As temperatures go up, many people’s judgment on what’s appropriate to wear to work goes down. (Way down in some cases.) Here’s how to handle the inevitable summertime “crimes of fashion.”
With all you have to do, no CFO has time to play Fashion Police. But the dog days of summer bring with it some rather questionable fashion choices around the office.
Here’s a strategy that lets people stay cool without leaving you fielding calls from HR.
First off, does your company have a summer dress code? If so, you might want to be sure every member of Finance has seen it lately. It couldn’t hurt to think about posting it in your departments.
Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it’s going to be followed – especially when staffers are making a break right from their desks to the beach on Friday afternoon.
So when you do see people crossing the line from Fashion-Do to Fashion-Don’t, here’s what to do:
- Address the matter fast. Once one person slips into too-casual Fridays, others will follow. If Sharon got away with a tank top last week, Katie won’t hesitate to do the same this week. You’ll have a tough time once the issue snowballs.
- Keep reaction appropriate. This isn’t a performance issue, after all. Yes, it’s worth addressing, but keep the “transgression” in perspective. Your best bet: Stress that Finance has both internal and external customers and that everyone needs to present a professional image.
- Be sure it’s universally enforced. Summer dress code seems like a fluffy issue … unless it turns into a gender or weight discrimination lawsuit because you let the size 2 staffer wear a too short skirt but told your size 16 she must dress more professionally. It happens. You don’t want it happening in your finance shop.