From:	C.D. Crepps
To:	Department Contacts
Cc:	Finance Office
Subject:	personal appearance

First, I want to say that I very much appreciate all the hard work and effort you put in to arriving timely, being dependable, managing your workloads well, and staying productive. Also, for maintaining work-related goals in alignment with the County’s policies and procedures, I commend you.

Below, you’ll find a copy of the “Personal Appearance of Employees” section of the County’s Personnel Manual. This is found under Article VI: Conditions of Employment, Section N. I’m sharing this information with you as a reminder of this responsibility.

Though this topic is a little uncomfortable for me to broach, I feel that I must remind everyone of the County’s policy as it relates to our dress and appearance. In a business casual, yet professional, environment, unacceptable clothing includes:
---athletic wear, including sweatpants, yoga pants, and tennis shoes
---t-shirts and sports paraphernalia
---low-cut shirts or shorts
---leggings worn as pants (unless worn with tunic-like clothing that is long enough to be a dress or skirt)
---jeans, not just blue jeans
---flip-flop sandals
---any clothing that reveals an undergarment

(According to an online dictionary, a tunic reaches to the wearer's knees.)

As in the past, exceptions will be made on and for special occasions, such as weather-related events or even if the power was off at your home that morning as you prepared for work.

Thank you for caring about your appearance. You are setting a great example for our co-workers and customers.



N. Personal Appearance of Employees 
It is the policy of the County that each employee's dress, grooming, and personal hygiene should be appropriate to the work situation. 

1.   Employees are expected at all times to present a professional, business-like image to the public. Acceptable personal appearance, like proper maintenance of work areas, is an ongoing requirement of employment with the County. Major departures from conventional dress or personal grooming and hygiene standards are not permitted. 

2.   Office Workers and any employees who have regular contact with the public must comply with the following personal appearance standards: 
a. Employees are expected to dress in a manner that is normally acceptable in similar business and governmental organizations. 
b. Employees should not wear suggestive or offensive attire, jeans, athletic clothing, shorts, flip-flop sandals, T-shirts, novelty or political buttons, baseball hats, and similar items of casual attire that do not present a business-like appearance for those employees who work in a more formal office setting. 
c. Basic personal hygiene and grooming standards should be observed. Offensive tattoos and body piercing (other than earrings) should not be visible. 

3.   Employees who do not regularly meet the public should follow basic requirements of safety and comfort, but should still be as neat and business-like as working conditions permit. Depending on the nature of their job, certain employees may be required to meet special dress standards, such as wearing uniforms or appropriate professional attire for court appearances. 

4.   At its discretion, the County Manager may allow employees to dress in a more casual fashion than is normally required. On these authorized occasions, employees are still expected to present a neat appearance and are not permitted to wear ripped or disheveled clothing, athletic wear, offensive or similarly inappropriate clothing. 

5.   It is the responsibility of the Department Head to further define appropriate dress through departmental instruction, and to enforce this policy. Any employee who does not meet the standards of this policy will be counseled and required to take corrective action, which may include leaving the premises. If an employee is asked to correct his/her appearance, the employee’s vacation leave shall be utilized. Failure to comply with Department Head requests to alter appearance can result in appropriate disciplinary action.