Steps employers can take to avoid litigation over dress codes

Workplace dress codes have caused employers trouble recently; with the incident around Portico, the recruitment firm at the centre of a public scandal over a temp receptionist being sent home for refusing to wear high heels, drawing particular attention onto one item of wear in particular.

To avoid such mishaps befalling your company HR Grapevine spoke to Barry Warne, Partner and Head of Employment at hlw Keeble Hawson, about the steps employers can take to avoid litigation over dress codes.

“As the law currently stands, dress codes are perfectly legal and can be different for each sex - as long as the principle is the same. For example, ‘smart appearance’ probably allows women to wear their hair long but prevents men from doing so.

“That particular legal precedent was set when a male Safeway employee claimed he was being discriminated against when told to cut his flowing locks, but the courts found that Safeway had not acted unlawfully - as a dress code which required male employees' hair not to be below the collar was not discriminatory.