April 27, 2007
Jewelry Use by Employees
Many companies have dress codes, which include jewelry. Some companies do this because they do not wish to offend customers who are of various faiths by employees who wear necklaces with religious symbols. Others out of practicality as some jewelry can get caught in machinery and cause severe injury or even death. You may wish to have a jewelry policy to prevent loss of your customer base and/or prevent employees from dying, which could inadvertently drive up your commercial insurance costs.
On a lesser and more serious note we have found in the auto detailing business that jewelry can be very damaging and we strongly suggest to our employees; “Please don’t wear loose jewelry because it tends to scratch cars very badly.”
Women should avoid bracelets unless they fit snug to the wrist in some professions. Industries such as driving a truck, auto maintenance, pilots, machinists or meat cutters at the super market or deli can be quite problematic for jewelry wearers.
One thing you can do to prevent loss of customers who have strong religious beliefs, which are different from a particular employee is to tell the employees; “If you have a cross or star and are proud to wear it, that’s ok, but the chain should be under twenty inches long so it doesn’t get in the way and it is best if you wear it inside your clothing not outside while at work.”
The wearing of watches in businesses is generally acceptable, but if you work around water you might wish to warn your employees and ask them to check to see that it is water resistant first and advise them if it is not. Sunglasses can be worn in certain types of out door businesses and most companies don’t have any specifications for sunglasses. They can be sporty wrap arounds, cheap plastic ones, whatever. Life is great from rose colored glasses, but you are not going to be able to do certain jobs very well with some types of sunglasses, for instance cleaning windows and mirrors in hotels or cleaning car windshields with rose tinted glasses. Something you might think on. You will have to take them off to prevent streaking the windows, mirrors, etc and thus you might in that case recommend to employees to have rope leashes help you from losing your sunglasses. If you are in profession that those ropes could get caught in mechanisms, remember they must not be allowed.
If you wear sunglasses like pilots wear, people can see your eyes. If not, it is advisable to take your glasses off when your employees are involved in selling such as a car dealership, furniture store or gallery. Often customers do not trust you until and unless you make eye contact. Your sales will be increased. People want to see to whom they are talking.
Make sure your jewelry policy is reality based and meets the criteria and safety of your work place. If you make incessant rules you will have to enforce them to be taken seriously and this can take valuable time and make employees feel like prisoners rather than team members. Put some thought into your employee jewelry policies and think about it.
Lance Winslow
