Dion is seated at a table using a laptop. Dion is standing in the front of the room speaking to a group of employees. Dion is meeting with coworker Jared. Dion is using a smartphone in a conference room.

Case Study Eight

Dress Code

Dion surprised her coworkers when she reported to work wearing a brand new dress with a stylish haircut to match.

While she received many compliments about her new look throughout the day, there was also an equal amount of whispering and uncomfortable stares.

Just before leaving for the day, Dion was approached by her coworker Jared who explained that he and others in the department were embarrassed by her decision to wear a dress to work.

He also told her that she should seriously consider putting on some pants and dressing like a man for work the next day.

More information about the terms used on this slide can be found in the glossary.

What should Dion do?

Dion should report the incident to her supervisor, manager, or HR immediately

Jared’s comments were not only inappropriate and hurtful, they were also discriminatory. Employers who require a dress code must enforce it in a non-discriminatory manner. This means that, unless an employer can demonstrate business necessity, each employee must be allowed to dress in accordance with their gender identity and gender expression. Also, transgender or gender non-conforming employees may not be held to any different standard of dress or grooming than any other employee.