Band 6+: Some people think that employers should not care about the way their employees dress because what matters is the quality of their work. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

In today’s workplace, an ongoing debate regarding whether employers should force employees to comply with the organizations’ dress codes has emerged due to their belief that the primary focus should be on the quality of their work only. I agree with the point that the key indicator of an employee is their performance; however, it is also essential to establish reasonable dress codes. In this essay, I will indicate the reasons for my position and examples to support it.

When evaluating employees, employers should indeed focus on their work performance in terms of their knowledge, skills, and achievements. This is because in many situations flexible regulation in dress codes can enhance staff’s performance and work satisfaction. For example, successful companies like Apple or Google allowing their employees to dress casually to work have created an inclusive environment where staff can generate creative ideas and confidently put them into practice. This also means that a manager cannot penalize a high-quality performance employee if they dress inappropriately sometimes as their contribution to the company should be prioritized.

Although it is clear that the quality of work should be the core aspect of appraisal, in some cases the way employees dress should also be monitored, especially when employees work in a customer-facing position. Customers would be more likely to be satisfied with staff who wear formal dress as this manner expresses the respect they deserve. Reversely, the customers can have a bad impression of those who neglect their appearance which also affects the value and image of an entire corporation. Thus, employers also need to establish a suitable dress code for this group of staff to strengthen the company’s core values.

In conclusion, the basic evaluation of an employee should primarily focus on employee’s quality of work performance, but the senior management should also consider the role of dressing in the workplace for certain positions and situations to enhance the overall operation. By striking the balance between these two elements, employers can effectively supervise and support staff.