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?