How to write a dress code for the modern workplace

Norms for professionalism have evolved over the past century — and rapidly so in the last five years. In 2019, Wall Street saw Goldman Sachs relax its dress code. On Capitol Hill, Congressperson Rosa DeLauro has long rocked purple hair and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gets increasingly tatted.

Still, dress codes at work and ideas of “professionalism” have long been a point of contention. As recently as last month, Starbucks’ new dress code inspired ire-filled TikTok rants and union member walkouts.

So how can HR write a policy that doesn’t suck?

Communicate early

Norms for professionalism are and should be set from the interview process, Charlie O’Brien, Head of People at Breathe HR, told HR Dive.

Such efforts help eliminate confusion as time goes on: Often, peoples’ “preferences on dress code or their interpretation of ‘business smart’ or ‘casual’” will show up over time, she said.

“I think it’s quite difficult and challenging to get right, while also trying to be empathetic, understanding, inclusive and diverse,” O’Brien continued. “HR forms this kind of police role, which we hate. Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, here comes the fashion police,’ right?” 

While the mid-May changes to Starbucks’ dress code angered many, the coffee giant communicated internally and externally that it was updating its dress code to “deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience.” Per the press release, leadership explained that the new, “more defined color palette” of bare-bones neutrals was an effort to “allow [the] iconic green apron to shine.”

Know your ‘why’

Along with setting norms in place early on, O’Brien also said it’s important to bring in managers to help workers understand the “why” behind dress code policies.

“I am not a lover of a policy for policy’s sake,” O’Brien said. Instead, dress codes and attire need to become part of a company’s culture, so “people aren’t reading four pages with a breakdown of skirt length,” like one might receive in a school’s handbook. 

The goal: “Treat people like adults,” she said, with a policy that has room for “correct flexibilities.”

An employee’s role or tasks may come into play, O’Brien explained. For example, she said, “If you are in a PR company and you need to represent a brand, define what that is.” But leave room for personalization: “You allow people have their say and voice and build into that behavior, attire and culture,” she said.

Consider generational differences

Employers also may need to address the crop-top-wearing elephant in the room: a generational divide over Generation Z’s approach to work wear.

Since the onset of the pandemic, observations around activewear at work — and more recently, the sexualizing of corporate attire à la the “office siren trend” — have reignited the generational workplace wars. 

Specifically, what people commonly find inappropriate are outfits where certain body parts or features are visible, such as belly buttons. “Most HR professionals or managers now aren’t really dealing with inappropriate tops being too low,” as much as they had in the past, O’Brien said. “I think that’s really had a shift.” 

Gen Z believes that professionalism entails appearance, according to 2024 research from Carlyssa M. Tenaglia, a Kent State University graduate who studied the cohort’s work wear for a master’s thesis. But they may simply be seeking more guidance and structure regarding work wear than previous generations, Tenaglia found.

That’s where HR and managers can come in.

Define enforcement approaches

Experts have long cautioned that workplace policies should be enforced consistently and evenly (understanding that exemptions are sometimes necessary for disability or religious accommodation, for example).

And while some aspects of dress code propriety may be more black and white, others may leave room for interpretation; that can create the opportunity for bias, illegal or not.

“We do have to understand individual biases, O’Brien said. But, “we don’t have to be controlled by them.” She likened the understanding to having “cultural awareness.” 

“It’s not just tattoos; it’s not just hair color. I also think that esthetic procedures are now having a narrative, that are causing disciplinary-like actions for employers that never have to handle before,” O’Brien said, who is based in the U.K. Also in Europe, Turkey has almost become synonymous with “hair transplant,” with those in the U.S. just now getting hip. 

O’Brien also mentioned the more commonplace lip fillers. In both cases, a worker may clock in at work looking totally different than they have before, and members of different generations may feel differently about that, she said.

“It’s a fine line, between trying to get it right without dictating, micromanaging, spoon-feeding — taking away that control,” O’Brien said. “I do think that, across the board, the majority understand. It’s the minority who sometimes push those boundaries.”

When that does happen, O’Brien said a conversation is best “handled in a safe space,” immediately. 

That’s why it’s crucial that culture and dress code policy be built into everyday conversation: If you prioritize inclusivity at work, you’ll have psychological safety, experts say. This can makes these conversations from manager to direct report easier. 

And just because there’s a dress code to enforce doesn’t mean that fashion can’t be fun. “A pink suit 20 years ago might have been a no-go, but 1751296318 you could turn up to Lloyd’s Bank in a pink suit, and people will be like, ‘Oh, she’s smart,’ right?” she said. “They’re not afraid of color.”