ABA Family Legal Guide

Law and the Workplace

On the Job

Privacy in the Workplace

Can employers impose dress and grooming codes?

Generally speaking, the law allows employers to impose dress and grooming policies. A few instances, however, may run afoul of Title VII. Some employers, for example, impose a dress code on female employees but not male employees. This could be a violation of Title VII for disparate treatment based on sex. Or a grooming code may have a more severe effect on members of a particular protected class, thus having an adverse impact under Title VII. For example, a rule requiring employees to be clean-shaven may particularly affect members of certain religious groups. In that case, the employer would have to show a business necessity in order to enforce the policy.