A well-written, consistent dress code provides clarity, creates a productive work environment and helps ward off potential problems. It also helps protect a company against possible litigation.
Tattoos, piercings, suggestive clothing and other employee wardrobe choices can present sticky issues for employers. While companies generally have wide latitude to create and enforce their own dress codes, they might face unexpected landmines if they don’t consider the implications of their dress code policies or lack thereof. Extremely strict dress codes can weed out potentially good employees, and employers also can find themselves in legal trouble if their dress codes could provoke gender, religious or other discrimination claims.