Dress Code Trends

Just as formal uniforms have gone by the wayside, other aspects of dress codes are evolving. Meghan Patton, SPHR, director of human resources at Abington (PA) Memorial Hospital explained that the dress code recently changed at her facility to create a general overall policy, which is then interpreted by each department. "We have some physician practices where the practice has decided that staff will wear scrubs, and others that [opted for] normal business attire. Some departments have specific uniforms, others have guidelines."

While dress codes are flexible to meet the needs of individual departments, she stresses, "One item that is standard and mandatory throughout all dress codes is name badges." However, even this has had its changes, notes Maysonave. "Instead of around the neck, some companies are specifying that they be on a clip and displayed on a particular part of the upper body so it's easily readable and the person's easily identifiable." "We have a lot more color coordination now in the different departments," said Linda Selbst, a human resources consultant for Tampa (FL) General Hospital. The color coordination means that uniformed personnel walking down the hall are easily recognizable. For non-uniformed staff, they started offering a summer dress code last year - a more casual alternative during Florida's hot and humid summer, she explained. While it's not a recruitment tool for them, she does consider this an added benefit to employees. "You can definitely get too casual, even in scrubs," Maysonave added. Scrubs that are wrinkled or frayed are two examples of taking casual dress too far. While cartoon scrubs available in many catalogs can be appropriate in a children's ward to stimulate humor or conversation, in regular wards "it can be like a man in a business suit wearing a cartoon tie," she said. "With sloppy dress, you run the nonverbal communication risk that that you're not thorough with your job, you're not paying attention to detail the kinds of things that are very important in healthcare," Maysonave explained. Along with the clothes providers wear, their shoes are also very important, she continues. Sneakers worn with scrubs must be immaculate. According to Maysonave, many facilities require that "[healthcare providers] keep their shoes in a locker or a personal bag - they're not to be worn in the outside world if they're to be worn on a hospital floor or when they're seeing patients." Dress code policies have also grown to include more than just attire. Many facilities limit or ban the use of perfumes, hair care products or other strong-smelling substances that may be irritants to some patients. Some types of jewelry - or even decorative manicures - could also be off-limits. As hospital systems merge, and demands on staff increase, clinical dress no longer means a starched white uniform - but still reflects the larger department and function. The Development of Business Casual Just as clinical dress has changed, the business "uniform" of a suit and tie has, for many professions, become a thing of the past. What started out as casual Fridays turned into the casual workplace by the beginning of the new millennium, according to James Ammeen, president of the Men's Apparel Alliance. But does the end to halcyon days of dot-com companies and ever-climbing stock markets mean an end to the casual workplace as well? While we won't be wearing white shirts, power ties or navy blue knee-length skirts every day, we might just see an end to jeans and t-shirts around the water cooler. "There's definitely a trend back toward a more traditional style of business dress," stated Mary Lou Andre, president of Organization By Design Inc. She sites economic changes and the after-effects of 9/11 as prime reasons for the shift. Business casual (BC) began in the early 1990s, the last time the United States was in a recession," Andre explained. "Companies were downsizing and the people left within organizations oftentimes had more job responsibilities and fewer benefits." Dress down days, she said, became a way to retain employees and make them happy and was perceived to be a cost-effective benefit. As the economy improved during the mid-1990s, the dot-com boom and expanding job market all fueled the new casual trend, explained both Andre and Ammeen. Casual dress became a perceived benefit for workers as companies tried to hold onto talent. "Before the late 1980s, the suit was standard business attire," said Ammeen. Casual dressing shattered dress codes, he added. The thinking behind casual dress was that employees could relax and be happier, which would in turn improve morale, help productivity and leave people with more money to spend on other things. Yet, as soon as the new trend took hold, some companies started questioning the benefits of relaxed dress codes in the mid-90s, Andre said. "There were a lot of people exposing themselves in a work environment in a way that was just inappropriate." Two common extremes were overly casual and overly provocative. "This was always supposed to be a more comfortable way to dress, it was never meant to be a green light to roll out of bed and come into work any way that you want," she asserted. "In the new millennium, the economy started getting tighter again," Andre said. As corporate leaders began to examine what worked, and what didn't, during the 1990s, many decided that BC wasn't succeeding as a non-monetary benefit. "When the economy gets tighter people gravitate back toward tradition. How one dresses for work is one of the most visual ways we practice tradition," she continued. The events of 9/11 brought a new respect to business as well. She adds that with the dot-com collapse, people "don't want to be associated with something that's such a failure." She shared the story of her first meeting with a dot-com CEO. "He was wearing cut-offs and flip-flops and I thought that was really cool," she explained. "That's so not cool right now." Looking Forward Recently, Ammeen said, CEOs are looking around their offices and don't like what they're seeing. Things they're noticing include: increased tardiness, decreased productivity and, lack of focus and discipline. These factors are leading organizations to re-evaluate their dress code policies and define what they want them to be. Human resources directors no longer want to be the fashion police as well, Andre said. They are seizing the opportunity the current economy creates to adopt a more traditional style of dress. "Companies spend millions of dollars on brand identity campaigns," she explained. "When employees are dressed in a way inconsistent with what your brand is in the marketplace, there's a huge disconnect with the customer." "I don't think men are going to have a suit and tie on every day of the week," Andre said. She believes more suits will be coming out of the closet, though. The new millennium will be about options, she added; there will be a range of appropriate dress and people will be more flexible in dressing for their day. As Ammeen described it, "If you don't look the part, you may give [the client or customer] the wrong message about your company." "Sending the wrong message" can occur in a clinical setting as well. While employers recognize the need for comfort - especially in situations where people may be asked to work long shifts or remain on their feet for extended periods - neatness and cleanliness are essential in a healthcare environment. Also, hospitals are no longer in a position where a "one-size fits all" policy can apply to the varied number and type of healthcare professionals-and larger health systems need to look to a more departmentalized approach to manage the needs and duties of many employees within such a large entity. Overall, the future of dress codes will be about balance - providing employees with enough flexibility for self-expression, while maintaining professional goals and policies. Both clinical and business organizations realize that people want some room to express themselves and be comfortable, but also recognize the need for restrictions to maintain a professional, safe environment for everyone. Nicole Benkert is associate Web editor at ADVANCE.