Home Articles How to Create a Summer Dress Code Policy: Balancing Comfort and Professionalism in Hot Weather

How to Create a Summer Dress Code Policy: Balancing Comfort and Professionalism in Hot Weather

June 16, 2025 | 11 min read |
Summer dress code

July heat is a productivity killer, but so is a frigid boardroom air-conditioned to keep suit coats tolerable. Somewhere between those extremes lies the sweet spot: a clear summer dress code policy that protects your brand image while sparing employees from a season of desk-fan shopping. Done well, adding a summer dress code addendum to your current policy turns “What can I wear?” into a nonissue, boosts morale and even heads off heat-stress claims.

This guide helps you create a summer casual dress code to add to your existing year-round guidelines. Get ready to trade sweat-soaked collars for breathable business uniforms and craft a summer-time policy your workforce—and your C-suite—will embrace!

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Key Considerations for a Summer Dress Code

Before you pick fabrics or colors, pause for a 360-degree scan of the factors that influence compliance and morale. Heat, humidity, safety standards and shifting workplace norms all influence what employees wear—and what employers should permit. Nail these variables now, and the rest of your summer dress code policy snaps neatly into place.

  • Temperature & Climate: The average summer in Phoenix isn’t the same as a summer in Seattle. A smart employee summer dress code accounts for regional heat indexes, building ventilation and outdoor job duties.
  • Workplace Safety & Comfort: Safety regulations don’t ease up when the forecast hits 90°. Any relaxed dress rules must still accommodate required PPE, like closed-toe shoes for restaurant staff, so employees stay protected. Pair essentials with lightweight, moisture-wicking fabrics underneath to keep body temps in check and minds on task.
  • Industry Norms & Client Expectations: A summer-time business casual look that plays in a Houston-based marketing agency can feel underdressed in a law office lobby. Split your guidance by role visibility (front-of-house, back-office, field) rather than by job title; it keeps things adaptable.
  • Hybrid / Remote Flexibility: For remote staff, dress codes often fade to black. But consistency matters—especially when your culture values equity. Encourage webcam-friendly tops like polos or company-branded T-shirts while easing up on lower-half expectations; a low-cost morale boost that still respects your dress code.

Address these variables first, and your summer dress code policy becomes a practical tool—one that adapts to real-world heat, workflow and brand standards (instead of tripping over them.)

summer dress code policy

Fabric First: Selecting Breathable Performance Materials

No summer dress code policy survives that first contact with July humidity unless the garments themselves are doing the heavy cooling. Start with textiles engineered for airflow and rapid evaporation—your frontline defense against mid-afternoon wilt. Lands’ End’s Activewear polos, for instance, use an athletic poly-spandex knit that wicks moisture, stretches with movement and earns a UPF 50 rating for outdoor crews.

Performance doesn’t stop at breathability; odor control matters when the heat index creeps past 90. Look for antimicrobial finishes baked into the fabric (we incorporate them into the latest Rapid Dry line) so employees can go from parking lot to presentation without a pit stop.

Need more info before finalizing your summer dress code? Bookmark our article on choosing the right materials for uniforms this summer. It’s a quick read that helps procurement weigh breathability, durability and branding against budget constraints.

dress code policy example

Acceptable Summer Styles for Business Environments

When the fabric foundation is set, translating it into looks employees actually want to wear—and clients expect to see—is the next hurdle. Use the lineup below as a practical style map for uniforms that stay comfortably on the right side of polished.

Tops That Breathe and Brand Well

Below are the go-to shirt options that balance ventilation, durability and a clean space for your logo:

  • Polos remain the workplace favorite. Dial in color, fit and fabric with the Lands’ End interactive Polo Finder so every division—from call-center to field service—gets a sweat-smart option that takes embroidery cleanly.
  • Short-sleeve button-downs and blouses in lightweight poplin or cotton-modal from the casual dress shirt collection keep hybrid staff camera-ready without wilting under studio lights.
  • Performance tees for nonclient roles (warehouse, landscaping, logistics) offer full motion without sacrificing cohesion. Curate SKUs from the breathable T-Shirt collection and add a left-chest logo for instant legitimacy.

Bottoms, Skirts and the Great Shorts Debate

Choose from the following lower-body pieces to maintain a professional silhouette while allowing airflow and movement:

  • Chino pants, ankle-length trousers and knee-length skirts/dresses form the foundation of a sleek summer-time business casual kit. Prioritize stretch twill under five ounces per square yard to prevent “stiff slacks in sauna weather” syndrome.
  • Shorts can work—sparingly. Limit them to back-of-house or field teams, set a Bermuda-length minimum and specify neutral colors that match company branding. If a client might see the employee in person or on video, default to chinos or dresses.

The Footwear Line

Open-air footwear may feel refreshing, but safety and image still rule. Point employees to this roundup of work-appropriate summer shoes for breathable loafers, lightweight dress sneakers and closed-toe sandals that won’t trip OSHA, or your VP of operations.

Framed this way, your employee summer dress code offers clear choices rather than vague suggestions. Combine these garments with Lands’ End fabrics, and you have a live, practical dress code policy example every department can follow.

Legal Considerations & Employee Rights

A dress code that ignores the law can turn a heat-relief perk into an HR nightmare. Use the checkpoints below to keep your guidelines on the right side of regulations while protecting every team member’s dignity and safety.

Anti-Discrimination Is Nonnegotiable

Dress codes—summer or otherwise—must apply evenly across genders, ages and cultural identities. That means describing garments (“knee-length skirts or chinos”) rather than prescribing who wears them. If you let men sport logo polos and chinos, women and nonbinary employees must have equivalent options that meet the same professionalism bar.

Sizing options also play an important role in keeping your policy free from discrimination. Make sure you work with a supplier that stocks all-inclusive options, so your summer casual dress code doesn’t accidentally exclude half the workforce.

