Vested

Vested

I can see how having a dress code at work could get boring.  17 years of wearing red shirts and khaki colored pants or skirts could drive a person to leave a job they love.  Or as in my case, it could just force your creativity to new levels.  As a Human Resource manager sworn to uphold the dress code policy ( ok maybe that's an exaggeration) I choose to lead by example.  I won't be on anyone's worst dressed business casual list.  That's just too tacky.  

I have found over the years, my best personal shades of red and ways to marry them with the colors that I love and that love me back.  I have learned that Khakis can be as dressy as a silk pair of pants or as dressed down as a cargo skirt or pants  and just when each are appropriate.

I have also discovered there are benefits to a dress code:

1.  Only two loads of laundry for work clothes!

2.  Colorizing and Seasonalizing your closet is much quicker, as is choosing your clothes on a frantic morning.

3.  Your employees feel more like a team and focus on the job at hand.  Ok, I can dream!

4.  When you see how some of your employees dress on their days off (ie. Jammie pants or sweats in public, pants around their ankles, horizontal stripes on pants, low cut or too tight shirts) you will be happy to avoid the distractions.

Most importantly, a dress code does provide unity, doesn't place emphasis on rank or salary or create an atmosphere where everyone has their own guidelines for what works in the workplace.  

We started " Sweater Vest  Fridays" which has morphed into Red Vest Friday's that makes work a little more interesting to boot.  Vested employees are easy to spot!