The Dress Code in Canadian Workplaces - Essay Example

? Trends in the Workplace Trends in the Workplace: The Dress in Canadian Workplaces Introduction The of dress s in the workplace has always been a contentious one in various parts of the world. While it is true that employers have no right to demand that their employees wear certain clothes to work, workers have a duty to dress appropriately when attending to their duties. Organizations with workers from different cultures usually have a harder time in communicating their preferences for workplace dress codes to their multiethnic workforce. Still, corporate leaders in developing as well as developed nations such as Canada are expected to emphasize the importance of dressing in a manner that reflects well on their organizations. The image of an organization can be negatively affected by a dress code that does not mirror seriousness. The Canadian Workplace All workers in Canada have a right to dress according to their tastes so long as their preferences do not collide with workplace stipulations (Krahn, Hughes, & Lowe, 2010). Sometimes, there are rules created by corporations about what is appropriate that infringe on the workers’ personal rights. For example, there are companies that do not approve of workers with tattoos, dreadlocks, beards, and facial rings. The rules of such corporations can be rendered irrelevant by court rulings, though this is not always what happens when the workers of such corporations sue them. Business owners and corporate directors in such cases are usually required to provide evidence that justifies the existence of such rules. Sometimes, employers provide valid reasons that result in courts upholding their rules on the appropriate dress codes. For example, manufacturing plants that have a lot of machinery have a right to require that their workers remove all facial jewelry because it might get caught in the machines and seriously injure them. Since some employers are the creators of their own companies, they have a right to determine whether their workers should wear uniforms or dress in regular clothes. The only issue that employees can complain about are those to do with decency. For example, bar owners have no right to force their waiters and waitresses to dress in skimpy outfits that make them uncomfortable. If a worker sues his or her employer for being dismissed after refusing to wear skimpy clothes, a court can make the decision that the dismissal was unnecessary if it is established that the employer’s preferred dress code for workers was unreasonable. Moreover, there are sporadic cases where bar owners who have such dress codes have been allowed to dismiss workers who refuse to don skimpy outfits. In such cases, the bar owners proved in court that they had included information in previous work notices that informed potential workers about the type of work, as well as workplace uniform, that they would have to wear when working. In most cases where Canadian companies have dress codes that do not require that workers don indecent clothing, however, courts usually side with the employers. This is because the dress codes in such cases are usually enforced to prevent accidents in the workplace. For example, safety boots and gloves protect against accidents in the workplace. Employers have the right to implement dress codes when seeking to protect their workers so long as they explain their reasons for this to their employees. In some workplaces in Canada, workers are expected to dress in uniforms. Nurses, restaurant workers, and police officers are an example of workers who regularly don uniforms when at work. Their uniforms identify them to the public and enforce consistency in the labourforce. For nurses, their uniforms do not only identify them to the public, but also serve to protect their patients from catching any germs from the nurses who work with different patients all through the day. For restaurant workers, donning hair coverings is a way of stopping hair strands from falling into the food they serve to the customers. In most Canadian organizations that require workers to wear uniforms, workers do not pay for their uniforms. Moreover, the employees have a duty to care for the uniform and return it if their contracts are terminated or expire. Another factor that concerns dress codes has to do with reflecting the right image. Most business organizations, for example, require that their workers wear business suits with ties. Female workers are expected to wear dark skirt suits with knee length skirts. In such establishments, T-Shirts, colourful skirts or dresses, and sandals are not permitted. The type of organization, and the reality of regular contact with clients are both factors that determine an organization’s dress code. For example, there are many companies today that have a relaxed dress code that allows the wearing of jeans and T-Shirts to the workplace. Most of such companies, such as ‘Google’ do not have direct contact with their millions of clients on a daily basis. This allows them to permit their workers to dress casually and comfortably since their clients are not likely to judge them on the basis of the dressing codes of their workers. Moreover, the workers of financial organizations such as banks have to deal with different clients who have preconceived ideas on how the typical bank worker ought to be dressed. This means that the dressing code will be more conservative in order to suit their client’s taste. Moreover, even in such organizations, corporate heads have to make such decisions only after consulting with their employees. In Canadian organizations where there is no existing health, or safety component, or conservative atmosphere that has established dress codes, there is usually an accommodation of the preferences of employees. In Canadian organizations with workers from different ethnic groups, the workers have more leeway to decide how they wish to dress to work. Conclusion Any Canadian organization has the right to use its prerogative as the employer to determine the dressing code of its workers. This prerogative has to be exercised with reason; depending on the needs and functions of the organization while also accommodating the rights of employees. Any company’s dress code that fulfils these concerns can be enforced. Reference Krahn, H., Hughes, K., & Lowe, G. (2010). Work, industry, and Canadian society. New York: Cengage Learning. Read More