Sure, the “discomfort is very real,” says Su, but remember, this isn’t about you. If you decide that there’s a business impact that needs to be addressed, don’t assume that the conversation is going to be awkward. Su suggests you look for concrete evidence that the person’s appearance is affecting their success: Does it violate any explicit company dress code? Has it ever distracted people from focusing on the content the employee is delivering? Have you gotten negative feedback from important stakeholders, such as clients or senior management? But is that really what’s best for the business? Be thoughtful about any bias you might be bringing to the situation. Maybe you’ve always thought that your male colleagues should wear a button-down shirt and slacks, if not a suit, to work. “Don’t translate your personal preferences into business requirements,” warns Grenny. If you simply don’t like the clothes, that’s another. If the clothing is hindering your employee’s ability to be taken seriously, that’s one thing. “It’s uncomfortable and awkward,” he says, “and at the end of the day, a lot of it is subjective.” Here are several tips to follow the next time you need to address this delicate subject.īefore you do anything, reflect on what the real problem is. “It can be heartbreaking to see a person who does good work not succeed because of how they appear.” But navigating this kind of conversation with your employee is tricky, says Joseph Grenny, coauthor of Crucial Conversations and cofounder of VitalSmarts, a corporate training company. “How we show up and deliver our work is as important as the content,” says Amy Jen Su, cofounder of Paravis Partners, an executive training and coaching firm, and author of Own the Room. It would be nice if looks didn’t matter at all, but that’s rarely the case. But how do you broach what feels like a sensitive topic? And how can you frame the feedback as trying to help them - not make them feel self-conscious?

When an employee looks unkempt or wears revealing clothing, they may have a harder time gaining their colleagues’ or customers’ respect. Whether we like it or not, a person’s appearance affects their success at work.

Well done clothing