Are Dress Codes Really Still a Thing? with Elisa Ellis

In episode 212, Coffey talks with Elisa Ellis about dress codes, personal authenticity at work, and how employee appearance impacts business performance and career advancement.

They discuss research showing dressed professionals outperform casual counterparts in negotiations; Starbucks dress code changes and employee pushback; balancing authenticity with professional standards; remote work appearance challenges; “enclothed cognition” research on clothing's psychological effects; specific vs general dress code guidelines; ways employees can express personality while maintaining consistency; managing difficult dress code conversations with employees; and the business impact of first impressions.

Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.

If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.

About our Guest:

It takes less than seven seconds to make a first impression. Elisa is a wardrobe stylist, speaker, best-selling author, and online course creator.

Elisa says what HR can’t and works with businesses to help them guide and educate their teams on professional presence, revealing how upgrading your attire ignites productivity, amplifies sales, and fosters collaboration and overall success.

Personal styling is more than a wardrobe haul; it’s a transformation that introduces you to your inner awesomeness.

For nearly a decade, Elisa has transformed the closets and lives of clients across the US and abroad. Whether you’re a business owner, executive, or entrepreneur, how you show up matters.

Elisa Ellis can be reached at https://www.turnkeystyle.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisaellis https://www.instagram.com/stylishcurvygirl

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand that employee appearance directly impacts business outcomes, with research showing significant differences in sales performance and decision-making abilities based on professional dress.

2. Develop clear, specific dress code guidelines that provide examples and accommodate different roles while maintaining brand consistency across the organization.

3. Frame dress code conversations around employee growth and career advancement rather than personal criticism, emphasizing the connection between professional appearance and business opportunities.