11 Steps to Tell an Employee to Dress More Professionally

How to Tell an Employee to Dress More Professionally

1. Avoid public humiliation

Do not confront the sloppy dresser in front of your other employees. This will embarrass them and make them feel like an outcast.

What happens when a worker feels unhappy?

Their productivity suffers. They start questioning whether the job is right for them and begin looking for other opportunities.

In other words, you risk losing employees if you confront them in front of others. Meet with them one-on-one in the conference room instead.

2. Be consistent

Do not tell one employee to dress more professionally if you stay quiet about another employee’s unprofessional attire. This creates confusion.

Your employees will also think you are showing favoritism towards some members of the team. This will hinder team dynamics and create more problems.

Therefore, make sure you are fair to all employees by reinforcing the dress code the same way every time.

3. Set the right tone

You want to address the issue at hand without making the employee feel uncomfortable. You don’t want any awkwardness or hurt feelings. Using the right tone during your conversation with the employee will help you accomplish this goal.

Above all, make the employee feel valued. Start by describing the employee’s strengths before discussing possible areas of improvement.

Make sure the employee understands that your suggestions come from a good place.

You’re meeting with them because you want them to do well.

You want them to thrive because their success reflects your effectiveness as a manager.

4. Own up to any management mistakes

Why do you think the employee in question isn’t dressed professionally?

Do they simply have a fashion style that pushes the boundaries of what is appropriate for the workplace?

Or is there miscommunication from your end?

Did you fail to adequately talk about the dress code during the onboarding process? If so, then own up to this management mistake by talking about it first during the meeting. This is what good leadership looks like.

Employees appreciate supervisors who hold themselves accountable.

5. Explain why professional attire is important

As a business owner, you have internalized professional attire and the reasons why it’s important. However, these reasons might not be as obvious to your employees, especially if they are new to the workforce. Let’s enlighten them.

Most importantly, professional attire helps businesses get customers. Just imagine yourself in the customer’s shoes.

Do you think the customer would rather interact with someone who dresses nicely or someone who looks messy?

Most likely, the customer would prefer to interact with the worker who is dressed nicely because their grooming habits indicate that they take their job seriously. Therefore, we can say that professional attire helps businesses deliver results.

Businesses can then take better care of their employees by giving out raises and promotions. This is how employees can grow alongside their employers.

6. Give examples of professional attire

What is considered professional attire? You need to be specific because definitions vary from one company to another.

Eliminate ambiguity by providing vivid examples. You can use images and real-life samples to complement your verbal explanations. Besides, studies show that people remember things easier when there are visuals.

7. Recommend tailoring

Your employee might still look sloppy even if they wear the right clothes. What gives?

Most likely, they are wearing clothes that do not fit. Their outfits are either too loose or too tight. This makes the employee look unkempt regardless of what they wear.

If you want your employees to look as sharp as possible, then tell them to get their clothes tailored. By harnessing the power of customization, they will look good and feel good at the same time.

8. Discuss exceptions

Do employees need to wear their most formal clothes all the time? Or do they only need to wear suits when meeting with clients?

In the meantime, can they roll up their sleeves and undo a few buttons? Your employees will feel more comfortable if they can. They will be happier and more productive.

To reiterate, be specific.

That way, your employees will know how to dress appropriately for every occasion.

9. Talk about due dates

Now, you must discuss when the employee can show up to work in more professional clothes.

If the employee already has an extensive wardrobe, then that’s great. They can immediately start dressing more professionally. But what if they need to go shopping? If so, then you need to be reasonable with your time frame.

This is why meeting the employee on a Friday might be a good idea. They can then use the weekend to make the necessary preparations.

10. Prevent future incidents

As a business owner, you will most likely need to hire more employees as the business expands. How do you mitigate future conversations about professional attire?

You can establish an official dress code. Write it down. Make sure candidates know about this policy during the interview process so that they know what to expect. If they don’t agree with the dress code, then they are not a good cultural fit for the company. That’s okay. They can look for other opportunities, and you can interview other candidates.

In addition, remind new employees about the dress code on their first day of work. This conversation should not feel awkward at all since it is part of the training process.

If you do these things, then you should be able to cultivate a team who knows how to dress professionally from the very beginning.

11. Provide resources

Let’s now move beyond clothing choices.

If an employee struggles to dress like a professional, then they most likely also struggle to act like a professional.

For example, they might not know how to answer tough questions from customers. They also might not know how to treat their coworkers with respect.

Professional etiquette does not come naturally. It is a learned skill.

As a manager, you can help by providing professional development resources to your employees. You can introduce a mentorship program for newcomers to learn from industry veterans. You can also recommend self-education materials, such as books, videos, and workshops.

This is how you can build a successful team and a successful company.