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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.


    • Case law
    • Europe
    • Belgium

    Employers cannot ban Muslim headscarves, says Advocate General

    by Stephen Simpson 13 Jul 2016
    by Stephen Simpson 13 Jul 2016

    An employer cannot have a blanket ban on religious dress that prevents a Muslim woman from wearing an Islamic headscarf...

    • Case law
    • Europe
    • Belgium

    Employers can ban Muslim headscarves at work, says EU lawyer

    by Stephen Simpson 31 May 2016
    by Stephen Simpson 31 May 2016

    An employer can prevent a Muslim employee from wearing an Islamic headscarf if the ban is based on a general...

    • Dress codes
    • Sex discrimination

    Receptionist sets up petition against high heels dress policy

    by Jo Faragher 12 May 2016
    by Jo Faragher 12 May 2016

    A temporary receptionist has claimed she was sent home from an assignment at consulting firm PwC because she was not...

    • Case law
    • Belgium
    • France

    Religious dress at work: ECJ to hear Muslim headscarf cases

    by Personnel Today 24 Feb 2016
    by Personnel Today 24 Feb 2016

    What should an employer do if a third party objects to an employee wearing religious dress while working on the...

    • Employee engagement
    • Evidence-based management
    • HR practice

    Play and professionalism at work: boosting engagement while maintaining standards

    by Rob Moss 28 Jan 2016
    by Rob Moss 28 Jan 2016

    ON DEMAND | If having more fun at work can help boost productivity, how can HR encourage the right amount of enjoyment in the organisation while maintaining professionalism?

    • Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
    • Dress codes
    • Minimum wage

    Monsoon Accessorize’s dress code led to it not paying minimum wage

    by Rob Moss 23 Oct 2015
    by Rob Moss 23 Oct 2015

    Fashion retailer Monsoon Accessorize has topped the latest list of companies...

    • Religious discrimination
    • Dress codes
    • Religion

    Religious dress in the workplace: five key employment cases from the UK

    by Stephen Simpson 12 Jun 2015
    by Stephen Simpson 12 Jun 2015

    The US Supreme Court has found that Abercrombie & Fitch committed religious discrimination when it rejected a Muslim woman’s job...

    • Dress codes

    Majority of dress codes bar shorts and crop tops at work

    by Charlotte Wolff 10 Jun 2015
    by Charlotte Wolff 10 Jun 2015

    Shorts and crop tops are most likely to be banned at work compared with other items of clothing, an XpertHR...

    • Dress codes

    Too tight or too loose: how does your dress code compare?

    by Personnel Today 2 Mar 2015
    by Personnel Today 2 Mar 2015

    Tattoos, beards and piercings are just three fashions that may have challenged employers’ dress codes. Trends that may have felt...

    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Dress codes

    Tattoo much? Setting rules over employees’ hair, piercings and body art

    by Hannah Ford 16 Sep 2014
    by Hannah Ford 16 Sep 2014

    What are the risks for employers judging the suitability of tattoos in the workplace? Hannah Ford sets out the issues around “look policies”.

    • HR practice
    • Dress codes
    • Legal opinion

    Virgin Trains’ new uniform: risqué or just risky?

    by Personnel Today 21 May 2013
    by Personnel Today 21 May 2013

    Recent controversy over a new uniform for Virgin Trains’ female staff highlights the potential problems faced by employers who want...

    • HR practice
    • Dress codes

    McDonald’s unveils new uniforms designed by Wayne Hemingway

    by Personnel Today 20 Jun 2012
    by Personnel Today 20 Jun 2012

    McDonald’s has unveiled its new staff uniform, designed by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway. The designs will make their debut at...

    • HR practice
    • Dress codes

    Weekly dilemma: Dress codes

    by Personnel Today 26 Apr 2011
    by Personnel Today 26 Apr 2011

    Summer is approaching, and I don’t want a repeat of last year, when my office looked like a beach party....

    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • HR practice
    • Dress codes

    Employers ensure dress codes do not discriminate

    by Laura Chamberlain 4 Apr 2011
    by Laura Chamberlain 4 Apr 2011

    Nine employers in 10 (89%) that have a dress code in place take steps to ensure that their policy does not...

    • HR practice
    • Wellbeing
    • Dress codes

    Bite resistant clothing can help protect mental health care professionals

    by Personnel Today 8 Dec 2010
    by Personnel Today 8 Dec 2010

    Bite resistant clothing has now been launched to protect mental health care professionals. Cut-Tex® PRO, a recently developed ultra high cut...

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