Whether it is the desire to show off their latest ink or a preference to wear black pants instead of khakis, retail employees often find themselves limited in their expressions, especially if they work for national retailers such as Starbucks or Walmart. Rules prohibiting visible displays of tattoos or piercings have long been in place for many stores, and dress codes often mandate exactly what colors and styles of clothing are acceptable.

But some of these regulations are softening, evidently in response to changing cultural and social acceptance of a more casual, individualistic approach to dressing. Following its competitor Peets, Starbucks thus has begun to allow visible tattoos on baristas, though it mandates that they cannot contain any offensive content (e.g., nudity, obscene language). Employees who once might have worn long-sleeved shirts all year long now might be able to display their inked armsleeves.

Walmart is becoming both more lenient and more strict in its dress code. It still prohibits visible tattoos and piercings, but rather than only khaki pants, employees may now wear black pants as well. But with those black pants, they must return to sporting the blue Walmart vests that mark them as available to help shoppers. Such vests are effective signals in large stores such as Walmart and Home Depot, where customers might be relieved to find the brightly dressed employees who can help them find the right drill bit or paint roller.

For Walmart though, the shift in the dress code created a resurgence of the conversation about how it treats employees. One store clerk complained, in a letter to company headquarters, that buying new clothes to match the dress code, even at Walmart, was more than his salary would cover.

Retailers legally may impose virtually any dress code they want, but the pushback from employees might not be worth it. Many young employees consider their tattoos or piercings a part of their self-expression, and this cohort is unlikely to agree to cover those artistic renderings for such a vast portion of their daily lives.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of relaxing corporate dress codes from a retailer’s perspective?
2. What policy would you recommend to these retailers?  Defend your answer.

 

Source: John Kell, Fortune, September 17, 2014; “What Employers Should Learn from Wal-Mart’s Dress Code Controversy,” Knowledge@Wharton, September 22, 2014