Cleavage and midriffs targeted under dress codes

Gabrielle Molloy would probably laugh at her boss if he told her she couldn't show a bit of skin or wear a singlet to work.

The Rotorua barista reckons it's too hot in Zippy Central to wear anything more - besides, she likes being able to show her individual style.

Typical dress for her, and other workers there, includes shorts, singlets and even jandals if they're not working in the kitchen.

But what - or how little - to wear to work has come under the spotlight in the past week after the Hastings District Council introduced a new dress code for its staff which, among other things, banned the showing of too much cleavage or midriffs.

An Auckland law firm tried to ban sleeveless tops and denim, much to staff's disgust, while just months ago an Australian bank also landed itself in hot water after releasing a "grooming handbook". It suggested male staff keep their nasal hair in check and female staff avoid shiny stockings which tend to make legs look "larger".

Luckily Miss Molloy's boss, Morgan Wilson, reckons imposing too-strict regulations on his staff's dress is just absurd.

He reckons it sounds like some of the businesses are "going back to the 60s" and says one only has to look at teenagers these days to see the "acceptable" standard of dress has changed considerably.

Most Rotorua bosses and workers agree that if it's tidy it's OK.

Rules about the amount of leg showing or the acceptable amount of cleavage have been baulked at - with many arguing it would be a rule simply too hard to enforce.

As one local put it, "how much is deemed to much?"

The Rotorua District Council is one of many employers unlikely to take its Hastings counterpart's lead. Corporate administration manager Peter Christophers said there were no hard and fast rules.

Showing a bit of stomach would generally be seen as acceptable, although "if a lot was showing we might suggest better coverage".

Mr Christophers also shied away from any cleavage recommendations, wishing the Hastings council "good luck in enforcing that one".

Staff at the Lakes District Health Board face a stricter dress code.

Nursing staff are told to change their uniforms daily, shorts can't ride up more than 5cm above the knee and nail polish or acrylic nails are out.

Jewellery is also restricted - mainly for practical reasons like infection control and patient safety.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA), additional reporting NZPA