Should LinkedIn Have a Dress Code?

What do you think about company dress codes? When I worked in the Human Resources department the dress code was part of the employee handbook of dos and don’t's. It offered the corporate version of “business casual” and was presented during the employee orientation or on-boarding meetings . The policy was revisited and updated if necessary. There has been a lot of buzz on LinkedIn about the "unprofessional" profile photographs making the rounds lately. Should LinkedIn enforce a dress code?

A dress code can be tricky business to write and enforce. According to a template offered by the Society of Human Resources Management, having a dress code “provides that department managers may exercise discretion in determining what is appropriate and may make exceptions for special circumstances. The policy sets out basic guidelines with examples of inappropriate attire and appearance and gives supervisors and managers the authority to excuse an employee from the work area to make changes to comply.”

I’m from the Baby Boomer generation. I came to age when women in the workplace wore, suits, dresses or pant suits. The men wore suits, button down collars and ties. It was stuffy. When I worked in the insurance and banking industries the criteria for business attire was even more stringent. Today there are generational differences of opinions dictating what people should be allowed to wear to work.

Let’s fast forward to 2016. Over the years the dress codes in most organizations have significantly relaxed. Business casual is the term used to describe a more comfortable, yet “professional” mode of clothing. Currently, many companies allow jeans, sneakers and other comforts that allow their employees to get their work done in a less formal, more laid-back manner.

On LinkedIn there are all kinds of  side discussions happening about the recent incidents of “unprofessional” (less clothing/more skin) photographs of men and women. Some of these people are models, fitness trainers and a few, “I overcame something and now I am stronger for it” people. There are arguments about the pros and cons of these photographs with some people loving them and some people crying foul.

I look at it this way, if you were to interview at an organization (and it can be anywhere; a bank, a retailer, a school, a fitness center or modeling agency), would you show up wearing the clothing that you are wearing in your LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social media site. Your profile picture and your updates convey a message about you and are lasting visual representations to LinkedIn’s 414 million users of who you are. Is this the image that you want to convey?

Justice Scalia's Funeral Mass and Workplace Protocol

In my 21 years with my former company I saw a lot of good things such as community service, team work and an outstanding work ethic. I also saw the sadness and hurt of layoffs, project mishaps and the worst possible thing; employee death. It was inevitable.

It was always the deaths that disturbed and shook us all. Company policy stated that if an employee wanted to attend a wake they could, as long as they made up the work or if another co-worker covered for them. The same held true with the funeral service. 

The thing that angered me (and had my boss tell me that if I wanted to remain in Human Resources, I needed to grow thicker skin) was that the funerals for the “lower level” staff; the staff who weren’t management level, were rarely attended by the company leadership. A direct supervisor might attend but it was uncommon to see members of the leadership team. This happened so often that employees complained. It was finally addressed and some sort of unwritten policy was made. Going forward, at least one member of the company leadership team would attend the funeral and wake of recently deceased co-workers.This simple act eliminated the nagging "us vs. them" mentality and overall elitism that was so prevalent in those days.

Today’s funeral mass of Justice Scalia reminded me of those days. It was visibly different in that there was more pomp and ceremony and the people attending were friends, family, co-workers and members of our County’s “Leadership Team”. Still, I still couldn’t shake that feeling of deja vous.

Cam Newton, Football and Making Mistakes at Work

By now everyone is Monday morning quarterbacking about Super Bowl 50 and the behavior of North Carolina Panther’s Quarterback Cam Newton at the post-game press conference. For those who don’t know, after a few one word responses and some mumbles, he got up and left the interview. He was obviously angry and hurting. Still, his behavior was childish and disappointing, especially to those who support or look up to him.

Cam Newton is only 26 years old and in his short (by our standards) career he’s done a lot for the game of football, North Carolina, children and charities.  When I was 26 I made a huge mistake at work. To this day I remember the feeling of helplessness (sickness) when my boss called me into his office to explain the repercussions of my error. Since then I’ve made tons of mistakes at work and in life. This thing is, back then and now, I own up to my mistakes and take the heat. Most adults do. 

In life (and football) there are winners and losers. We get hired, we get fired. We get the contract, we lose the contract. In other words, we don’t always win the trophy. In the real world we can’t sulk, hide or walk out of work. We can’t blame others. We have to take responsibility for our own actions and set an example for others. The key is to use that failure as an example of doing better next time. Life goes on.