A dress down day is where employees are given the opportunity to choose clothing which makes them feel more comfortable whilst they are at work and to show a more personal style.

A number of organisations use dress down days as an incentive for employees and a happy workforce naturally creates an increase in productivity.

Dress down days can also be used for a good cause, such as raising money for a charity.

Dress down days are typically on a Friday but with all of these things, it is vitally important to ensure that you consider the culture of your organisation and that you have guidance in place to ensure that what is considered an employee perk is not undermined by employees who may wear items of clothing which may be considered offensive by their work colleagues and clients, such as, by wearing T-shirts with slogans on which represent their personal beliefs.

This is why it is key to consider your organisation and the context for offering dress down days and ask yourself the following questions:

• Does your business already have a casual dress code?  If your employees are already wearing smart casual clothing, would their attire become too casual for the office environment?

• Does your business environment involve your work colleagues being smartly dressed? It may be considered to have this perk within this kind of environment could undermine the reputation of your business.  Some clients may consider it quite acceptable to dress down in an important meeting under some circumstances but this is not normal practice.
• Are there health and safety implications which need to be considered?  By having a dress down day, the employer and the employee may be putting themselves at risk.

In summary, if you do wish to offer dress down days to your employees, it’s important that you do have clear guidance in place to ensure that everyone knows what the do’s and don’ts are and it doesn’t compromise your reputation by employees unknowingly wearing an item of clothing which may be considered offensive to others.

If you would like to find out more about this, get in touch, by giving us a call on 07951 356700.