Work Appearance, Dress Codes and Employer's Liability for Being Out of Fashion

An employer had a "bad hair day," and paid $70,000 for enforcing a discriminatory hair style policy. The EEOC, states and municipalities are passing more laws on employer's rights to impose restrictive appearance policies. Learn what you can and cannot do in this volatile area.

Are your Dress Code/Appearance Policies "out of fashion?" What is "appropriate" work appearance? Do you have the right to tell employees what to wear? How much can an employer dictate styles of dress, hair, perfume or jewelry? When do company appearance rules become discriminatory or violate employees' legal rights? What is an "unusual" or "strange" style? Who decides and whose values are being imposed? Employers are often shocked to find they have gone over the line. Sometimes that shock costs dearly in legal fees and damages. This webinar will cover the practical and legal issues of the current trends in employee appearance in the workplace, and what you should and shouldn't do about them.

Topics

What are an employer's rights to regulate employee appearance?
What are the current legal principles that apply to employee dress codes regarding, among other things, the health and safety of workers, and an employer's right to determine what is "appropriate" appearance?
The legal problems concerning discrimination (sex, race and national origin), and protecting religious and privacy rights relating to appearance.
"How to" properly address appearance issues from body odor, clothing and hairstyle to piercings and tattoos.
What is "good appearance?"
Creating dress code policies.

This serious subject is presented with humor and down-to-earth examples and advice by an attorney who has helped companies throughout the United States effectively address employee appearance issues in an ever-changing workplace.