Back to Polo Shirts? The Case for a More Relaxed Dress Code in Multifamily

Jessica Fiur, Managing Editor

There haven’t been many positives to the global pandemic.

However, one good thing is that while many of us were or continue to work from home, we realized we can be just as productive in casual clothing as we can in business attire.

I mean, at this point, it’s pretty much a cliché to say we’re all working in our yoga pants and t-shirts. And as an editor, I really don’t like clichés.

But, damn, are they comfy.

During the height of lockdown in 2020, many companies relaxed their dress codes, according to SHRM.

Now that people are returning to the office, employees are wondering if they’ll have to go back to a strict dress code.

And what about the apartment industry?

Image courtesy of Werner Heiber via Pixabay.com.

In the “before times,” dress codes were important for those who worked in multifamily, especially at the property level. After all, many of employees are resident-facing. There needed to be an air of professionalism.

But what about now?

Even though it seems like dress codes are becoming more casual, they shouldn’t disappear from multifamily entirely. Employees will still interact with residents and prospective renters. It is hard to be taken seriously while in your threadbare college t-shirt and a messy bun. Trust me on that one.

But that’s not to say property managers should insist that the staff wear a uniform, or anything overly formal. Now is a great time to rethink some of the dress code standards.

Piercings? Tattoos? Crazy colored hair? Totally mainstream now. I don’t think anyone is clutching their pearls about this anymore. So why not let your multifamily employees express themselves?

Also, heels are horrible. I think we should come together as a society and collectively ban them. Who’s with me? Vive la revolution! No? OK, well they still shouldn’t be a requirement at apartment communities. (If people want to, that’s different. I don’t really get why they’d want to, but whatever.)

As long as employees look professional and presentable, they should be allowed to wear more casual clothes at multifamily communities. Let’s not have the only good thing coming out of all this be an appreciation of toilet paper.

What are your thoughts? What are the dress codes at your community, and are you making any changes? Post your comments on our Facebook page or send a tweet to @MHNOnline or @jfiur.