Inappropriate office attire

I would (delicately) tell her that her work apparel is not appropriate. Possibly make a few recommendations and offer to go shopping with her.

If you have a decent relationship with her, why don’t you give her a few pointers on what not to wear at the office, as well as maybe taking her on a shopping trip. She may not a role model to follow in this area away from work. I feel she would really appreciate the effort.

I think since you have been recognized as being outspoken – use it.
The next time those guys are having such a “fun” time at her expense, let them know that they are more than welcome to put their money where their mouths are and give generously to the new “clothes fund” for this young lady since they are so preoccupied with what she is wearing rather than the job she is doing.

If this co-worker has received feedback from her boss and has not changed her style of dress, clearly your input will matter even less. Implement a dress code for the office and when she comes to work dressed inappropriately, she should be forced to go home and change on her own dime (not paid for time away from office). I can’t imagine that would happen more than once or twice, once she sees her paycheck docked for the time it takes her to go home and change.

We have had this problem at our office, mostly with our younger employees. They grew up in a time when low-rise pants were the standard, and this has caused some problems. (When they bent over to get something out of a low cabinet, their “undergarments” were showing – not a good look in front of our customers!)

Here’s what we did: We took our company dress code and made it very specific, including listing out what is NOT appropriate. Here’s what our policy says:

“Obviously, every clothing style and combination that may be worn has not been anticipated. Questions about whether attire is appropriate should be directed to your supervisor. However, it can be stated that the following items do not portray a professional image and should NOT be worn to work:

Casual denim items (regardless of color), pants or skirts styled as jeans, cargo pants, Capri or cropped pants; active/sporting wear; midriff baring or low cut tops; casual sandals and athletic shoes; mini skirts or casual shorts. In addition, wrinkled, tight fitting, soiled, revealing and damaged clothing is unacceptable.”

If any employee wears inappropriate clothing to work, their supervisor has the right to send them home to change (this time is NOT paid time, so it is quite an incentive!).

We also had a “fashion show” along the lines of the TV show “What Not To Wear.” We had employees model both appropriate and inappropriate outfits, and had a commentator point out what was good (and bad) about each outfit. We even enlisted an employee to “demonstrate” the low-rise pants problem (this was very effective). She was one of the employees who had been inadvertently “flashing” her undergarments previously when loading paper in the copier, and told me honestly that she didn’t realize what was revealed when that occurred. She said she had wished someone had told her sooner.

I certainly think it’s worth addressing. I think the more specific you are, the better the chance of making a change.

Peoples choice of dress is a delicate situation for anyone. The person is obviously choosing these clothes for themselves and I am assuming since she is still employed that they are within dress code regulations. If there are no dress code regulations then maybe that is a suggestion to make to your supervisor. Even small regulations like; no tongue rings, no visible tattoos, skirt length, no cleavage, etc. Also if this employee does show up to work wearing something that you approve of make sure she knows, tell her how nice she looks, how professional she looks etc. Boost her self-esteem while she is wearing appropriate wear, she might want to wear more because of the positive feedback.

Several thoughts/suggestions here for Ms. Outspoken to deal with.
First, the men who laugh behind her back & call her names. If she ever finds out about this or overhears them, it could be grounds for a harassment/hostile workplace lawsuit. If you overhear this stuff and do nothing about it, you could be in trouble yourself. So, the men should be instructed to keep their laughter & thoughts to themselves.
Second, there must be some reason why this person wears “trashy” clothes to work. Ms. Outspoken should try to find out why without being too critical, along the lines of “what kind of image are you trying to project? Maybe you could get the “What Not To Wear” book for her & of course, refer her to the website(s) mentioned by others.
Third, if there is going to be a dress code for the office, everybody should have input. And if this person deals with outside customers, it is very important to wear appropriate clothing because because employee appearance is directly related to the company’s business “image”.
I like the idea of image consultant, but for the whole office, not just female support staff. I bet the men could use some professional advice themselves, even though they don’t think so. In the 1970s and beyond, John Malloy made a fortune with his “Dress for Success” and Dress for Women’s Success” books and seminars.
Be careful about funding a shopping trip for this person. She might feel insulted, but if you decide to do it, maybe it should be a “door prize” as part of the image consultant, even though you and others in the office are providing the funds.

I think some of these complaints are a bit vague. Her skirts are too short? What exactly is too short? Knee length, just above the knee, or 6-inches above the knee? I think just above the knee is acceptable but many people may feel that is too short. What about her pants are too tight? If someone is overweight and their pants are too tight is that a dress code issue or is she being singled out? It sounds like you do not want to see tattoos at all and that is pretty clear but everything else seems a bit vague.

Perhaps some friendly conversation could disclose reasons why this person dresses as she does. Is it home environment? Is it because she wants to? Is it because she doesn’t have resources, or doesn’t care? Then you will know if there’s any hope of changing her dressing habits, and if it would be appreciated or not. Join her on break with a magazine or catalogue under your arm and steer the conversation toward what you like and why. She is bound to give some insight in to the reasons for her clothing choices.

You’ve mentioned your co-worker’s boss has addressed this issue. This seems to be an issue between your co-worker and her boss.

Mind your own business OR tell her what you think to her face.