DO NOT DEPLETE YOUR SALARY ON CLOTHES
Jul 29, 2008
<b>CAREERS</b><br><br><b>By Arthur Baguma</b><br><br>YOU may land a new job and are ready for the challenge. But one particular question rings a bell in your mind: What kind of clothes will I need to wear to work? What’s appropriate and what’s not? Will I be able to afford to dress to the co
CAREERS
By Arthur Baguma
YOU may land a new job and are ready for the challenge. But one particular question rings a bell in your mind: What kind of clothes will I need to wear to work? What’s appropriate and what’s not? Will I be able to afford to dress to the company dress code expectations?
These are the questions Peter grappled with when he landed his first job as a customer care officer in a bank.
As part of his dress-code requirement, he is supposed to wear a necktie and jacket from Monday to Thursday.
Determined to keep his job, Peter borrowed money to buy suits and neckties. At the end of his first month at work, instead of enjoying his first salary, he was paying off debts?
Career experts argue that although the dress code requirements at the workplace have been relaxed over the past few years, appropriate business attire and personal image is still very important to organisations.
“The ideal situation is that one should be neat and clean. That is the standard called for by the International Labour Organisation,†says Paddy Lutalo, the head of human resources and administration, Aid International.
He says if anything is required out-side neat and clean and it is likely to have an impact on the employees salary, the organisation should come in and help.
Lutalo says an employee’s appearance is as important as how well the employer perceives his personality and responsibility in doing his job. Lutalo says, there is no uniform dress code that cuts across all sectors. However, he notes that in an environment where you require an individual to dress to a certain standard as a must, then the human resource department of that organisation should facilitate that process. But what does neat and clean entail.
Ladies
Fatuma Nakabanda, a human resource consultant, advises that you do not have to deplete your salary on dressing expensively.
She says ladies can wear a simple dress that is well-pressed. If you decide to put on a skirt, it should be slightly above the knee cap or at the knee level when you stand.
Ladies should have skirts at knee level so that when they sit they do not display a lot of flesh. Tops should be able to cover your tummy and navel, and the shirts or blouses or tops should not have any offensive words, pictures, logos or slogans. This applies to both men and women.
For men, a clean shirt and polished shoes is a must. A clean shirt and a pair of well-ironed trousers is a universal standard requirement.
Men should wear socks as a must and they should not wear hats or any headgear to work. Lutalo says men should be sensitive to the kind of jewellery they put on to work — you should not go to work wearing big chains.
Hygiene
Career experts say this is the most determinant for an individual’s dress code etiquette. Comb your hair. If you have a beard, keep it clean or shaven. The rationale of a dress code is to maintain the professional appearance that relates to your job.
If the work environment requires you to maintain a professional appearance, for instance where you are required to have neckties and a jacket Monday to Friday, the organisation should try to incorporate the cost of dressing within your package.
Lutalo notes that television companies buy suits and shirts for staff, especially news anchors and presenters.
Studies have shown that many job-seekers miss job opportunities on the basis of personal presentation, which is dress and grooming. The visual impression is important because employers are deciding on sight, if you will fit into the company culture?
By Arthur Baguma
YOU may land a new job and are ready for the challenge. But one particular question rings a bell in your mind: What kind of clothes will I need to wear to work? What’s appropriate and what’s not? Will I be able to afford to dress to the company dress code expectations?
These are the questions Peter grappled with when he landed his first job as a customer care officer in a bank.
As part of his dress-code requirement, he is supposed to wear a necktie and jacket from Monday to Thursday.
Determined to keep his job, Peter borrowed money to buy suits and neckties. At the end of his first month at work, instead of enjoying his first salary, he was paying off debts?
Career experts argue that although the dress code requirements at the workplace have been relaxed over the past few years, appropriate business attire and personal image is still very important to organisations.
“The ideal situation is that one should be neat and clean. That is the standard called for by the International Labour Organisation,†says Paddy Lutalo, the head of human resources and administration, Aid International.
He says if anything is required out-side neat and clean and it is likely to have an impact on the employees salary, the organisation should come in and help.
Lutalo says an employee’s appearance is as important as how well the employer perceives his personality and responsibility in doing his job. Lutalo says, there is no uniform dress code that cuts across all sectors. However, he notes that in an environment where you require an individual to dress to a certain standard as a must, then the human resource department of that organisation should facilitate that process. But what does neat and clean entail.
Ladies
Fatuma Nakabanda, a human resource consultant, advises that you do not have to deplete your salary on dressing expensively.
She says ladies can wear a simple dress that is well-pressed. If you decide to put on a skirt, it should be slightly above the knee cap or at the knee level when you stand.
Ladies should have skirts at knee level so that when they sit they do not display a lot of flesh. Tops should be able to cover your tummy and navel, and the shirts or blouses or tops should not have any offensive words, pictures, logos or slogans. This applies to both men and women.
For men, a clean shirt and polished shoes is a must. A clean shirt and a pair of well-ironed trousers is a universal standard requirement.
Men should wear socks as a must and they should not wear hats or any headgear to work. Lutalo says men should be sensitive to the kind of jewellery they put on to work — you should not go to work wearing big chains.
Hygiene
Career experts say this is the most determinant for an individual’s dress code etiquette. Comb your hair. If you have a beard, keep it clean or shaven. The rationale of a dress code is to maintain the professional appearance that relates to your job.
If the work environment requires you to maintain a professional appearance, for instance where you are required to have neckties and a jacket Monday to Friday, the organisation should try to incorporate the cost of dressing within your package.
Lutalo notes that television companies buy suits and shirts for staff, especially news anchors and presenters.
Studies have shown that many job-seekers miss job opportunities on the basis of personal presentation, which is dress and grooming. The visual impression is important because employers are deciding on sight, if you will fit into the company culture?