As temperatures rise practices may find that employees relax their dress code and, whilst you may not have an issue with some changes in dress, you may find others unacceptable. What should you do if an employee is not dressing in an acceptable way?

(1) Does the employee know and understand the dress code?

Many practices don’t have a written dress code but rely on the professionalism of employees. The problem is that if you don’t have a written dress code you are open to an individual’s interpretation.

There are particular reasons why you need employees to adhere to a certain dress code. For example, having a “no flip flops or open sandals” rule in the practice could be a health and safety issue and maintaining a certain standard of dress may be reassuring to patients. However, unless you make this clear to employees it would be unfair to expect them to anticipate your reasons.

Even if you do have a dress code policy, ensure that it:

• is current and reasonable
• does not discriminate in any way
• applies to everybody.

It is acceptable to have different dress code requirements, such as ties for men and business attire for women.

(2) Why has the employee relaxed the dress code?

You can’t assume that someone’s dress code has changed just because the temperatures have, so before tackling the issue it’s prudent to find out why things have changed.

There could, for example, be medical or religious reasons for changes in dress. It could even be that the temperature in the practice (or certain parts of it) is too high. Although there is no “legal” maximum temperature level (the minimum is 13°C) you need to make sure that it is not uncomfortable so may need to make changes. Heat in the workplace reduces productivity so there are sound business reasons for ensuring a comfortable environment.

(3) Schedule a private discussion with the employee

Whether or not you have a dress code it is always advisable to schedule a private chat with any employee who you feel may be dressed inappropriately.

• Start by making sure that the employee knows and understands the dress code and why you have one
• Ask about the reasons for the change in the style of attire and, if applicable, discuss what you can do accommodate any needs.

It’s appropriate to issue an informal warning if you are sure that the employee is clear about the dress code and has no issues/needs which you need to discuss.  However, if the employee has already received an informal warning about their dress it would be appropriate to issue a written warning, adhering to the practice disciplinary procedure, if any future problems occur.

(4) Review issuing uniforms

Practice uniforms can be useful for a number of reasons and if you have not recently considered issuing uniforms then now might be a good time to review things.

Make sure that you invite and involve employees in a consultation to weigh up the pros and cons of uniforms and, if you do decide to go ahead, the practical considerations of the type of uniform and who is responsible for maintaining it.