How to Create an Inclusive Workplace Dress Code Policy

Workplace dress code policies—love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ll need to communicate expectations around workplace appearance at some point in your HR career. Those expectations should be clear and aligned with your company’s culture and values, but most of all, they should be inclusive, or you could risk allegations of discrimination.

How are today’s workers dressing, anyway?

According to Gallup, the percentage of US workers reporting for duty in business professional attire (i.e., dresses, suits, and ties) was already low in 2019 (7%), but it dwindled to a mere 3% in 2023. (Who has the time to press a pleat these days?)

Meanwhile, the amount of people dressing down before showing up to work rose from 65% to 72%—this includes business casual attire and casual streetwear. The implication? Today’s workplaces are far less prescriptive about what qualifies as “appropriate” or “professional” than they were when our grandparents were the ones making the commerce world turn.

And that’s a good thing! Comfort is key to being able to do your best work, but what’s “comfortable” isn’t always one-size-fits-all. That’s why it’s so important to ensure your workplace dress code is practical and inclusive of all your employees’ needs and preferences.

We asked 11 HR professionals and people leaders in the US, Canada, and the UK what they think about workplace dress codes, as well as if and how they enforce them. Here’s what they said, including tips for making your workplace dress code policy inclusive and effective.

Editor’s Note: Quotes have been lightly edited for concision and clarity.

Why Have a Workplace Dress Code?

The point of your dress code should never be about control. “I don’t think it’s that important to have a dress code,” says one of the people leaders we interviewed for this article, a director of operations based in the US. “It feels like corporate Big Brother, a power grab just for the sake of it.” The main reasons for implementing a workplace dress code should be to contribute to a company culture that does the following:

Promotes Professionalism: It’s okay to expect your employees to put their best foot forward and reflect well on your brand and services, especially your customer-facing employees.
Creates Unity: A consistent dress code can help your team feel align ed with the company’s mission, vision, and values.
Ensures Safety and Hygiene: This is essential in sectors where safety and sanitation are of the utmost importance, like on construction sites or when handling foo d.

Why Create a More Relaxed Dress Code Policy?

In situations where employee or customer safety isn’t on the line (i.e., situations that require hard hats, hair nets, closed-toed shoes, etc.), your dress code shouldn’t be so strict you need a measuring tape to enforce it. In fact, this level of restriction could easily become discriminatory if enforcing it disproportionately affects a certain demographic of your workforce.

Instead, opting for a more relaxed, practical dress code will help you create a supportive work environment that yields better returns on employee satisfaction and performance. Some of the benefits of creating a more comfortable working environment for your employees include:

Boosted Morale and Creativity: Psychological safety is a prerequisite for quality creative output, and part of achieving it includes having the freedom to dress for personal comfort and practicality.
Higher Achievement and Loyalty: Employees are more committed to supportive, positive work environments, and they’re more driven to achieve for employers that value their comfort and satisfaction.
Improved Recruitment and Retention: Today’s employees want to feel aligned with their company’s mission and values. As a reflection of these values, your dress code will influence their decision to join and stay with your company.

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Navigating Bias and Inclusivity in Workplace Dress Codes

It’s important to be aware of potential biases when creating and enforcing your dress code policy so that everyone receives equal treatment.

In 2010, a Black woman in Alabama lost a job offer at a call center after refusing to cut her locs. The company in question claimed dreadlocks “tend to get messy” and violated their grooming policy. A long legal battle ensued, which ended in the case being dismissed on the grounds that a hairstyle—as opposed to hair texture—is a mutable characteristic that isn’t protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Since 2010, however, 25 US states have passed the CROWN Act, or similar legislation that protects job applicants and employees from discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective styles, like locs, braids, and natural curls.

This legislation came following increased awareness around the ways bias against Black women and girls has impacted their experience at work and at school.

For example, a 2019 Dove study revealed that when shown images of two women, a White woman and a Black woman wearing the exact same hairstyle, respondents rated the White woman’s hairstyle 25% higher than the Black woman’s in terms of “job readiness.”

