|
 DAYTONA BEACH NEWS
JOURNAL
By DONNA CALLEA
Business Writer
Pictured on left:
Ashleigh Cio works at the law office of Rice & Rose
in Daytona Beach.
 Pictured
on right:
Dressy sandals are allowed in the Rice & Rose dress
code.
Tank tops and flip-flops in a law office? No way.
But shorts?
They're OK--if they're tailored, conservative "city
shorts" paired
with a matching jacket, according to Patti
Humphreys, legal
administrator and keeper of the dress code at Rice &
Rose, a
Daytona Beach law firm.
"They're nice and fresh and summery," said Humphreys
who
bought a "city shorts" suit herself to wear to the
office.
When it's sizzling outside, dressing for work can be
a challenge
-- especially when looking professional is part of
the job.
"You just feel better when dressed appropriately and
meeting
with clients in one way or another," said Humphreys,
who's
been with the firm for 17 years and oversees a
support staff of
about 20.
"If I ever feel anything isn't appropriate I ask the
person to
step into my office," Humphreys said. But it's "very
rare."
The Rice & Rose dress code for female legal
assistants,
paralegals and the receptionist stipulates, among
other things,
that no denim, tank tops or showing of "extreme
cleavage" is
allowed. Skirts and dresses must be no more than
three inches
above the knee. Visible tattoos are against the
rules, and men
must wear dress shirts and ties.
The firm's attorneys, meanwhile, dress like
attorneys, in
business suits.
There's also no such thing as casual Friday at the
office,
according to Humphreys.
At ICI Homes, which has workers in a variety of
settings, from
sales offices to construction sites, department
heads are in
charge of making sure employees dress appropriately
for their
various positions, said John Kirkman, director of
human
resources.
"But some things we're careful about (companywide),"
he said,
like "visible piercings." Only pierced ears are
allowed.
An oft-quoted adage, when it comes to work attire,
is to dress
for the job you want rather than the job you have.
No matter what the position or work setting, though,
certain
rules of good taste and professionalism tend to
apply,
according to employment experts. For example, unless
a person
happens to work at the beach, halters, strapless
tops,
flip-flops and bare bellies are best avoided.
In many workplaces, where the air conditioning is
set on high,
sweaters and jackets have become summer staples.
Even in the hottest weather, Angie Liljeros, a
billing
administrator at Rice & Rose, said she always wears
hose --
although they're not always required, according to
the dress
code.
"I enjoy dressing up," said Liljeros, 27, who's
worked at the law
office for four years. But soon her wardrobe will be
changing
dramatically.
Liljeros is going to work for her father's company,
Dick Ford
Construction in DeLand, in management. She'll trade
her hose
and heels for tennis shoes and jeans.
But that doesn't mean standards will go by the
wayside. Liljeros
plans to wear golf shirts emblazoned with the
company's logo,
and will be making that part of the dress code for
everyone in
the field.
"I firmly believe that the first impression people
get is how they
see you," she said. And in any season or any
situation, image is
important. |
