The Country Club of Virginia’s photo guide for front-of-the-house employees leaves few questions unanswered about the club’s food-and-beverage uniform standards.
Organizations of all types have long struggled with how to properly establish standards for, and then enforce, employee dress codes. And the challenge has only became greater with the advent of the casual era, which has seen club employees try to stretch the boundaries of acceptability at the same time members and guests are also showing up in apparel never before seen in club settings.
To try to nip the issues that may present themselves on the employee side in the bud, The Country Club of Virginia (CCV), Richmond, Va., has taken steps, by issuing a photo guide for front-of-the-house employees, that leave few questions unanswered about the club’s food-and-beverage uniform standards. New staff members are given the 16-page packet—which covers dress requirements for both men and women FOH employees at CCV’s four primary dining venues on its two campuses, and details the different looks for each venue for different dining occasions (a la carte dinner, banquet events and casual “polo” seatings for lunch and other times)—when they are hired.
In addition to photos (of current staffers) that show how each look should appear, each page of the guide also provides an exact listing of all that particular uniform should include. Those lists were carefully crafted to anticipate, and outline restrictions about, common mistakes that management has seen through experience.
For example, a description of what men should wear in one casual venue makes it clear that the required black pants “should be proper trousers that do not possess any raised seams or rivets,” that “every aspect of [required black non-slip] shoes should be all-black and uniform” and that “undershirts, if worn, must be black.”
The CCV Uniform Standards photo guide includes recommendations for where the required clothing can be purchased (“the recommended pair [is] Merona Ultimate Flat-Front Pants, from Target”). Including this information has gone a long way, the club reports, to helping to achieve a consistent look between all departments.
The Uniform Standards guide has also proved to be valuable as information that can be shared with outside agencies that are used for hiring both temporary and full-time staff, “so they know our expectations when sending staff.”
The final page of the guide includes additional notes that apply to everyone who receives it:
• All employees should be in full uniform, ready to work, when they clock in.
• All employees should arrive and depart their shifts in proper CCV dress code (including in parking lots).
• Uniforms should be cleaned frequently and [kept] free of stains, holes, tears, etc.
• CCV name tags are an essential part of your uniform.
• If your uniform gets damaged, it is important to inform your supervisor.
The notes page also includes a photo and special reminders about requirements for women’s hair: “Ladies’ hair should be pulled back away from the face and secured at all times. Additionally, this style should be neat and presentable, without loose strands.”
“Since having the guide, there have been fewer violations of the dress code and appearance standards,” CCV reports. “[The guide] sets clear expectations and removes all ‘gray areas.’ It holds the staff accountable for their appearance when arriving for work, and helps to maintain a unified team when serving the membership.”
INSTANT IDEA: Helping Hands In Arlington, Va., the Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) has partnered with Arlington Transportation Partners and Arlington Transit to participate in the Adopt-A-Stop program. Through the arrangement, which the club sees as an important and especially visible aspect of being good neighbors within its community, ANCC staff members make commitments to: ANCC’s performance in carrying out these duties earned the club a commendation as “Champion of the Month” from Arlington County Transportation in October 2015. “Army Navy Country Club is a shining example of how a little bit of effort can go a long way in promoting the transit options that are available to employees and colleagues throughout the county,” the commendation noted. |
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