How to choose dress code for a small business

Your dress code is a guide for how you and your employees represent your business. What kind of impression do you want to make on clients and professional relations? Here are 5 dress code styles to help you decide what fits best for your business and team.

1. Professional/Business Formal – This is going to be your best dressed clothing. For men it means a suit and tie. For women it can mean dress/skirt or a pants suit. I’m personally grateful for this dress code dying out.

2. Business Casual – The next option is slightly more relaxed but still very professional. This can look like slacks and a button down for men and skirt/slacks and a nice blouse for women. Suit jackets and ties are not necessary with business casual.

3. Casual – If the others so far sound too stuffy for you and your employees, casual may be the way to go. For men it can be achieved with jeans or khakis and a button down or polo. For women it can be jeans or khakis with a well-fitting top. Jeans should be free of holes, sparkly embellishments, and no trendy designs. When in doubt choose a dark wash with little to no bleached accents.

4. Company Branded – Many people enjoy the company branded option. This is where a company name/logo are added to attire for employees. Typically, we see it with polo shirts, button downs, and tees.

5. Uniform – This one can look different from business to business, but each employee has the same attire across the board. This can be branded matching scrubs, specific pants/shirt combo, or any variation of clothing that is required by all employees in a consistent manner of dress.

Keep in mind to be respectful of cultural and religious differences when writing your dress code guidelines. A great way to avoid issues is to focus the attention on the shoes, pants, and shirts that are fitting for your branding as a business.