While many of us spent Valentine’s Day gazing around the workplace looking for romance, nearly a third of UK employers claim they have ‘prohibited’ relationships between managers and subordinates, according to Personnel Today, which has based the claim on the 2012 HRXpert survey results to be published next month.

It’s a tangled issue, with the Trades Union Congress weighing in to remind UK businesses that relationship ‘bans’, USA style, are not legal in this country, where rights to association and privacy issues are enshrined in the adoption of the 1998 Human Rights Act. It is acceptable to develop HR policy which might include clothing rules that, for example, prohibit non-professional garments (short skirts, halter tops and open toed sandals for women, unbuttoned shirts or even shorts, for men) but such prohibitions would have to balance gender equality too – you can’t ban shorts for men and allow women to wear short skirts, and you can’t stop women wearing camisole tops and allow men to wear vest-type T-shirts as such rulings could be considered sexist.

The most that UK law currently allows is that an employer can require employees to behave professionally (which includes clothing worn to work) in the workplace. Any employee who felt they had been held to account for a workplace relationship on the grounds of a ban, rather than on the basis of their having behaved unprofessionally, could in theory take their case to an industrial tribunal. The idea banning relationships with subordinates is particularly vexed, as it appears to allow for some forms of workplace relationship and not others, which is clearly discriminatory.

If you have a staff uniform, what does it say about the organisation? Does it convey any message at all? From the busbys of the Grenadier Guards to the brown coveralls of the UPS delivery staff, uniforms become distinctive and convey messages about the people wearing them, and the company employing those people.

Perhaps one of the most distinctive, and most parodied, British uniforms is the Butlins Redcoat, and it’s just been updated again, by a designer who counts Lady Gaga amongst her adherents.

Hannah Clayton has given the distinctive pillarbox red blazers a new twist, with ‘boyfriend’ styling for female redcoats, allowing the sleeves to be pushed or rolled up, and much sharper navy blue facings, echoing the Savile Row tailoring that is part of the British heritage. There are also platform shoes for the women and long-sleeved T-shirts to create a more formal appearance while allowing for ease of movement in a demanding physical environment.

The designer spent time with Redcoats as they worked, to get an understanding of the need for a balance between the need to look professional and the requirement for Redcoats to be sporty and active.

It’s important, when choosing a uniform, to consider the activities that will be undertaken while wearing it, as well as the appearance of uniform clothing during and after those activities. Garments that ride up or twist around are unsuitable for those in active roles, and clothing that creases easily may not be ideal if people are required to look smart at the end of a long day.

As the weather takes a turn for the worse, many employers are counting the cost of employees not making it to work in the near future as snow, ice or fog prevent travel. That’s not the only problem – those who do make it to work may be involved in accidents or incidents that can lead to problems in the workplace or even to legal action.

It is an employer’s legal responsibility to ensure work equipment, including vehicles, is suitable for purpose, to take account of working conditions and to assess health and safety risks of work equipment.

In bad weather, high visibility clothing is a must for drivers and anybody working where vehicles manoeuvre. Horns, lights, warning signals and indicators must all working if fitted.

It’s also important to ensure vehicles are bright enough to be seen in poor conditions and that their lights offer enough light for the driver to be able to work.

If loading and unloading vehicles, it’s vital that the loading area is well lit and that people working around vehicles wear appropriately bright and safe clothing, including gloves, which may need to be insulated in cold weather or waterproof in wet weather, and goggles where dust or debris is an issue.

In the USA in particular, dressing for work is a political and social minefield. Increasingly this is becoming true in the UK too. It’s important to look right but also to feel right, and this is a constant debate between HR departments and others.

In many countries there are no legal restrictions on clothing, but this is not universally true. Some countries have religious and cultural clothing restrictions which are enforceable in public. In terms of employment, no dress code can be discriminatory – this means that an enforceable dress code, as opposed to guidelines, must be acceptable to all ages, genders, religions etc.

It’s notable that professional business attire has become more popular with both employers and customers – while a casual dress culture seemed to be developing right up to the millennium, it’s become quite common for a more restrictive dress code to be enacted by employers since then.

Many educational organisations are reinstating guidance on dress codes for students and alumni – once again the lead is being taken by the US but many British universities now have a support for those attending interviews that includes a clothing consultation.

