Dress Codes
Are your employees allowed to wear what they like at work? Are shirts and ties compulsory? What about long hair on men and are your rules fair? It is wise to first take legal advice on whether you can best protect your business by having a clear written policy on such matters set out in a staff handbook and secondly as to what to do if a conflict or situation arises.
Judith Ellery a partner in the Employment Department says:
"Many employment disputes can be avoided by having very clear rules and documents so employees know where they stand. However if there is a dispute you may need to take some legal advice on what is reasonable. Much depends on the nature of the work as well. If employees meet customers it may be reasonable that a certain standard of dress is imposed on them by the employer but it relates to the kind of work concerned. In some jobs uniforms are appropriate. In March the House of Lords considered the case of a school girl who wanted to wear full Muslim dress at school which was not permitted by the school rules. The court held the school's rules were reasonable and could be upheld but the case does illustrate the problems that dress codes can cause.
"It is wise to give staff guidance about dress and also to take legal advice before sacking anyone as often problems are caused not by the grounds for the sacking but because proper procedures have not been followed".
Call Judith Ellery on 0117 9290451 or email jellery@metcalfes.co.uk for further information.
This press release summarises the law on issues which we believe may be of interest to your business. It is not a comprehensive review of the subjects and accordingly is published without responsibility for loss occasioned to any person(s) acting or refraining from action as a result of information published