Proper Summer Attire at Your Place of Employment

Be Comfortable, Be Cool, And Ensure You are Appropriately Dressed

May 8, 2009 Paym Bergson

Always check with your supervisors to find out what is considered appropriate dress for your place of work: more importantly, find out what is NOT allowed.

Summertime means the livin' comes easy – but don't get too lazy in the heat. Each type of work still requires appropriate attire – so save the bathing suit for the beach.

To be Sleeveless, or not to be Sleeveless – Ask HR

It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing– always check with the Human Resource department, personnel, or your boss to see if there is a company dress code. Even if one is not written in stone, there is usually an unwritten acceptance of what supervisors and/or co-workers consider within the realm of good taste and appropriate attire for your particular place of employment.

But, you wail, you have a long, hot drive in; or the local bus is just stifling in the heat. Easy solution – wear a sleeveless top, and take a light jacket to wear over your sleeveless top at the office. The jacket could be short-sleeved. You could even use a short sleeved shirt and get a layered look; or just button up the shirt so no one can see the t-shirt underneath.

Of course, if you work on a construction crew – as long as your safety rules are followed (usually for shoes and hats), you may be able to wear a sleeveless t-shirt. You may not want to though, depending on what you are doing, or how you burn in the outdoor sun.

Some places will allow women to wear long shorts or even skorts, but many places will not allow men the same freedom for shorts. Interesting though, most, if not all places allow women to wear skirts above the knee.

Uniforms

Those who must wear uniforms often cannot choose – although many Police departments now allow officers a choice of short sleeve uniform tops, the long pants are mandatory.

Nurses and health workers generally now have a lot of flexibility, with more breathable materials. Often too, the working environment is fully air-conditioned, with lab jackets being the choice of attire to keep off the chill.

Footwear

As mentioned earlier, safety must come first – so depending on your work environment, you may not have a choice of footwear – but by choosing cotton socks or socks with the new absorbing materials, your feet will thank you.

Sandals are rarely appropriate – unless your office allows a "dress down day" – and even, then open toed shoes of any kind are often forbidden. Again, it's an issue of safety rather than looks – breaking your toe on a cabinet still means downtime to the company. So save those Birkenstocks for weekend and leisure time.

If somehow your place of employment does allow sandals or open toes, make sure your toenails are clean and neat.

Still hate the thought of full shoes in summer? Check out clogs – or open backed shoes. Again, check to ensure you are still within any safety regulations.

Make-up

It's a good idea for women to try and ease up on the make-up, if only because in the heat you'll sweat so much, the make-up may become a break-up running down your face. Use a waterproof mascara and use loose powder applied with a brush after foundation to help keep make-up where it should be – on your face.

General Hygiene

Don't fall into the trap of lots of scented deodorant, body sprays and perfumes during the hot summer months – too many scents will give everyone a headache. Shower every day, and use a deodorant appropriate for your body – if you sweat a lot, you might want to use a stronger solution during the summer. Corn starch or baby powder on the underarms will also help absorb the sweat and keep you smelling sweet.

Use your common sense for summer attire. Check with supervisors on any written or unwritten rules for summer clothing. There's nothing wrong with layering to please both you and your place of employment. Pay particular attention to your hygiene during the hot months to ensure potentially offensive odours are contained as much as possible.

The copyright of the article Proper Summer Attire at Your Place of Employment in Career Advice is owned by Paym Bergson. Permission to republish Proper Summer Attire at Your Place of Employment in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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