Reasonable Accommodation & Medical Needs

Heat affects people differently. Your employee summer dress code should welcome requests for cooling vests, lighter fabrics or modified PPE when medical conditions or disabilities warrant them. Document a clear, fast-track review process so employees aren’t left sweltering while paperwork languishes.

Religious & Cultural Attire

Head coverings, long sleeves or full-length garments required for faith practices still stand, even when temperatures soar. Spell out that religious attire is always permissible so long as it meets safety requirements, and source breathable shirt and pant options through your uniform supplier.

Consistent Enforcement & Paper Trails

Unequal application is the quickest route to a discrimination complaint. Roll out the policy with manager training and visual examples, then log any corrective conversations. The more your dress code policy example reads—and is enforced—like a checklist, the safer your organization will be in a grievance review.

summer casual dress code

Sample Summer Dress Code Policy

Use the template below as a starting point for your own summer dress code policy. Swap in your company name, key dates and approved color palette, then upload the finished document to your intranet or Lands’ End uniform portal for easy reference.

Effective Dates

This summer dress code is in force from the first Monday after Memorial Day through the Friday before Labor Day. Outside this window, the year-round policy applies.

1. Permitted Attire

  • Tops: Company-branded polos, short-sleeve woven shirts, moisture-wicking blouses or performance T-shirts for non-client roles.
  • Bottoms & Dresses: Chino pants, ankle-length trousers, knee-length skirts, shirt dresses or Bermuda-length shorts (field staff only).
  • Outerwear & Accessories: Lightweight cardigans or unlined blazers for air-conditioned areas; branded caps or UPF sleeves for outdoor work.
  • Footwear: Closed-toe loafers, lightweight dress sneakers or safety-approved work shoes as dictated by role.

2. Restricted Attire

  • Tank tops, crop tops and garments with excessively low necklines or open backs.
  • Athletic shorts, sweatpants and leggings worn as outerwear.
  • Flip-flops or beach sandals, unless specifically authorized for locker-room or poolside duties.
  • Torn, sheer or heavily distressed fabrics that undermine a professional appearance.

3. Branding & Color Standards

All tops worn on client-facing days must display the approved embroidered logo in corporate colors. Neutral hues—black, navy, charcoal, khaki and white—are preferred for bottoms to maintain a cohesive summer casual dress code.

4. Accommodation Clause

Employees requiring modifications for medical, religious or gender-expression reasons may request an adjustment to this employee summer dress code. HR will respond within five business days and source compliant alternatives through Lands’ End when necessary.

5. Compliance & Enforcement

Supervisors will remind employees of violations privately and may send staff home (paid) to change if needed. Repeated noncompliance triggers the corrective-action process outlined in the employee handbook.

Adapt these points to your industry’s risk profile and visibility demands, and you’ll have a rock-solid, easy-to-enforce dress code policy example—one that keeps summer comfort high and brand headaches low.

How Lands’ End Can Support Your Summer Uniform Needs

A well-written summer dress code policy only works when employees can actually get the garments it specifies. That’s where we turn guidelines into reality. Our catalog of polos, summer-weight dress shirts, performance tees and stretch chinos is here to hit every comfort note, without straying from a polished, summer-time business casual look.

What You Can Expect

  • Fabric Intelligence on Tap: Our team curates moisture-wicking blends, breathable cotton-rich poplins and wrinkle-resistant knits.
  • Inclusive Sizing & Adaptive Fits: From XXS to 5XLT, petite to tall and adaptive options for maternity needs, every employee can follow the employee summer dress code without settling for a near-fit.
  • Logo Perfection, Every Time: In-house embroidery machines stitch more than five million logos a year, ensuring your brand colors pop on everything from polos to poplin shirts.
  • Self-Serve Uniform Portals: HR uploads the approved SKU list, and staff order directly through a branded storefront. That keeps procurement lean and enforcement easy.
  • Rapid Reorders & Seasonal Kits: Stock up once, then re-order with a click when new hires arrive or shorts-approved roles need replacements. Buyers can even bundle “summer kits” (polo + chino + cap) for a predictable per-employee cost.

Bottom line: A smart policy plus Lands’ End logistics equals employees who look sharp, feel cool and keep your brand image intact all summer long.

Stay Cool, Look Sharp—Outfit Your Summer Crew with Lands’ End

A thoughtful summer dress code policy is both a morale booster and a risk reducer. By anchoring every guideline in climate realities, safety requirements and inclusive fit, you give your team the freedom to stay cool without slipping into “anything goes” territory. Pair that policy with Lands’ End Outfitters’ ready-made lineup of breathable polos, wrinkle-resistant shirts and stretch chinos, and compliance takes care of itself.

Employees click, order and show up looking sharp—proof that a well-crafted employee summer dress code can balance comfort and professionalism with barely a bead of sweat. Create your summer look today with Lands’ End!

Get In Touch with Our Outfitters

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’d like to learn more about how Lands’ End Outfitters can help with your summer uniforms, check out our helpful FAQs below for additional insights.

Do remote employees need to follow the summer dress code if they never meet clients on-camera?

Yes—at least from the waist up. A consistent look on internal video calls reinforces culture and professionalism, even if pajama shorts remain off screen. Consider a “camera-ready” clause that specifies tops only, keeping rules realistic while safeguarding brand image.

What's the best way to phase back into the regular dress code when temperatures drop?

Announce a two-week transition period in late August, giving employees time to launder and prep their heavier pieces. During that span, allow either set of guidelines so no one gets caught between seasons.

Can employees accessorize with personal items like scarves or statement jewelry in summer?

Absolutely—but set size and color limits to avoid clashing with the uniform palette. Small accents should complement the logo, not compete with it.

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