The Employee / Worksite Dress Code

The Employee / Worksite Dress Code
Employee/workplace Dress code : What to do when professionalism and personality collide?

Trends change in the workplace, and when the “status quo,” or what consumers have come to expect collides with practicality or legality, employers are left juggling some confusing questions about how to achieve professionalism while accommodating the tastes of their employees and complying with laws.

According to Diane E. Stanton, a managing partner in an employment and benefits law firm, employers may mandate an employee dress code policy as long as the rule is “reasonable and administered consistently.” But the standards can be confusing, particularly since employers are expected, in some cases, to apply the same workplace dress code across the board, while in other cases, gender, religion, or disabilities may play a factor.

The courts have concluded for the present that employers may enforce “reasonable appearance rules even if they prohibit the expression of cultural or ethnic values if the rules are job-related and are applied consistently.” In order to promote professionalism, then, an employer may mandate that all employees dress conservatively, or require male employees to wear their hair short and forbid them from wearing earrings.

On the other hand, an employer may not require an employee to wear a sexually provocative uniform, as this constitutes sex discrimination. In addition, it would be unlawful for an employer to require professional women to dress and behave in a “feminine” way, according to Stanton. The laws about religious garb in the workplace can be equally as confusing.

We can help you sort out some of the sticky issues presented by employee dress code policy, and help you draft a policy to include in your employee handbook. Consult our Human Resources Department.

AmCheck offers nationwide Employee Dress Code Workplace Policy. Get a quote.

Why Leave Hiring to Chance?

Why Leave Hiring to Chance?
Employee assessment tools - What to do when professionalism and personality collide

Are you good or are you lucky? Would you take $10,000.00 of your company’s money to the casino and let it ride on one bet? How many times might you be able to do this before the odds put you into a losing situation? Are you gambling with the company’s money by filling open positions without first testing applicants?

It is clearer than ever before that running a successful and profitable business hinges on hiring the right people. Selecting the best candidate is a major responsibility. It is also a great opportunity! It’s an opportunity to build a highly productive team, ensuring growth and tremendous success. In the New York Times best seller, “GOOD TO GREAT”, Jim Collins, a renowned business research author, makes it clear. “You must start by getting the right people on the bus.”

Consider this…

The cost of recruiting, screening, hiring, training and then losing an employee is unquestionably high. Ultimately, managers today will be evaluated on their contributions and performance. To achieve the efficiency and productivity expected, managers must learn to “improve the chances” of hiring the right person the first time. Like a roll of the dice, a hiring decision can be unpredictable.

Most managers don’t take advantage of technology that exists to “get better odds” in making selection decisions. Employee assessment tools can help “hedge the bet”. Whether the position is in accounting, a call center, an industrial environment or healthcare, technology is available to assess a wide variety of skills.

This technology allows managers to measure candidate skills with greater certainty. It’s convenient. Candidates can test from a computer with an Internet connection at any time. Instant results are available, providing comprehensive reports that include proficiency rated by skill type, task type and category.

Take care to ensure that testing is validated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires that screening tests are applied with impartiality to protect applicants from discriminatory employment procedures.

• Is the skill being tested vital for job performance?
• Does the skill or trait measured influence successful performance of the job?
• Is the question content related to performance of a particular job or duty?
  

Multiple employee assessment tools and skill testing systems are available. Proper due diligence and professional implementation of a skill and assessment process most beneficial to your organization is of utmost importance.

• What types of assessment tools are needed?
• What about future flexibility? (Change is inevitable)
• How much does it cost to implement?
• How much time does it add to the process?
• Can it be outsourced effectively?
• With hiring tools like this available to you, why leave anything to chance?
  

Our company is committed to helping our clients succeed through utilization of proven effective human resource practices. For more information about skill & assessment tools available through our company, please contact our Human Resources Department.

AmCheck offers nationwide Employee Assessment Tools & Services. Get a quote.