[Sussex] Tie becomes unbound

[mph at ascentium.co.uk]

Quoting Geoff Teale <Geoff.Teale at claybrook.co.uk>:

> Now the next big one should be this - do civillian organisations have the
> right to impose a dress code on their staff at all?
> 
> Discuss ;)


OK :-)

I think it depends on: 

- the nature of the organisation
- the reasonable expectations of that organisation's customers
- whether an employee has a duty to act in the best interests of the employer

Let us start with an extreme case and see how far we can take it down the line:

- Case 1: A Michelin ** Restaurant, charging say £100 per dinner. The 
Restaurant could, with justification, claim that its prices are sustained not 
just be "word of mouth" reputation, but by the awards that it has, and a ** 
rating is worth a lot. The "Guide Michelin" explicitly DOES include things 
other than the quality of the food and takes into account the whole dining 
experience. It could be argued that, were the sommelier to turn up in a 
grateful dead T-shirt and ripped jeans, the restaurant would risk losing its 
classification, and consequently lose customers. As such, one could argue that 
the restaurant would be within its rights to ask that its staff dressed smartly 
in a manner in keeping with its customers' expectations.

- Case 2: A specialist consultancy delivering IT services to the private 
banking industry. It is widely understood throughout the consultancy world that 
dressing in a matter compatable with customers' expectations is important for 
winning repeat business WHEN IN FRONT OF CLIENTS. Again, the consultancy could 
argue that an employee not doing this would be damaging its reputation, and 
this not acting in the best interests of the shareholders. However, it could be 
argued that a more casual dress code was acceptable when there was no client-
facing work to be done.

- Case 3: A small IT consultancy delivering IT services to small businesses in 
Sussex. In this case, I think that a "smart casual" would, again, reflect the 
expectations of the customer base. Turning up in morning dress would be over 
intimidating and give the reputation of eccentricity, again harming the chance 
of winning repeat business. Again, however, when "in the office" and not 
expecting to meet clients, a programmer could wear his morning dress, complete 
with cravat to his heart's content.

So, this isn't about being SMART per se, but about dressing in a manner 
compatable with customers' expectations.

Sound reasonable?

Regards,

Mark