Mount Royal university classroom displaying no apparent dress code (Nickozs Labitoria, CMRU.ca)
Surely, most people have had an instance in their lives, whether that be school or at a relative’s wedding, where they have been expected to dress in a certain, “appropriate” manner. Though, there are many differing opinions on dress codes in school—that it’s a good thing, systematically biased against girls (which if you ask me, it absolutely is), or the easy cop-out of “just have them wear uniforms!”. But in this article, I shall be talking about dress codes in the workplace, if I think they are a good idea, and if they’re even necessary. Spoiler alert: it depends, I guess.
Safety
Now, hear me out. Yes, I think school dress codes are overtly biased towards boys. Yes, I think dress codes are inherently sexist and classist. And, no, I do not think they should be enforced to the extent that they were when I went to high school. However, a school and a workplace are two very different places, with very different expectations for the people who populate it. For one: usually, there is much more risk of injury in a place of work than there would be at a school (I’d really hope so, anyway), and so sometimes a dress code is necessary for a workplace. A welder wouldn’t want to be without their mask, a construction worker their hard hat, or a healthcare worker their scrubs. But, you know what? I hear you, not all jobs require safety gear… so what about them?
Customer convenience
Well, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to see, say, a lawyer pull up in a Death Grips shirt (though that would be hilarious). I get that’s a bit of an extreme example, so I’ll turn it down a bit. Have you ever made the mistake of going up to someone at a grocery store, asking them where a certain item is located, only to, in your horror, learn that they are not, in fact an employee, but just another shopper? Because I have, just yesterday. Cases like that, I think, is having a specific dress be appropriate, for convenience. A uniform, though, I think, is too much for a grocery store (unless if they’re maybe directly handling meats and similar produce), which is why I think Wal-Mart and Superstore’s approach to employee dress is pretty neat — just have them bring their own clothes that’s blue, and slap a name tag on it. No blue tops? No problem — here’s a vest. Though, I do think it restricts an individual’s ability to express themselves, I believe it to be a strategy much more aligned with western sensibilities. And, you know, they’re being paid by the company, so… but whether or not I think they’re getting paid enough is a whole different story.
Point is…
I think dress codes are perfectly reasonable to expect from employees, especially with jobs that require a level of safety, or simply just for the convenience of customers. And, though I do not think it does much for individual self-expression, one thing is for sure — I think the opinion of an unemployed man hardly matters.
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