Using the ever-growing entrance of Gen X and Gen Y into the workforce, the requirement for a company casual policy is really a hot topic in HR these days. Here, Jean Scheid provides a few examples of economic casual dress policies to ensure no one is offended and the staff is constantly on the appear professional.

Unfortunately, business casual dress days should never include shorts, tanks or T-shirts or even the popular tank bras. Your employees isn't going boating, hiking or to a theme park, so you have to be realistic when creating a policy for casual dress.

Before I delve into a few examples of business casual dress policies, consider the kind of business you own. If your business is around the thirteenth floor of the fancy office building, your policy will need to be different than if the business is located in a strip mall and you sell skateboards.
Some corporate offices are more from the tech support team type for example IT support in which the customer never really sees the worker. Small professional accounting or attorney offices may rent or own a single small building or space but still want to convey some professionalism.

Companies that already consider casual dress as the norm should still offer some rules on truly casual days. Here is a great policy which will work for the less professional atmosphere.

Turning a Simple Grocery shopping right into a Great Learning Experience My wife and I would be the proud parents of two great kids a teenage son and daughter. Our daughter gets prepared to start college in a few days, and our son is much like every other 15 year old, living life large with lots of attention on comfort and few worries about appearance. Last week I promised my son, Nicholas, which i would take him to the mall to purchase new shoes. He loves to wear athletic shoes (or is still it okay to them sneakers?)and would rather put them on until they fall apart in the seams. This grocery shopping was going to differ because Nicholas decided he would expand his closet and purchase a pair of Top-Siders (appears as if these are making a bit of a return on senior high school campuses). I figured we could find these at just about any department store but was surprised to find only one store within the mall that carried a variety of styles and sizes he was interested in. I find myself waiting in Nordstrom's shoe department encompassed by countless pairs of trainers and a few well- dressed, professional salesmen. One of the younger men employed in the department approached us and asked, What brings you into the store today?” What happened next was among the finest (and least expected) lessons in that I've familiar with quite some time. I have to confess that I've i never thought of retail as being a selling environment. Point customers within the right direction, answer a few questions about sizes and availability, ring in the order and you are done. So what valuable lessons did I learn in Nordstrom that day? Here are the 4 principles that everybody will recognize but not many consistently apply.
1. Open questions close more business The question that you are asked most often when you enter a retail store is, “Can one assist you to?” This can be a bad question, basically. It's closed as well as no thinking from you. Most shoppers only will blurt out “no” looking to avoid premature pressure to purchase something. Let's go back and check out exactly what the Nordstrom shoes salesman asked:”What brings you in to the store today? Not exactly brain surgery but this question encouraged me to talk about that Nicholas was interested in divesting his assortment of tennis shoes and desired to take a look at some Top-Siders. A conversation was what style, size and color? When did he intend to wear them? Searching for something dressy or simply something to kick around in? Ask questions which are thought provoking, not mind numbing.
2. Allow customers to decide Nicholas had pretty much lasered in on a single particular type of shoe, but when the shoe salesman returned from the stock room he'd several boxes with you. Nick immediately tried on his favorite style and started walking the ground to look into the fit. I possibly could tell by his expression he felt the shoe looked better on the shelf than it did on his foot. The salesperson also grasped this and suggested that Nicholas try on a couple of from the other kinds he had the freedom to bring sold-out. In the end, they were immediately and it wouldn't take but one minute to check on them out. The second pair generated a more favorable response but the third pair was a home run. Provide your customer painless choices. What looks good within the window doesn't look good in your foot. Think ahead and develop contingencies. You'll be glad you did.
3. Search for unidentified needs Nick had picked out the best shoe, and that we had the best size. I was ready to leave when the salesman asked permission to exhibit us what he'd in the remaining boxes he presented from the stock room. He politely mentioned he couldn't help but notice how much “good use” Nick had gotten from the shoes he was currently wearing. He then asked if my son could be interested in seeing some brand new tennis shoes in the latest back to school styles—need I say more? Want to become more successful at up-selling? Read (and re-read)
3 above.
4. Do you want some fries with this? Nick and that i have our purchases selected, and we're prepared to leave once the child pulls something out of his back pocket. Once we walk towards the register he shows me (the economic buyer) a shoe tree and shares information about how these beautiful cedar appliances will extend the life of Nick's new shoes (assuming I can get him to rely on them!). I hadn't expressed any interest in shoe trees however this sales professional picked up on my frustration with how quickly Nick could destroy a set of shoes. He had the courage and the smarts to offer something both of us knew had value. That which was the worst thing that may happen? I left the shop that day with a lighter wallet but I had a real "deal" on some good sales training. These four simple (but powerful) lessons have been around for some time, but not many reps consistently apply them. Are you searching for ideas on how to take your craft one stage further? If not, you should be. You'll be surprised by what you can learn and amazed at where these lessons can happen. Speaking of Sales is about finding, winning and keeping customers for a lifetime. If that is part of your job, then you definitely won't want to miss the following issue.

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