Work and Dress Standards
Employees should dress neatly and appropriately for the types of work they perform and the environment in which they work. Although certain worksites may have “casual days” or otherwise maintain a primarily casual dress code, employees may not wear torn or ragged clothing of any kind including T-shirts, sweatshirts or shorts. Bare midriffs, halters and shorts are also inappropriate. Employees are also prohibited from wearing pajamas or bonnets. Thong sandals, slippers and high heels are hazardous and are not acceptable. Earbuds or headphones are not allowed. If your dress and/or grooming practices are based upon your religion, please speak to your Supervisor. The Company’s anti-discrimination policy applies to religious dress and/or grooming practices. The Company will make religious accommodations to its work and dress standards policy as long as the accommodation does not cause an undue hardship for the Company.
Those employees who come in contact with the public and/or our customers should bear in mind that they represent the Company and should present a neat businesslike appearance at all times. Employees are expected to keep their work areas neat and to leave the areas orderly at the close of each day.
Employees are not allowed to change during work hours. They need to come dressed from home, and they can change into work clothes before and/or after clocking in or out.
Fingernail Policy
Company has implemented a fingernail policy to keep in line with our high quality standard in providing the best and safest care to Company clients. This policy applies to all staff providing direct client care. This policy was designed to comply with recommendations outlined by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) in their Hand Hygiene Guidelines. An excerpt from the guidelines state, “individuals who wear artificial nails are more likely to harbor gram-negative pathogens on their fingertips than are those who have natural nails,” even with hand washing. Because of the associated risk involved with client care, the following rules are in effect:
● Fingernails are to be neatly manicured and the length cannot exceed ¼ inch beyond the fingertip.
● While nail polish is permissible, it should be either clear or neutral in color.
● Nail enhancements are not to be worn, meaning anything applied to natural nails are prohibited. This includes:
● Artificial nails
● Tips
● Wraps
● Appliques
● Acrylics
● Gels
● Any additional items applied to the nail surface not mentioned above.
Failure to abide by this policy may result in your dismissal.
Jewelry Policy
It is the Company’s goal to maintain the health and safety of clients and employees. Therefore the Company has implemented a jewelry policy for employees who work directly with clients. Although jewelry may seem harmless, certain types of jewelry can create great safety hazards. For instance, clients may become entangled in long necklaces or large hoop earrings. Large rings can scratch clients, tear gloves and may become a source of contamination by serving as a host for bacteria. Furthermore, jewelry can be used as a type of weapon to make an assault more dangerous.
Specifically, the following items are not to be worn by employee caregivers:
Large hoop earrings and long dangling earrings
Long necklaces
Rings that have large protrusions
If an employee suspects that an item of jewelry may be harmful in any way, the item should not be worn.