Dressing for Work, Don't Forget Your Skivvies

The unusual apparel requirement for the Central Florida city located near Tampa is part of a document approved earlier this month by the Brooksville City Council on a 4 to 1 vote with mayor Joe Bernadini voting against, the Tampa Tribune reported.

In addition to instructing employees to observe “strict personal hygiene,” the code also bans employees from going to work with clothes emblazoned with foul language, nude or seminude pictures, or messages that promote drug use. Also verboten as work clothes for Brooksville workers: Halter tops and revealing “sexually provocative” garments or piercings aside from the ear. Cuts and wounds must be covered.

Under the “unacceptable attire” category was this prohibition: “the observable lack of undergarments and exposed undergarments,” according to the Tribune.

On the plus side, Bernadini said the dress code is a way to bring more professionalism to the city. However, the official said the undergarment provision was “a little far-fetched,” claiming it “takes away freedom of choice.”

The newspaper said it is up to city department heads to enforce the policy and interpret whether questionable clothing crosses the line. If it violates the policy, employees will not be paid for the time they are sent home to change their clothes.

Repeat violations can result in firing.