Dress codes
Employers commonly have a dress code to ensure that all employees understand what standards are appropriate when it comes to their dress and appearance.
A dress code could have rules banning certain items of clothing and footwear (such as jeans, shorts and flip-flops), and rules on other areas of appearance, such as hair, tattoos, and piercings.
Employer may have to adapt the rules to accommodate employees whose cultural or religious needs make it difficult for them to comply with the rules. Employers may have to justify any indirectly discriminatory rules on dress or appearance.
Society launches veganism guidance for employers
Following last month’s landmark ruling that ethical veganism qualifies as a philosophical belief for the purposes of the Equality Act,...
MP defends choice to wear off-the-shoulder dress in Parliament
Labour MP Tracy Brabin has defended her choice of attire after she was criticised for wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in...
Dress codes and religious discrimination: what is reasonable?
While having a dress code can help project a professional image, employers need to be careful that their policies do...
Staff agency for top hotels discriminated against bearded Sikh man
A Sikh man has won £7,000 after an agency which supplies staff to exclusive London hotels said it was not...
Department store criticised for period badges
A department store in Japan has said it is reviewing a policy where its staff could wear badges indicating whether...
Wearing a poppy in the workplace: myth or reality?
Employers sometimes make the headlines over their policy on staff wearing a poppy in the workplace. We set out the...
Police service discriminated against man with moustache
A police constable has won a sex discrimination claim after an industrial tribunal found that the Police Service of Northern...
Burger King’s beard ban violated workers’ rights, Catalan authorities rule
Burger King’s policy banning staff from having beards, moustaches and stubble violated employees’ rights under Spanish law, authorities in Catalonia...
Staffline shares slump following six-year minimum wage underpayment
Staffline, one of the biggest recruitment and training agencies in the UK, has seen its shares tumble after PwC delayed...
British Airways warns cabin crew wearing ‘wrong’ bra
British Airways has come under fire for accusing female cabin crew of wearing the “wrong” colour or type bra, and...
Apprentices need more help with how to dress for work
Employers are four times more likely to worry about how their apprentices dress for work than they would about graduates,...
Virgin Atlantic cabin crew can go make-up free
Female cabin crew working for Virgin Atlantic will no longer be required to wear make-up while on their shift.
They...
Iceland to fight HMRC over £21m minimum wage ‘breach’
Iceland Foods says it could take HM Revenue & Customs to court over a minimum wage dispute concerning a Christmas...
One-HR employment law review (webinar)
Last chance to book your place: 6 December 2018 at 2pm. Barrister Kevin Charles scrutinises the latest developments in employment law including whistleblowing, minimum wage and more...
Dress codes: Must women always wear a bra at work?
A recent post on a parenting forum asked whether it would be illegal for an employee to go bra-less at...
