How to address inappropriate attire is a topic that frequently comes up among my fellow HR professionals, particularly at this time of year. A while back one of them drafted several “policies” that clearly demonstrate our exasperation at what people wear when they show up for work (and at managers’ lack of backbone when it comes to holding their staff accountable). Below is an example:
HR has tried to address what appropriate attire is in the workplace with numerous policies in the past but has found that they are not effective as people are still showing too much skin in the workplace, therefore, HR is rescinding all previous policies regarding workplace attire and is replacing them with the following Dress Code Policy which will be effective immediately.
The second option is that you can check out a purple choir robe from HR and wear the choir robe over your clothes to prevent showing too much skin
The first one is that you can come to HR and have HR mark on you with a Sharpie Permanent Marker the places on your body that need to be covered by clothing. If you choose this option, you will need to wear your swimming suit to work on Friday, June 4th and you must be prepared to stand, in your swimming suit, in the HR office so that HR can mark you up. You will be required to return to HR, in your swimming suit, when the marks wear off so that your lines can be redrawn. If any of your Sharpie Permanent Marker lines are visible during the work day, you are showing too much skin and thus subject to discipline up to and including termination.
You must keep your choir robe zipped all the way up and have your white fishing boots on from the time you enter the building to the time that you leave the building. Anyone who chooses this option and who loses the choir robe or boots will be required to replace them 
at his/her own expense.
And to avoid any issues with feet or other inappropriate footwear, you will also be required to check out a pair of white fishing boots to wear while in the office
You must decide no later than end of business on Thursday. Please let HR know if you have any questions.
I love this! Do you actually follow that policy? It would be hilarious if you did! Thankfully our dress code at work is scrubs, so people can’t really deviate from that.
The memo came from someone who posts as “Miss Blu” on an HR blog. There are many who’d probably like to send something like this out…
Coming from a very poor background, my mother still stitched us a Sunday dress from a not-so-old sari of hers so that we would have something more appropriate to wear to church. And she only had one or two good ones to wear herself. It is about wearing your best to meet your Lord.
I am a 40-something Catholic, married with 6 kids. I always wear a suit and tie to Mass on Sunday, and the kids dress up. Here’s how I got to this point: I realized that if I were invited to the White House to visit a President for whom I have no respect, I would get a haircut, shine my shoes, have my suit pressed and buy a new shirt out of respect for the office of the presidency. Now, if I truly believe the Master of the Universe is present at Mass, shouldn’t I at least dress as well as I would for the POTUS? That’s my reasoning. It hit me like an epiphany one day, and I switched from casual slacks to a suit and tie. By the way, I hate wearing a suit and tie, so I also do it as mortification and an offering to God. I think those that dress casually for Mass because “Jesus will accept me no matter how I am dressed” are just making excuses.