From our interviews with HR leaders, relaxed dress codes are often the best way to protect employees and reduce discrimination. The more complicated and prescriptive the policy, the more opportunity there is for biased interpretations to eke through, leading to accusations of discrimination.

Rolling Out and Enforcing a Workplace Dress Code

“I’m of the firm belief that if your work is getting done—and getting done well—I’m not going to complain about anything else. If you’re going above and beyond and you happen to be wearing a political statement, or something on a little pin, I’m not going to worry about that. I’m worried about the work you’re producing.” Director of Operations | US

The balancing act of creating a dress code that keeps your workplace professional while letting people express themselves can be tricky. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your policy is clear, fairly enforced, and open to feedback.

We use a "dress for your day" policy. If you're working from home, dress for home, if you're meeting with high level donors, dress professionally, etc.

Clearly Communicate the Policy

Transparency: You can briefly mention your dress code in your job postings to give applicants a feel for your company culture, but include it in your onboarding docs and employee handbook as well.
Accessibility: Your employee handbook should be readily accessible at all times for each employee, whether on the company’s intranet or in a digital format provided to all new hires.
As Needed Reminders: After the onboarding stage, it shouldn’t be necessary to mention the dress code again unless an employee’s workwear or appearance becomes an issue.

“Say someone comes to work in pajamas one day. I always ignore the first violation, but as soon as it happens a second time, I know it’s not a fluke and it’s become a pattern. That’s when I’ll mention it. By the third time, they’ve been talked to once already and we would take it up to the next level. It wouldn’t just be a conversation anymore.” Director of Operations | US

Provide Examples of Acceptable and Unacceptable Attire

Visual Aids: Careers pages are a great place to showcase your company culture. You can include images of your workforce at company activities or during their day-to-day, and how they are dressed can hint at how applicants would be expected to dress should they become an employee. You can also refer to these images, or other visual examples, during onboarding.
Specific Guidelines: Again, unless your industry necessitates a strict dress code policy for safety reasons, less is more when it comes to workplace dress codes. However, specific guidelines, such as “clothing must be neat and clean,” can be helpful for young people just entering the workforce who may still be learning corporate etiquette and expectations. You may also consider offering a stipend for new hires to purchase acceptable attire.
Contextual Clarity: Break down how dress codes can be different, either more strict or more flexible, for certain scenarios, such as client meetings, casual Fridays, or office celebrations. Different departments may also have different requirements. It may also be important to specify when company-branded clothing or uniforms should not be worn, such as when employees are off-duty.

Be Fair and Consistent About How You Enforce the Policy

Equal Application: You may choose to leave the dress code up to department heads, so expectations may be different across the org, but how the policy is enforced must be equitable.
Training for Managers: To be fair and consistent, managers must be aware of their biases, trained on how to recognize them, and motivated to keep them in check as they enforce any policy, including a dress code.
Documentation: If you ever have to intervene on a dress code issue, keep a record of the infraction and what you’ve done to fix the situation. This will make it easier to spot patterns of behavior that could hint at a larger issue. You’ll also need good records in case your company is accused of discrimination.

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Be Open to Feedback and Revising the Policy as Needed

Feedback Channels: Include a question about your dress code in your biannual satisfaction survey, or send out an impromptu, anonymous survey to get the conversation started.
Regular Reviews: Periodic reviews of all your policies, including your workplace dress code, will help you keep your employee handbook current, relevant, and fair.
Flexibility: Be open to tweaking the wording of your policy or your entire philosophy around workplace dress codes based on how your team feels, and what they need to do their best work.

Workplace Dress Code Policy Examples and Advice

BambooHR’s “Dress Code and Personal Appearance” policy in our employee handbook is very brief. We leave the specifics up to our department heads and people leaders, but our general guidance is as follows:

Everyone should dress appropriately for a business environment.
Employees need to make sure whatever they choose to wear is neat and clean.

As a tech company, we don’t find it necessary to get more prescriptive than that, but here are more specific examples and advice from HR pros in other industries.