KELLY CURTIN
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
EDINA (POPULATION 54,604)

The COVID-19 pandemic changed work for many organizations, including for the City of Edina. When City Hall reopened for employees and visitors, non-uniformed employees were welcomed back to a more relaxed dress code.

Employees decide how to Dress for Your Day

The previous policy of a “business casual” dress code was replaced with a more relaxed “Dress for your Day” policy, which allows non-uniformed employees to review their workday and make a decision for appropriate attire for their day. If an employee has meetings with the public or outside organizations, it is expected that they dress accordingly. The change shifts empowerment and trust to employees and it’s been a welcome change.

Despite a post-pandemic change in how employees work, there are even more reasons why the policy change made sense for the city. In late 2019, the City of Edina completed a space study — a project anchored to support our value of providing reliable service, defined by ensuring city services enhance the safety, wellbeing, and quality of life experience in the city. The purpose of the study was not only to gather space needs, but to identify the intersections between security needs, better servicing customers, energy efficiency, and the evolution of how we work.

New service model supports relaxed dress code

In addition to improving security in public and employee spaces, one of the goals was to increase the efficiency of limited staff resources by combining or reducing customer reception points. The main reception desk was remodeled into a larger, more secure area, and the city moved to an appointment-based service model for many services, which reduced the number of customer reception points and reduced walk-in traffic without a scheduled appointment. The new service model naturally lent itself to supporting a more relaxed dress code policy.

Supporting initiatives that engage employees

In order to continue to attract and compete for quality candidates, it is imperative to monitor trends and evolve with industry standards. Enabling employees to choose responsibly about their dress at work, along with supporting work/life balance through the city’s WorkFlex program helps ensure engaged employees.

In addition to the more relaxed dress code policy, the city also covers the cost of uniforms for employees in uniformed positions and provides all full-time employees $60 per year to purchase city-branded wear. We hope employees feel a sense of pride and belonging when wearing the city’s logo.

SHEILA HUBER
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
MANKATO (POPULATION 44,385)

When employees began to gradually return to the workplace as COVID-19 restrictions were adjusted, one of the questions most asked was, “What am I allowed to wear to the office?” Many staff had spent the last year and a half in casual wear — unless they had to dress their top half for a meeting — as they worked remotely. And although staff were going back to the office, doors had not yet opened to the community. So, just what could staff wear when they returned to work?

Mankato researches other city dress guides

To answer that question, the Human Resources team researched what other cities were doing and discovered the City of Coon Rapids dress guide. This guide showed the value of being simple and informative. As a result, Mankato modeled its own policy after the Coon Rapids example.

“We appreciated the great job they did with providing clarity about workplace appearance to their employees,” says Director of Human Resources Sheila Huber.

New guide explains Dress for Your Day

Mankato’s new guide was developed and includes pictures to help give staff solid examples of what is and what isn’t appropriate to wear in the workplace. Instructions are clear: dress for your day. The guide was launched and ran on a trial basis, and the overwhelming response has been positive.

More importantly, employees are empowered and trusted to make good decisions about what to wear at work. They simply need to dress for their day based on whom they are working with, such as residents, consultants, businesses, or the general public. Some days a nice pair of jeans and top may do, whereas on other days, more professional attire, such as a dress or suit, is needed.

Trusting employees is part of city’s core values

Encouraging employees to enhance their professional appearance by giving them more options and accountability over what they wear helps create a positive attitude in the workplace and can help employees save a significant cost on a workplace wardrobe. It also contributes to the overall organizational culture, and the City of Mankato further solidifies its commitment to its core values — public service principles and leadership philosophy.

“Trusting employees to make good decisions is part of our core values,” Huber says. “They know their audience and understand the importance of dressing based on who they are working with throughout the day.”