Despite the growing popularity of casual dress in various types of industries and businesses, including traditional office settings, among those companies that allow casual dress, there are usually standards of appearance.

Do you need a dress code? If your employees deal extensively with the public, it may be appropriate to require certain standards of appearance, depending on what kind of business you have. If that's the case, you should probably have some basic rules about what you want employees to wear. You may even require uniforms or similar attire.

If your employees have no contact with the public, perhaps it's okay if they wear casual clothes. But how casual is appropriate? Even with a liberal policy, you may need some simple guidelines. When deciding whether you need a dress code and what that dress code should be, consider the following:

• your business's public image
• the nature of the work performed by the employees affected by the dress code
• safety standards
• employee privacy interests
• whether a dress code will create morale problems
• whether a dress code will violate federal antidiscrimination laws

After considering these factors, select the reasonable restrictions and requirements you'd like to impose on the dress and appearance of your employees.

Whether you want your employees dressing up, down, or somewhere in between, keep these topics in mind when creating a dress code for your business:

• considering the legality of dress codes
• handling violations involving your dress code
• developing your dress code policy