It’s a safe bet that neutral colours, natural fabrics and formal fashion will continue to be the requirements for interview clothing in the decade ahead, but for men, polo-shirts have slipped under the radar and become the ideal garment for an ‘informal interview’ eg a breakfast meeting or a group interview, while for women, a long sleeved T-shirt, skirt and boots are considered to be the same dress for success uniform for the informal interview.

For many, and not just women of a certain age, winter offices can be a problem. Those whose metabolisms are fast will often find that the temperature of a winter office is kept uncomfortably warm and that they would be quite happy wearing their summer clothing in the depths of winter! But that isn’t always appropriate to the season and what looks okay when everybody is dressing for warmer weather can seem inappropriately casual when others are well wrapped up in polo-necked jumpers and cosy fleeces.

The answer is simple: clothing either insulates or refreshes, so choosing clothing that refreshes allows people to look as if they are in business attire but still feel comfortably cool.

Colours are important. You can wear sleeveless or short sleeved T-shirts that will look thicker and heavier if they are in winter colours like purple, dark green, red or mustard. Pop them under a lightweight shirt or silk cardigan and it will look as if you are layering your clothing like everybody else but actually you’ll be ventilating your arms by only having one thin layer between your skin and the air.

Avoid polo necks and turtle necks and all acrylic clothing. Stick to cotton or poly-cotton polo-shirts, and don’t button the neckline to allow maximum exposure of the torso (which sets the core body temperature) to the air. The more we cover up the chest and neck the hotter we feel.

For both men and women, crisp cotton shirts worn loose if you’re a man or belted low on the hip for women, are a good alternative to jumpers – women can pop a camisole top under the shirt and wear it largely unbuttoned and it looks like an extra layer but is in fact as cool as can be.

Scarves can be worn unwrapped. If everybody else is knotting a scarf around their neck, just lay yours under the collar of your shirt. It reduces the heat factor by more than 40% but keeps you looking like everybody else.

Wear a sleeveless fleece instead of a jacket – it looks appropriate to the weather but is much cooler than a sleeved jacket.

Casual clothes in technical fibres will wick away sweat in a really overheated environment so look out for sporting clothing that you can wear under smarter shirts.

In a provocative article in the Financial Times, hospital doctor Sophie Harrison points out how the role of uniforms matters in the healthcare workplace. A 2007 ruling banned the traditional white coat for doctors and brought in a policy of bare arms from the elbow down, in an attempt to increase hygiene procedures. This, in turn, was designed to fight hospital transmitted infections like MRSA or c difficile.

The result though, has been to confuse patients and visitors, who struggle to identify clinicians and other hospital staff, and to create a culture of fear which has led to excessive measures in some bacteria-conscious hospital visitors.

If workplace hygiene is essential, then taking a look at premises, as well as work clothing, can be the best route. If staff have to get changed in toilets (as Harrison claims) it’s much more likely that they will come into contact with dangerous bacteria – and bacteria and viruses are much more easily spread by hand to hand contact than they are on clothing, so it’s what staff touch, more than what they wear, that matters.

And if you have an environment like a clinic, hospital or other health centre, the effect of removing distinctive uniforms may be to add to the psychological stress of the non-hospital employee – Harrison says that it’s now difficult to distinguish junior doctors, ward pharmacists and medical students by clothing alone and that can cause anger and distress in people who don’t understand why the ‘doctor’ in front of them is unable to help them.

Clearly defined uniforms are important and there’s no need to sacrifice clarity for hygiene – colour coding of tabards and different styles of short sleeved shirt and polo shirt can really help visitors to understand the distinctions in employee status and responsibility.

Recent high profile news stories about celebrities pilfering from supermarkets might seem odd, but most of us, at one time or another, have indulged in some petty theft, and one of the most common places to steal from is the workplace.

It’s not about money – it’s about control, and the reason many people steal at work is to have control over some part of their work life, or to gain something that they feel entitled to but are prevented from having – resentment pilfering is a major problem for big organisations. The minor risk is a big buzz when pulled off successfully.

The most stolen work items are paper, stamps, other forms of stationery and kitchen equipment such as spoons, glasses etc. The most common place to put such pilfered items is a handbag for women and a backpack for men, closely followed by concealing items in the underwear. Apparently around 30% of pilferers hide small items in their socks!

