Answer:

Establish a dress code for the costume contest, or ensure that employee costumes meet your existing dress code policy and safety policies.

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Long Answer

Not every costume is created workplace appropriate. While dressing up for Halloween is a fun way to boost employee morale, it can quickly spiral into an HR nightmare if you aren’t careful. While there are multiple factors to consider, we feel the most important to cover are the three P’s: Professional, Political, and Protection.​

Professional

Let’s be honest, some Halloween costumes would be blatant dress code violations. Whether they are too violent, sexually explicit, or even just off-putting to the average customer; at the end of the day, you are still a business, and dress code concerns don’t magically disappear on Halloween.

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How strict you should be when it comes to costumes depends on the nature of your business. If employees are directly serving customers, it may be good to limit your employees to simple costumes. That way, they can bring a change of clothes for when they are meeting customers. If your business doesn’t meet face to face with customers, then you can probably get away with allowing your employees to wear their costumes all day, should they wish.

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Political

There’s no better way to kill the fun of a party than a political debate, a rule that holds equally true for both family reunions and workplace functions. Those sorts of conversations are already inappropriate in a workplace setting; an employer should be careful not to create a situation that will spawn a debate.

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Similarly to professionalism concerns, this becomes doubly true if your employees are interacting with customers. A no-tolerance policy might seem strict, but when it comes to politics, it’s best practice.

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Protection

While other concerns may seem more obvious, one dynamic employer have to consider is workplace safety. Depending on your industry, your dress code might not just be to create a sense of professionalism; it may be to protect employees from harm. Long, flowing costumes can catch on dangerous equipment. Improper shoes could lead to a slip, trip, or fall injury.

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The Solution

No matter which angles you are trying to cover, the solution remains the same: a dress code policy. Surprised that the compliance specialist suggests a defined, written policy? Of course you’re not, but there’s a reason behind it, and it can be more flexible than you might think.

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A good rule of thumb is for employees to simply adhere to your company’s already existing dress code policy. That way, any concerns of unprofessionalism or safety are already addressed. However, we understand that some dress code policies have to be stricter, and it might not be fun to severely limit your employees.

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In those cases, we recommend setting expectations to your employees by having clear, defined rules on what is and isn’t appropriate. This can be in the form of a memo, a meeting, even its own policy. Either way, it’s best practice to have something in writing you can point to if you have to take disciplinary action against an employee.

With any luck, when it comes time to huddle around the office and tell spooky stories, you can be confident knowing you helped employees avoid the scariest story of them all: a conversation with HR.