Reply to Need help getting Gen Z hires to dress better at work

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was unprepared for the aesthetic of this year's crop of new hires.  They dress horribly - sweatpants, messy hair (looks like they just got out of bed), crocs or other plastic shoes, rumpled t-shirts.  For some tasks this is OK, but a lot of the time we are meeting with clients and doing site visits, and we are in the design industry, meaning we generally consider our look part of our branding.  Our brand is high end but creative, so there is a lot of leeway, but I just don't know how to tell the younger adults how to dress without offending anyone or being seen to police bodies or hairstyles.  But I need them not just to adhere to a list of "don't wear this," but to actively look good.  Like, hair combed and styled, preferably some makeup for women, and so on.  Does anyone else have this issue and how did you handle it?  [/quote]

Does your company have a handbook or a code of conduct that includes a few sentences about dress. Many of these young people had COVID disrupt internships and college and they may have not received the memo on how to dress. With an industry like banking it's definitely business casual but with tech or something creative I can see how young adults might feel more free to express themself. I think if your company doesn't have a policy it's fair to depending upon your role (supervisor) reach out to HR to see if there is already something the company has on this. If the company doesn't have guidance then consider speaking to HR about whether this is needed and if they believe it is they can write something up and someone from HR can send it out to new hires. I think expecting that people will be groomed and maintain good hygiene is completely reasonable. But fashionable haircuts or makeup may not be reasonable to request of women from an HR-standpoint. And I would also ask you to consider how much these young adults are making? They may not be able to afford a fashionable haircut if they are paying off student loans, paying for an apartment, a phone, etc. I guess I would also add that you may want to consider how someone presents themself during the interview process since the work is client-facing. 
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