Monday, March 10, 2014

Target tries to boost morale with relaxed dress code...

Racked.com reports that following months of negative press and layoffs, Target has changed its dress code at its Minneapolis HQ in the hopes that a more relaxed policy will make employees happier. The retailer announced the news last week, saying that they now trust Target team members to "dress for their day." And what does THAT mean? Target explains: "For example, a big day might call for something like a dress or a suit, or maybe even dressy jeans and a blazer. For a low-key day, jeans and a nice polo might be the answer." In a memo to employees that was leaked to press, Target said, "We all know that casual days, weeks or months make team members really happy. We also know that life's a little easier when we have more choices — and less dry cleaning."

For the past ten years, Target's dress code has been rather strict. Men were required to wear jackets or ties and women were not allowed to wear sleeveless shirts without a jacket or cardigan to cover their arms. The rules regarding attire were so strict that they supposedly ran 20 pages long on Target's internal website. Employees definitely couldn't wear jeans, and that will probably be the most welcome change. [Shown here is a pic from Target.com showing the various jean fits available by the retailer].

Target is still keeping a few items on the "no-no" list, including flip flops, Birkenstocks, shorts and overalls. And women can't wear spaghetti-strap tops or leggings as pants.

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