Dress Code

And

Personal Presentation Policy


Dress Code and Personal Presentation

All our employees are asked to dress in a business-like, clean, tidy and well-groomed manner. Your appearance, professional conduct, actions and the professional impression you make on patients, clients, customers and others with whom you come into contact are important to your own advancement and job satisfaction, as well as to the continuing development of the Company's brand and reputation.

The Company recognises the diversity of cultures, religions and disabilities of its staff and will take a sensitive approach when this affects dress requirements. However, priority will be given to health and safety considerations and Risk Assessments will take place from time to time as appropriate.

Staff are encouraged to adopt a common sense approach with regard to clothing and jewellery that they wear to work. Staff must ensure that articles are appropriate to the type of work they carry out and also be mindful of any potential of damage or loss to their personal property, which may arise as a result of carrying out their duties.

Employees are individually responsible for their personal hygiene, presentation and appearance with a responsibility to consider how their appearance may be perceived by others. This means that staff should wear clothing which: -

  • Is appropriate to their role.
  • Is not likely to be viewed as offensive, revealing, or sexually provocative.
  • Does not distract, cause embarrassment or give rise to misunderstanding.
  • Is absent of any political or otherwise contentious slogans.
  • Is not considered to be discriminatory and is culturally sensitive (differences among cultures may require understanding, openness and flexibility).
  • Does not place themselves or others at risk.

We recognise that the word ‘appropriate’ is an ever-changing word, and what was deemed appropriate 20 years ago is different from what we understand today and what it may be in 20 years to come. We do however try to consider employees’ comfort and in this economy their spending power for work attire. We endeavour to be consistent in our Dress Code Policy so no-one will feel obligated to have to buy a complete working wardrobe, but flexible enough to deal with any odd situation (including changeable weather patterns or heating or air conditioning issues within the office environment).

Employees are responsible for following the standards of dress and appearance laid down in this Policy and must understand how this Policy relates to their working environment, health and safety, particular roles and duties and contact with others during the course of their employment.

Non-Acceptable Clothing (for all employees)

  • Jeans, sweat or exercise pants.
  • Miniskirts or short, tight skirts.
  • Shorts of any kind.
  • Leggings and any spandex or form fitting pants worn instead of a skirt or trousers.
  • Jeggings (unless on an authorised Dress Down Day).
  • Leisure/sports clothing.
  • Denim clothing of any kind (unless on an authorised Dress Down Day).
  • Clothing with tears, holes or rips or overalls.
  • Low-cut t-shirts, blouses, dresses or crop-tops.
  • Vest-type tops (spaghetti/shoestring or other similar strappy tops).
  • Tops with a bare back. Back and shoulders to be covered.
  • Political badges or emblems, items of clothing bearing logos, slogans or graphics which may cause offence.
  • Baseball caps and hats.
  • Beach flip-flops or flimsy ‘barely there’ footwear.
  • Trainers (unless on an authorised Dress Down Day).
  • Underwear should not be worn in a revealing manner.
  • Sundresses, beach dresses and spaghetti strap dresses.
  • Bed wear or sleep attire.

Footwear must be safe, sensible, in good order, smart and clean and have regard to health and safety considerations. Employees need to be aware that in an emergency situation you may be required to move swiftly. Therefore, by wearing footwear where some of your foot is bare or your foot is not covered, you may put yourself at risk of injury. In such event, the Company will take no responsibility for any injuries incurred.

Headwear worn for religious purposes is permitted.

Casual clothing is not suitable. These guidelines will help you determine what is appropriate to wear to work. Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, back, chest, feet, stomach or your underwear is most definitely not appropriate for a place of business, even on a Dress Down Day. Clothing should be clean, ironed and not torn, dirty or frayed.

No dress code can cover all contingencies so employees must exert a certain amount of personal judgement in their choice of clothing to wear to work and always seek the advice and guidance of their department or line manager if they are experiencing uncertainties about what constitutes acceptable, professional business attire.

Head Office Employees

We often have guests who visit our offices and it is customary to provide these guests with a tour. We would like to create a favourable and lasting impression.

  • Hair should be kept neat and tidy and physical cleanliness is of extreme importance.
  • We are happy for you to wear one small nose stud. This must be as unobtrusive as possible and we do not allow nose rings for your own safety and protection.
  • We reserve the right to ask you to cover up or remove any body piercing that we feel does not comply with our standards of company image, or be a potential cause of harm to you.
  • It is recognised that in today’s society many individuals now have tattoos. Whilst representing the Company externally or welcoming visitors into Head Office, employees are required to cover tattoos or other body art by clothing, a band-aid or make-up to ensure a consistent professional appearance.
  • Shoes should be worn in the office at all times, do not walk around in bare feet.
  • Tops/blouses should cover your shoulders and your back, and please keep hemlines at a practical length.

