NOT Orientation - How to Improve the New Empl…
Managing Complex Projects - Project Management
Utilizing HR Metrics to Illustrate & Improve Human Resource…
Negotiating Skills For Professional Results - Winning Strat…
NEW Nacha Rule - Third-Party Sender (TPS) Roles and Respons…
FDA Technology Modernization Action Plan (TMAP) and Impact …
Paying and Receiving Payments for Referrals: You Can Go to …
Human Factors Usability Studies Following ISO 62366 and FDA…
Construction Lending And Real Credit Administration: Evalua…
Validation Statistics for Non-Statisticians
Thriving in a Hybrid Workplace: Keys to Leadership and Team…
Excel Power Skills: Master Functions, Formulas, and Macros …
Discover how Emotional Intelligence turns AI from a technic…
Batch Record Review and Product Release
ChatGPT for HR - Build HR Policy Framework and Strategy
Female to Female Hostility @Workplace: All you Need to Know
Copilot and HR: An Introduction for HR Professionals
The Perfect Storm Coming to Healthcare: Value Based Care Me…
Language is Code - Intro to AI - Generative AI - ChatGPT an…
Major cGMP Issues: FDA Concerns in 2026
Excel Spreadsheets; Develop and Validate for 21 CFR Part 11…
ChatGPT and Project Management: Leveraging AI for Project M…
I-9 Audits: Strengthening Your Immigration Compliance Strat…
Pivot tables beginner to advanced + 20 advanced Pivot table…
Emotional Intelligence: Mastering the Emotions of Great Lea…