HR Toolkit


HR Policies & Employment Legislation

Sample Policies on Common HR Topics

Dress code

The appearance of your employees is a reflection of your organization and work environment. Most workplaces have a minimum standard of dress that they expect from their employees on a day-to-day basis, and have a different standard for circumstances that require work with the public. It is important that all employees are aware of dress code expectations. Developing a policy on expectations of dress code is a key way to communicate and ensure compliance amongst staff.

When drafting a dress code policy you should keep in mind the following:

  • Your dress code should remain gender neutral, and not get into specific types of clothing that would differentiate between genders
  • When drafting your dress code policy consider different cultures in the workplace
  • Your dress code policy should include input from employees and be approved by the board of directors
  • Explain the dress code in your orientation to new hires, and if you are changing the dress code ensure that all employees are aware of the changes
Sample policies

Dress code policy (DOC - 471KB)

This is an example of a dress code policy for a small nonprofit organization operating in Canada.
Back to HR Policy Index