Shirt (either short or long sleeved) and tie for gentlemen with plain smart trousers and a blouse or shirt for ladies, teamed with plain trousers or a suitable length skirt are preferable (smart, tailored ¾ length trousers for ladies are permitted).

Where company clothes are provided, they should be worn at all times when you are on duty and should be kept clean and tidy. You are required to ensure that they are kept clean and laundered. Please re-order if torn, damaged or marked.

Where required for the purposes of your work, you will wear the protective clothing and/or eye guards provided by the Company. Any failure to comply with this rule, which is designed to protect your health and safety and that of other employees, will be regarded as a serious act of misconduct and may lead to disciplinary action being taken against you.

Head Office Dress Down Days

On the days where the Company holds a Dress Down Day, the Company expects all employees to continue to dress in a clean and tidy manner. Please refer to your Manager if you require direction on suitability.

  • Smart jeans can be worn (i.e. not ripped or torn). ¾ length jeans are permitted.
  • Shorts of any kind are not permitted.
  • Leggings/jeggings are permitted.
  • T-shirts can be worn, but must at the least cover your shoulders and back (spaghetti/shoestring or other strapped vest tops are not permitted).
  • Clean and tidy trainers are permitted or sandals during the summer months. Flip-flops or flimsy ‘barely there’ footwear are not permitted for health and safety reasons.

Field Based Employees

  • Hair should be kept neat and tidy and physical cleanliness is of extreme importance. Please note you may be requested to refrain from the use of perfume etc. as some patients have allergic reactions.
  • Jewellery should be kept to a minimum, reducing risk of damage to both the item and/or patient.
  • You can wear earrings in either or both ears. This should be a plain stud or small sleeper without stones or attachments ensuring safety from being grabbed by a patient and/or the loss in a patient’s home.
  • We are happy for you to wear one small nose stud. This must be as unobtrusive as possible and we do not allow nose rings for your own safety and protection.
  • Rings should be kept to a minimum, not to pose a potential risk of damage to the patient or their property.
  • For many, particularly older patients, facial piercings and tattoos can be unsettling and distracting. In the interest of health and safety, for staff and patients alike, we reserve the right to ask you to cover up or remove any piercing that we feel does not comply with our standards of company image and which may either alarm or upset a patient, or be a potential cause of harm to yourself in a domiciliary environment. Employees are also requested to cover any visible tattoos whilst with patients.

When visiting patients at home, it is likely that you may have to adopt different testing positions – please ensure that you do not place yourself in an embarrassing position because of your own dress code (e.g. short hemlines or low cut tops are not acceptable, and please ensure your shirt/blouse is long enough to cover the waistband of your trousers/skirt if bending over). A business suit or similar is often the best option as a visiting practitioner you may be required to interact with other health care professionals.

Shirt and tie for gentlemen with plain smart trousers and a blouse or shirt for ladies, teamed with plain trousers or a suitable length skirt are preferable (smart, tailored ¾ length trousers for ladies are permitted). Low heeled shoes (not sandals) should be worn, as high heels, steel tipped boots and stilettos have been the cause of damage to a number of patient’s wooden floors, also to ensure your own health, safety and welfare in climbing different stairwells.

When visiting Head Office during a Dress Down Day, we are happy for you to join in, but would expect you to bring along your usual work attire should the need arise for you to attend any emergency short-notice appointments to attend patients.

Guidance Notes

Skirts, Dresses, Skirted Suits and Kilts

Dress and skirt lengths should be at an acceptable length at which you can sit comfortably in public without causing embarrassment, also to not be too long or flowing to cause any slips, trips or falls.

Trousers

Tailored and/or fitted full-length cotton or synthetic materials to include wool, flannel, linen.

¾ length trousers are permitted if business-like and appropriate.

Shirts, Tops, Blouses and Jackets

Depending on the fashion of the day and the material, most of the above should be appropriate for work. Casual sweaters, golfing or sports wear are not.

Outfits that would be worn for a night out or on holiday are not suitable, as are tank tops, midriff tops, shirts with words, teams, logos, pictures, cartoons or slogans as we do not know what may be found offensive. Also, no halter tops, tops with bare shoulders, sweatshirts or t-shirts.

Shoes and Footwear

As the office is generally a low risk area, regarding footwear in the hot weather sensible and foot-supporting sandals may be worn without tights or stockings. However, closed toe and closed heal shoes are the safest and most appropriate footwear for the office environment. Trainers, flip-flops, slippers or ‘barely there’ footwear are not permitted.

ALL STAFF NEED TO BE AWARE:-

If work attire falls short of these standards and guidance as determined by your line or department manager and a HR advisor, the employee will be asked not to wear the inappropriate item to work again. If the problem persists the employee may be sent home to change clothes. This can be unpaid time to be made up at the Manager’s discretion. Being sent home will only be offered once, as further incidents of dress code violation will be referred to HR for disciplinary procedure.