5.16 E-mail Response

To: Kathy Lewis-Adler klewis@marshallassociates.com
From: David White dwhite@marshallassociates.com
Subject: RESPONSE TO CASUAL-DRESS POLICY
Cc:
Bcc:
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Kathy,
Our team decided to reply to your questions in a unified manner, in order to change the Marshall & Associate's policy. The casual business attire adopted several years ago is failing us as a company. Some employees want to look more professional but maintain a casual appearance. It is true; times have changed, so why not us? The responses to your questions follows:

• Acceptable wear on dress-down days would be: denim jeans and/or skirts, dress shirts, and blazer-like jackets. This attire also holds a more proffesional appearance but isn't as formal as the current policy. Avoided wear would be: flip flops, spandex pants and provocative clothing.
  

• Restrictions on body art and piercing in our policy currently states: "...tatoos or other form of body art is acceptable as long as it doesn't appear on the neck or hands." The team decided that exotic body art on other body parts (ex: ears, mid-back, ankle, arms...etc.) can get to be inappropriate in some cases. This can be further explained in the new policy or upon request.
  

• Supervisors reacting to innappropriate clothing. If someone wears offensive, tasteless, revealing, or sloppy clothing we believe that the supervisor has the right to send someone home.

• Developing a uniform definition of acceptable casual attire is possible, it includes: Nice clean, non-offensive, tasteless, or revealing clothing. It can be further explained in an uniform pamplet or book depicting the correct way and upkeep of the work place uniform.

• Establishing a would have its disadvantages; however the advantages would outwiegh them.

1. There would be a sense of pride in the new uniform policy.
2. A sense of importance would be presented to the employees.
3. Professionalism would bring attention to Marshall & Associates's.

• Should we refine our dress-down policy or eliminate it? As a group, the employees decided we should eliminate the current dress-down policy and refine upon request to do so. We sought to eliminate the old policy because it allows enough freedom to disregard the effort put into depriving the document.

Please give careful considerations to our efforts in establishing a new more uniform dress policy by providing concise information at our next management meeting April 22.

V/R

David and employees