Target this week announced plans to update the employee dress code for all workers at its nearly 2,000 stores, signaling the latest pivot under a new executive team.
The policy—rolled out a few weeks into the tenure of new CEO Michael Fiddelke—requires workers to wear plain red shirts and blue jeans or khakis. This is a deviation from the current dress code that permits graphics and designs on red shirts, varying shades of red and non-blue denim pants, according to a report in Bloomberg. A Target spokesperson told the outlet that the shift is part of an effort to “create a more consistent, recognizable in-store experience that delights our guests and helps them easily connect with our team.”
The decision comes three months after a highly publicized incident at a North Carolina Target involving a confrontation between a customer and an employee wearing a shirt with signage associated with Charlie Kirk, which has led to speculation that the dress code decision could have more to it than just a corporate refresh.
Recent research by Monster finds that of the approximately 60% of employees surveyed whose workplaces have an employee dress code, only about 6% report their organization has tightened dress policies recently. Yet, if more did, it could have a measurable impact: About 44% of employees said they would consider leaving their job if another company’s dress code policy better aligned with their style and preference.
As political divisions in the country remain escalated, the influence on employee dress code policies could become a thorny issue for HR.
Heidi Reavis, managing partner of law firm Reavis Page Jump LLP, recently told HR Executive that “particularly in these fraught times,” what employees wear or display at work can create tensions in the workplace.
When setting employee dress code, Reavis notes that employers are largely permitted by law to “put company interests before individual outward expression.” But she cautions employers to pay attention to current laws on protected expression, local-level regulations and company culture.
Updating dress codes and employee handbooks for the “contemporary era,” she adds, is a good idea, as it’s a given today that “external events are not parked at the company door.”
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