Dressing for Success

Meeting Coastal Plains Community Center’s Work Attire Policy

How to Dress for South Texas Heat

and

Still Look Like a Professional

South Texas is HOT! It is hard to stay cool and look good at the same time!

It is HOT out there!

There is nothing worse than it being 95 degrees outside and having to wear anything but shorts, tank-top and flip-flops!

But…you cannot wear these things to work!

Dress Code

Coastal Plains Community Center has a

work attire policy.

UGH!

Not a dress code?!

I don’t know about you, but once I was able to dress myself, my mother stopped having power over what I wore. Maybe that wasn’t so good!

Why a Work Attire Policy?

We need to provide guidelines for employees work attire which promotes:

Safety

and a

Positive Image

for the Center

PolicyIt is the policy of Coastal Plains Community Center

that employees shall dress in a manner appropriate to their assigned job duties.

GuidelinesDirect Care Employees are afforded greater latitude with respect to casual wear, but must exercise caution in regards to footwear and dangling jewelry.

All Employees representing the Center in a public forum (staffing, court, physician’s visit, etc…) should dress in a professional manner which reflects well on the Center and its consumers.

Examples for professionals working in consumer homes, day habs, etc..:

Jeans

Slacks

Casual tops

Casual shirts

“Polo” style shirts

T-shirts

Tennis shoes, loafers, flexible boots, etc…

Capri pants

Long shorts (people who go on home visits

Examples for professionals in the Public:

Dress slacks

Dresses (for women)

Dress tops/Button-down shirts

Ties (typically men) – not necessary, but nice

Dress Shoes, boots, loafers, tie-shoes, etc…

Pumps (no higher than 2 inches), flats or “kitten heels”, etc…

Casual Wear Examples

Business Clothes for Casual Texas!

What not to wear (at work)“provocative dress is inappropriate for this work setting” (policy)

Torn jeans or baggy jeans which require you to constantly pull at them to keep them up (belts were invented just for this)

Low hung jeans with underwear or less (more?) showing

T-shirts that advertise, promote or have graphics that are offensive or have political statements

Low-cut shirts, spaghetti straps, tube tops and halter tops. (the focus should be on services, ability to make eye contact, not on what is showing)

Shoes with heals greater than 2 inches, open toe shoes.

Clothing which depicts offensive symbolism or promotes alcohol or drug use is prohibited.

Button’s on shirts undone a little too far (both men & women)

Short skirts (if you are having to worry about constantly pulling down your skirt when you sit or stand up, it’s too short for work)

Accessories and Make-up Both males and females wear jewelry.

Both males and females wear make-up (yes, there are products on the market for cover-up, skin-toner, foundation, concealers, etc…designed just for men).

Magazines of all kinds provide tips and tricks for the proper application of “day” vs. “night” make-up and how to accessorize.

Shoes are a necessity, but many people consider them an accessory.

Remember, with accessories such as jewelry and shoes the key component is safety.

Regarding make-up: You are not going to a club or party, you are coming to work! People should focus on what you say, not on your make-up. If you have plans after work, carry your make-up with you and touch-up for your evening out, after you get off work.

The Basics of Work Accessories & Make-up Earrings that hang, dangle, or are easy to grab can

result in injury.

If you work in a clinic, day habilitation center or in people’s homes – you should avoid this type of earrings. They can be grabbed and pulled (yes, ripped right out of your ear) .

Religious symbols. Though we will never impose on your right to exercise your religion, remember that you are providing services to all people in the community. Your accessories should not detract from your professional appearance.

Other “dangling” jewelry. Remember the situation you work in. If you work with people who reach out and grab at things (intentionally or unintentionally) you should not wear accessories that can be grabbed, pulled, used to choke you (on purpose or accidently), etc…

Footwear: “footwear should provide protection and support. It should be closed-toed and low to medium heel (2 inches or less).

Why 2 inches or less? You should be able to egress from a dangerous situation safely and high heels hinder this.

Make-up and ‘ink’ (tattoos)

Our policy states “provocative dress is inappropriate for the work setting” this holds true for make-up.

As with make-up, ink (tattoos) are part of a person’s dress (accessories). If you have ink that may be offensive to others, is large and/or detracts from your personal appearance, you need to wear clothing that covers this.

Interesting Research:

Research suggests that wearing the right amount of makeup is perhaps the most important part… "The key may be to appear as if you've put in some effort but didn't go overboard," says Don Osborn, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Bellarmine University, in Kentucky…"Heavy makeup may suggest misplaced priorities: You care more about looking good than working hard." So you want to keep everything subtle, but at the same time substantial enough to hide blemishes and highlight your features. (1)

Flip-flops, open-toed shoes, heels over 2 inches high have resulted in work-related injuries.

Daytime/work make-up should be subtle (according to all of the websites, tutorials and magazines).

(1) http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/natural-makeup

Accessories, Jewelry, Make-Up that are either safety issues or are detracting from service provision:

Enforcement It is management’s responsibility to apply these standards to all employees

to promote a safe and professional workplace. Management shall have the final say and determination.

No one likes to be told what to wear – so… evaluate the way you are dressed before coming to work!

Stop and think when you are getting dressed for work.

Ask yourself, as you look in the mirror: “Am I presenting myself in a positive manner?”

“Can I work safely in this outfit?”

“Do I have a meeting to attend?”

“Am I the first person people see?”

“What are people going to notice about me?”

“Is my shirt too low? Skirt too tight? Am I wearing something that is really distracting?”

Work should be enjoyable Let’s not get caught up in the “why can’t I wear flip flops?” debate.

If you want to know why you can’t wear flip flops, high heels or nose rings, here is the reason: Safety must come before fashion.

If you see your co-workers doing something unsafe or wearing something that could pose a risk to them, do something about it before it becomes an issue. (examples: 3 ½ inch heels are not conducive to escorting people out of a building in an emergency situation; flip-flops do not protect the toes when someone is angry or doors are opened up too fast; large loop earrings are great things to grab if you are a child and wound up)

Management has to look at a system of change from a safety perspective. They try to make changes that are fair to everyone and treat people/staff equally. There is not a manager that enjoys addressing this issue with staff members.