From micro skirts to arm-length tattoos, visible undergarments to eyebrow piercings, “Daisy Duke” shorts to flip-flops, maintaining a professional-looking workforce is an uphill battle for employers in today’s super-casual society. Striking the proper balance between requiring appropriate dress among your employees and respecting their rights can be tricky, particularly when concerns like religious expression and gender discrimination come into play. If you’re like other HR professionals, you probably dread those delicate discussions with workers about their clothing choices.
During this 90-minute audio conference recording, our expert speaker - an experienced employment law attorney who has advised her clients on dress code issues - will share herstrategies for crafting and enforcing dress codes in your workplace. She'll explain the practical and legal steps you can take to respect your employees’ cultural and religious rights while maintaining a professional work environment. You’ll learn what you can - and can’t - require in your current dress code, as well as the changes you should make to your rules to stay current with federal and state employment laws.
Plus, you’ll learn how to prepare for the onslaught of sometimes-skimpy costumes employees may wear to work on October 31. A recent national survey found that almost a third of workers plan to wear a costume to work on Halloween – which this year falls on a Friday. If you fear your employees may be planning to start the party early, our speaker will give you specific advice for monitoring those outfits and dealing with employees whose costumes cross the line.
You and your colleagues will learn:
- The key rules you should always include in your dress codes
- How to adopt appearance policies that keep younger workers happy without upsetting their more experienced colleagues who prefer the “suit and tie” approach
- When you should - or must - make dress code exceptions for workers who cite religious, cultural, or health reasons for their appearance
- How to tailor your appearance policies to fit workers in different types of jobs, from the warehouse to the corner office
- The questionable dress code rules to avoid that could leave you liable for claims of discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or similar grounds
- How to deal with employees who consistently push the dress code envelope - and when you should consult your attorney before you confront those workers
- Proven tips for communicating your dress code expectations to workers without running afoul of the law
- What you can do in advance to prevent inappropriate Halloween costumes at work
This audio conference was recorded on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
About Your Speaker:
Nancy M. Cooper, Esq., is a partner in the law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer in Portland, Oregon. As a lawyer and former business owner, she counsels employers on the best ways to avoid employment-related litigation, and her practice covers issues ranging from classifying workers and developing employment agreements to complying with wage and hour rules and dealing with unions. Cooper is a frequent human resources columnist for Inc. magazine. She earned her law degree at the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.
Approved for Recertification Credit
This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI home page at www.hrci.org.