Those who take things from work often progress to shoplifting and more than half of us will shoplift cosmetics and toiletries (razor blades get taken by men, perfume by women) and small items of clothing such as bras, gloves, hats and costume jewellery.

Employers may offer CBT or other forms of therapy rather than prosecution, and it appears that many who steal from the workplace are actually deterred completely by getting caught – it’s only when they are confronted with the reality of their behaviour that they realise what they are doing is theft, and that is enough to stop them doing it again.

If you’re going to make a resolution or two, why not make them for the workplace?

Invest in an audit
Not financial, but energy – some firms actually provide a free audit for businesses and will point out ways to save money over time. It’s a good way to get good PR too – once your audit is over and you’ve made some energy saving resolutions you can email (no wasted paper) or facebook (so you can include photos and get feedback) your environment saving progress to your clients, customers and suppliers so that they know they are working with a ‘green team’. Don’t forget to let the local paper and radio station know, as they love to have stories for their local news sections.

Declutter
Many organisations are actually renting space to store things or space to do things, when they have the space themselves. If you hire meeting rooms for small groups but have offices with loads of filing or have documents or stock in storage, take a good look at what your organisation is hoarding – piles of old CPUs or files going back twenty years can be using up space that the organisation can benefit from. Consider donating usable old furniture, clothing or other office items to charity.

Water
Either invest in a cooler or get a water filter installed in the kitchen so that staff don’t buy bottled water which is costly and adds to the amount of rubbish that pushes up business rates!

According to Regus, who provide office services, more than half the working population whose jobs are desk-based will be at work, or will check their emails and do home-based work over the Christmas break.

Around a third claimed that this was going to cause ‘serious upset’ for family, friends or partners, or had done so in the past. For small businesses the stress of the festive season is likely to be even greater.

• 5% of business owners planned to work on Christmas Day and 10% will be working on New Year’s Day too.
• Nearly 40% of business owners will be working at some point over the festive period, despite the fact that their business is officially closed.

It’s a paradox, because 40% of the office workers travelling to work think they will achieve ‘very little’ between Christmas and New Year.

Employers should learn from this survey to explore how the same technology that allows for work flexibility can damage holidays and family life. Tiredness and family rows are unlikely to contribute to business success and trying to create proper home working systems so people can work from home in the night-wear if they want to, or, as a minimum, ensuring that staff working unusual hours are able to dress in casual clothing, take regular breaks and benefit in some way from their efforts. Some firms offer an in-office ten minute head and shoulder massage to any staff working the Christmas period and others provide a New You buffet of healthy foods so that workers can snack on fruit, nuts and salads as they work. It all contributes to a sense of worth and stops stressed, overfed and under-exercised individuals making workplace mistakes through tiredness, burn-out or simple resentment.

Party Planning

if you’re charged with organising an office party, ensure that all staff are invited, to avoid potential discrimination claims: this means choosing a venue and entertainments that will suit people of non-Christian faiths or no faith and that they should have the choice to opt out if they feel uncomfortable for any reason – and if partners of employees are invited, make sure you include same-sex partners.

Pacing and getting home

If you’re organising or attending a work’s Christmas party, remember that alcohol can cause more than merriment: and that you can lose a job through your behaviour if you drink too much during a work event. Employers need to be aware that if they contribute to an employee’s drunkenness by running an open tab at the bar and or providing booze at the dinner table, and then need to discipline that employee for their behaviour they could actually be considered to have contributed to the problem, and might find themselves facing an Industrial Tribunal. And remember that employers who let staff drive when they are under the influence may be legally liable too – a company has a duty of care to staff which includes ensuring people have sensible plans for getting home when alcohol is involved.

Dressing up

If you have a workplace party, make sure that the Christmas tree and decorations don’t present risks to health and safety – and when people dress up for Christmas events in the workplace it can be a risky issue too: Converse trainers instead of safety shoes, sparkly dresses instead of T-shirts and trousers and distressed denim instead of polo-shirts and chinos can all lead to accidents as clothing dips, dangles and drapes into machinery around the workplace.

Traditions

Watch out for habits and customs. It’s not just mistletoe that can lead to misunderstandings: when employees have been used to getting a Christmas bonus or days off, and the company has to change the set up for some reason, it can lead to discontent: promises made verbally can be considered binding in law, so ensure managers aren’t mistakenly telling staff that ‘traditional’ benefits will continue unless that’s actually the case.