Scott A. Payer, Clerk Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County 8 Church Circle Annapolis, Maryland 21401 Memorandum To: All Clerk?s Office Employees From: Scott Poyer, Clerk of the Circuit Court Date: January 29, 2019 Re: Employee Dress Code The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County strives to maintain a professional well-functioning workplace environment. Employees of the Office of the Clerk contribute to the professional culture and reputation of the Office in the way they present themselves. A professional appearance is essential to a favorable impression with customers, visitors and the public. Good grooming and appropriate dress also reflect employee pride and inspire confidence. The Maryland Judicia ry?s Policy on Standards of Conduct, Section speaks to personal appearance at work: (16) Personal Appearance (A) Employees of the Maryland Judicial Branch are expected to maintain standards of personal grooming, and to present a neat, professional appearance at all times. Based on job functions, employees may be required to wear uniforms. (B) Employees should not wear clothing that is torn, faded, stained, frayed, or otherwise unacceptable in a professional office environment. In addition, tattoos and body art containing wording or images that may be offensive must be covered during working hours. Body piercings, except earrings and nose rings, must be covered during working hours. (C) Administrative Heads may determine the standards for professional appearance that are appropriate for the workplace. (410) 222?1397 Annapolis .. Direct TTY Lint: (410) 222-1429 (301) 970-8250 Ext. 1397 Washington, DC. 133" Maryland Relay Service (800) TBS-2258 In accordance with this policy, all employees ofthe Office of the Clerk are to dress in a manner that would be expected in a professional workplace. Clothes should be professional, clean, and well-fitting not too tight, too short, or too long. Dress/Skirt length should be no shorter than 2 inches above the knee. Appropriate attire would include dress tops/shirts, dress slacks/pants, ties, dress or skirt, and suit, blazer, or sports jacket, and non-casual footwear (unless there is an approved ADA accommodation on file). Casual attire, such as jeans, leggings, Capri pants, jogging or sweat pants and sweat shirts, flip-flops, athletic/workout shoes, and other such casual footwear are not appropriate for a professional workplace. Short sleeved shirts must have a sleeve that comes over the shoulder, and any sleeveless shirts must be covered by a sweater or some other type of over shirt. Leggings are only permissible when worn beneath long dresses (not a tunic top), in place of tights. They are not permitted in place of pants and must be plain in color (no crazy designs). Pants that are skin tight will be deemed as leggings and are also not appropriate attire. Low cut, revealing, or open back tops are not permitted. Wildly colored hair is not appropriate, hair colors that don?t occur naturally, such as pink, blue, green, purple, etc. An exception to professional dress may be granted by a supervisor on a case?by-case basis for staff who are involved in a project that requires manual functions, such as moving furniture and boxes for an office move. General exceptions may also be announced for special occasions, such as Holiday Sweater Day or Halloween. Also, there is a general exception for employees who wish to participate in the ?Casual Fridays? program, for which semi-casual attire is authorized. Semi-casual typically means attire that is less formal than professional attire, but more formal than casual attire. Proper semi-casual attire, therefore, does not include: jeans that are ripped or have holes; athletic/workout shoes; flip-flops; clothes that are too tight or too short; T-shirts; jogging or sweat shirts and pants; leggings; shorts; novelty clothing; religious or political messages; tank tops; muscle shirts; any top that does not cover the midriff; or similar attire that is too casual for a professional workplace. Please be mindful that on Fridays, if you will be attending meetings or presentations with judges or non-AOC individuals, please dress in professional attire as opposed to semi-casual attire. An employee should consult with his or her manager if uncertain as to what is appropriate attire. At any time if a Supervisor, in consultation with their Manager, deems that an employee?s attire or appearance is inappropriate or unprofessional as outlined above, he or she may require the employee to leave the work area and make necessary changes to comply with the policy. Attached here are photo examples of outfits that are appropriate and not appropriate for illustration purposes. 3.8.0339.? I mxmBEmm balZEm TOE 2041 mIOmm APPROPRIATE FOR WORK A i5 ?37, is? ?a APPROPRIATE CLOTHING KEY POINTS: Dresses should always have sleeves or be worn with a sweater; Skirts and dresses should be knee length or two inches above knee length at a minimum; Capris? must fall mid-calf or lower; ?Skinny? pants should not be skin tight and MUST have a slight flare at the ankle; Tops should always have a small sleeve (a good test for appropriate sleeve length is when you lift your arm your under arms should not be seen). NOT APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR ?9 PROHIBITED CLOTHING INCLUDE: Flip flops, Ugg boots, backless dresses and tops, exposed shoulders, short dresses and skirts (must come down to AT LEASTZ inches above your knee), tight fitting pants, dresses, and/or skirts, low cut tops, cap sleeve tops that expose your under arm, capris cut above the mid-calf or Bermuda shorts, leggings.