WHAT TO SAY · BEHAVIOUR AND CONDUCT
How to tell an employee about inappropriate clothing at work
Keep this about the written dress code and the setting (customers, safety), never about bodies or personal taste. Private, short and neutral.
Before you start
- Check the dress code is written down and applied to everyone.
- Be careful the rule is not applied more strictly to some groups than others.
The script
- OPEN WITH
[Name], quick private word about the dress code.
For [customer meetings / the warehouse floor], our dress code asks for [specific requirement].
Today’s [item] does not quite meet that. Could you make sure it does from tomorrow?
If anything in the policy is unclear or difficult for you, tell me and I will find out.
Replace the [brackets] with real details. Say it in your own words; the structure matters more than the exact wording.
If they say…
“Other people wear this.”
Thanks for flagging it. I will make sure the policy is clear for everyone.
“It is for religious or medical reasons.”
Thank you for telling me. Let us talk with HR about an adjustment.
What to avoid
- Comments on someone’s body or appearance.
- Raising it in front of others.