How much skin is too much at the office?

Employees showing up for work in tank tops or flip-flops may inspire the boss to write an office dress code.

NEW YORK (AP) --

Here's a scenario very likely to happen at a small business this summer:

The owner arrives in the morning, and is greeted not only by the company's receptionist,

but her exposed navel. And maybe her nose ring too.

In the summer heat, many employees, particularly those in their first jobs, may show up for work in rather
skimpy attire that a small business owner feels is unsuitable for the workplace. The solution is to create a
dress code -- something that every business has the right to do.

Tory Johnson dealt with the issue just a few weeks ago. Three interns, ages 19 to 21, showed up at Johnson's
Manhattan recruitment services firm with tank tops, exposed bra straps and flip-flops.

"Not only is that totally inappropriate in any office -- I couldn't care less how hot it is outside -- but since my
company focuses on the advancement of professional women, it's doubly unacceptable to me," said Johnson,
CEO of Women For Hire.

Johnson spoke to the young women, and "they got it immediately." As is often the case, they had no idea about
how they should dress for work.

Bonnie Beirne, director of service operations for Administaff Inc., a Houston-based company that provides
human resources outsourcing, says a dress code should be in writing, but even if a business doesn't
have one yet, an owner still has the right to tell a staffer that he or she needs to wear
more appropriate attire.


That means telling an employee: "I realize we don't have something in writing, but I'm going to be putting
together a policy communicating our dress code policy more formally."

An owner also needs to explain to workers that how they dress delivers a message to customers and vendors.

"It goes back to image and branding for your company -- what are you saying to your customers," Beirne said.

When staffers dress for work as if they're going to the beach, there's also likely to be plenty of resentment among
co-workers who do dress more professionally.

At Logos Research Systems Inc., the dress code was ultra-casual; even the president came in wearing shorts.
Just about anything was OK -- until a new employee showed up not only in sweats and a baseball cap,
but not having taken a shower for several days running.

Dan Pritchett, vice president for marketing and business development for the Bellingham, Washington-based
software company, said, "sadly, we were big chickens, we waited longer than we should have" to
address the situation. But after about three weeks, it had to be dealt with and the staffer was
told to dress better and take a shower.

"The reaction was much rejoicing because the majority of the people couldn't take the smell and the look,
" Pritchett said.

Logos does have a dress code now, but it's still quite lenient; shorts, but not cut-offs, are OK. But Pritchett
said the general attire in the company, while casual, has become much more serious because the
president, Pritchett's brother Bob, is dressing a little more professionally.

"He got tired of being embarrassed" when customers, vendors, even journalists would show up wearing
business clothes while the president was wearing shorts, Dan Pritchett said. When Bob started
dressing better, wearing slacks and a button-down shirt, so did staffers.

There are other issues beyond appearance that can make a dress code crucial, such as worker safety.
Many manufacturing companies have dress codes to ensure that garments aren't caught in machinery,
for example. Even in an office setting, safety can be an issue. If someone drops a box of
computer paper and it lands on the foot of an employee wearing only flip-flops, that
can lead to injury and a workers compensation case.

A dress code should spell out what is and isn't appropriate for that company. But it should be specific: For
example, if you want to allow workers to wear shorts, you should make clear how long they should be,
and if you are banning cut-offs, say so. If it's all right for women to wear sleeveless tops but not tank
tops, and if their blouses shouldn't be made of see-through fabric, you need to state that as well.

When you do address the issue with an individual employee, Beirne suggests doing so in a non-threatening
manner. Very often, a worker truly doesn't realize that his or her clothes don't belong in a workplace. And
make it clear you're not singling out this employee -- you'll be creating a dress code for everyone to follow.

"Keep explaining, this is how we want our company to be run," she said.



With that context, employees aren't likely to balk, as Johnson and Pritchett's company found. If they do,
then an owner is likely to end up dealing with a performance and discipline issue.

You should also consider the physical environment in your company -- is there a lot of exposed skin in your
office because the air conditioning is faulty, or because there are no shades on the windows to prevent
the sun from streaming in? If so, you should remedy the situation, and, in the process, acknowledge

your employees' needs.