Dress and Appearance in the Workplace

Attire: clothing, apparel and items of personal adornment such as jewelry, pins, lanyards, hats and other accessories; things people wear.

Cultural: relating to ideas, beliefs, customs and social behaviour associated with the human rights protected grounds of ancestry, colour, Indigenous identity, place of origin, race, religion.

Political: concerned with the making and/or influencing of government policy or actions; also relating to, involving or involvement in party politics.

Solidarity: agreement between and support for the members of a group; showing support for each other or another group to influence government policy or actions.

VPL is committed to supporting the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) including rights to cultural expression (e.g. mourning, rituals, and commemorations) through its own Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation Strategy and the City of Vancouver’s UNDRIP Strategy and Action Plan. This commitment guides our selection of programs, services and collections, and the prominence given to promotion of themes related to Truth and Reconciliation, including associated staff attire.

1. General
The Library provides a work environment that enables employees to dress comfortably in the workplace; however, employees are asked to be cognizant that, regardless of whether their job responsibilities involve direct interaction with the public, working out in the community or in a closed department, VPL is a place of business and employees are expected to dress accordingly.

Employees are expected to use common sense and good judgment in selecting suitable attire for the workplace, particularly when interacting with the public or when representing the library in the community. While VPL does not require formal business attire, employees are to come to work in clothing which is presentable and appropriate for the workplace as this contributes to a welcoming atmosphere for our public and builds trust and confidence in our services.
Clothing is to be neat, clean and tidy and not torn or frayed. Hats should be limited to being worn by staff whose work may involve being outside, such as maintenance work; for safety purposes; or when the workplace temperature is outside a normal range.

Political and Cultural Attire
In order to respect the diversity of views and backgrounds of staff and the public, and the importance of being understood as providing welcoming and unbiased service to everyone in our community, wearing attire associated with political issues or in solidarity with a cause is not permitted at work, unless the VPL Board has an established public position in alignment with the Endorsement & Advocacy policy. 

The VPL Board establishes positions through policy, motions, and strategic plans. The VPL Board has motions and strategy associated with awareness and support of Indigenous rights and reconciliation and 2SLGBTQ+ rights in Canada, and associated attire is permitted. 

Attire that is solely associated with a staff member’s own culture or religion, with VPL policies and endorsements, and with membership in CUPE 391, is permitted. 

The presence of Canadian, British Columbian, City of Vancouver, and Musqueam, Squamish or Tsleil-Waututh Nations’ flags are permitted.

Wearing other national and political flags is not permitted as part of work attire.

2. Accountability
Supervisors and managers are responsible for modeling appropriate dress and advising their staff on clothing appropriate to the conditions, location and type of work being done. Supervisors and managers are also responsible for inquiring about political and cultural attire, if necessary, in consultation with Human Resources.
Employees who are uncertain about acceptable attire for work should speak with their supervisor or manager.

3. Footwear and Gloves in the Workplace

3.1. Footwear 
Employees who regularly perform materials handling work, such as shelving, and who regularly use book trucks or trolleys in their work, are required to wear sensible, closed toed shoes. Open-toed shoes or sandals are not appropriate footwear for this type of work. Workplace-appropriate footwear is to be worn by all employees, regardless of the tasks being performed.

3.2. Gloves
As there is no requirement from an occupational health and safety perspective to wear gloves while handling and/or shelving materials, VPL does not supply gloves. Employees who choose to wear gloves are encouraged to buy gloves that provide some grip in order to assist with the prevention of RSI (repetitive strain injury). With appropriate medical documentation, the employer will supply gloves to employees who require them for medical reasons. First aid gloves may be provided to employees who require gloves temporarily due to a condition or injury that requires protection. The employer will supply gloves for the protection of materials, such as special collections.

4. Personal Care Products in the Workplace
In accordance with the joint OH&S Committee’s Clean Air policy, employees are asked to consider their co-workers and keep the use of scented personal care products to a minimum. Personal care products may cause allergic reactions and discomfort in some staff and contribute to the overall accumulation of pollutants in the air.

5. Safety Wear
Managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that workplace attire is worn that is appropriate to the task being performed and that meets or exceeds the WorkSafeBC Occupational Health & Safety Regulation requirements (safety footwear, safety eyewear, etc.)
 

Staff not adhering to the Library’s standard of dress and personal appearance will be advised. As a result of continued non-compliance, an employee may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. 

• Code of Conduct (Board Policy)
• Endorsement and Advocacy Policy (Board Policy)
• Respect in the Workplace (Admin Policy)