Summer Dress Code at the Office

When the summer sun starts to heat up, employees naturally want to dress for comfort. In response to this, companies often implement casual dress codes for the duration of the season, allowing employees to stay cool while still maintaining a certain level of professionalism.

 

 Why Even Have a Dress Code Policy?

Everyone has slightly varying views of what constitutes the difference between casual and formal wear. For some employees, casual summer attire might be almost identical to what they’d wear for the rest of the year. For others, their idea of casual wear may go well past the point of what you consider appropriate for work clothing. 

A written dress code policy makes it clear what you consider to be appropriate summer work attire, preventing confusion and misunderstandings. Include the company dress code policy in your employee handbook, and suggest employees review the section on casual dress codes at the beginning of summer. 

 

 Tips for Developing a Company Dress Code Policy

One of the first steps in developing summer dress codes is to consider what is generally considered casual or professional in your industry. The level of interaction between employees and the public is also a factor--companies where employees have little frontline interaction with customers can afford slightly more casual dress codes. 

Company dress code policies often focus on female employees to a disproportionate amount. 

Make sure your dress code applies to everyone equally, regardless of gender, age, or position in the company. On a related note, the dress code policy should include consequences for non-compliance. These consequences must apply to everyone equally--staff are less likely to honor a dress code policy if it becomes some people can break the rules while others cannot.

 

 A Sample Casual Dress Code

Again, every industry has its own expectations for appropriate workwear. Having said that, the following is a casual dress code for women that would be acceptable in most offices:

 

 For Women

Tops: Casual dresses or skirts split at or below the knee, dressy tops, blouses, neutral/solid colored sheath dresses, sleeveless shirts, turtlenecks, vests.

Bottoms: Dark jeans, dress pants, knee-length skirts, pencil-cut skirts.

Shoes: Closed kitten heels, flats, open-toed heels, pumps.

Clothing to Avoid: Crop tops, leggings, off the shoulder shirts/dresses, pants with bold prints, ripped pants, shorts, spaghetti straps, sportswear, strappy sandals, T-shirts, tennis shoes.

 

 For Men

Tops: Button up shirts, collared shirts, neutral colored short-sleeve button down shirts, sports coats.

Bottoms: Dark jeans, dress slacks, semi-formal dress pants.

Shoes: Dark leather shoes, loafers, tie-up shoes.

Avoid: Boat shoes, boots, printed shirts, ripped jeans, sandals, sportswear, T-shirts, tennis shoes.

 

 Work Uniforms: An Alternative to Casual Dress Codes

Company dress code policies can place pressure on employees who may not have the clothing required by the code and lack the financial means to purchase appropriate attire. Even if everyone has clothing that fits summer dress codes, everyone will still be dressed differently--a problem if you want to present a unified team to customers. 

The solution is to provide your own workwear. Work uniforms put all staff on the same playing field in terms of clothing, while offering businesses an opportunity to build brand recognition (think of the instantly recognizable brown UPS uniforms). You can create seasonal work uniforms that offer comfort in the summer and warmth in the winter, while avoiding the need to create and enforce a company dress code policy.