Challenging query of the week

"I run a small estate agents and employ a handful of male and female employees. As part of the uniform women have to wear a skirt and blouse whilst men must wear a shirt and trousers. This has been the uniform policy since we set up the firm over 10 years ago but now a female employee, who has been here less than 6 months, has complained that being made to wear a skirt is discriminatory.       

I didn’t think being made to wear a skirt was such a big deal - how should I respond in this situation?”

What Peninsula say:

Uniforms have become a hot topic in recent times following a number of high profile cases. As this is a complaint of alleged discrimination you need to ask yourself, does being made to wear a skirt place female employees at a disadvantage compared to male counterparts who are able to wear trousers? Although it may not seem a big deal to you, consider that some individuals may feel uncomfortable or exposed by being made to wear a skirt at work. Government guidance recommends that employers avoid gender-specific requirements, such as high heels or skirts, to ensure any rules are equivalent for male and female staff. Therefore, you are better off revising the wording of your workplace policy and give all employees the freedom to wear ‘smart’ clothing or ‘business attire’ without placing specific obligations on different genders.