As a business owner, you certainly want to avoid being sued by your own employees. A lawsuit may allege that they were discriminated against or treated unfairly, for example. This could happen if you wrongfully terminated an employee or infringed upon their rights in a protected class.
To that end, you may be concerned about instituting a dress code at the workplace. You believe that it would help the business be more effective and create a better customer experience. However, your employees are unhappy with the idea of being told how they have to dress. Could they sue and claim that their rights are being violated?
Avoiding dress code discrimination
Dress codes themselves are not illegal, so you are within your rights to institute one in the workplace. As the employer, you can decide whether to require a specific uniform or simply establish general attire guidelines.
However, you could face legal action if the dress code is discriminatory. For instance, you cannot create a dress code that only applies to female employees, as this would mean they weren’t being treated equally to male employees. You also can’t intentionally create a dress code that targets a specific group. For example, prohibiting certain types of religious attire could be seen as discrimination against employees of that religion—while having no effect on employees who don’t follow the religion.
As you can see, dress codes are legal, but they must be instituted properly, and there is a possibility of a legal dispute. If you find yourself in this position, be sure you know what legal steps to take.