Should Sexy Attire Be Banned From The Workplace?

The Australian Taxation Office has reportedly initiated a crack down on skimpy business skirts, with employees sent home for wearing “revealing” or “immodest” outfits. Do you think it’s acceptable to force women to follow a modest dress code? Or should we all have the right to be professional and sexy? Discuss.

Business woman picture from Shutterstock

Australia’s female tax office staff have been warned to stop dressing too sexily for their jobs, according to a Fairfax Media report. The new directive has apparently come right from the top, with ATO boss Chris Jordan personally sending officials home for baring too much flesh.

“There are examples of service delivery employees dressing too casually or immodestly, therefore impacting on the perceptions of the professionalism of the ATO,” warned an email sent to taxation service delivery staff.

“Our professionalism is displayed through our values and code of conduct, but also through our appearance and dress.”

The email went on to list “revealing attire” as an example of clothing that is considered to be too casual and therefore inappropriate for the ATO workplace.

While there is a strong case to be made for maintaining dress codes within a professional setting, phrases like “immodest” and “revealing” are entirely subjective. They are also potentially discriminatory towards certain body types: an identical blouse could look immodest on one employee and conservative on another, depending on their height and bust size.

We’re keen to hear what our readers think. Do you think public servants should be required to dress modestly? Or should female professionals have the right to wear whatever they choose (within reason)? Cast your vote in the below poll and share your opinion in the comments.


[Via SMH]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


40 responses to “Should Sexy Attire Be Banned From The Workplace?”