Hacking the Dress Code

What is “professional attire”? A suit and tie? A collared shirt, but not a sleeveless one? What are these norms based on, who do they serve, and who do they marginalize? With a large new cohort of diverse student employees joining Boston University Information Services & Technology to support Fall 2020 as “Learn from Anywhere” classroom moderators, these questions moved front and center. Hear how students and faculty raised their concerns about the central IT student employee dress code and how IT leadership listened, learned, and collaborated to develop a more inclusive and function-based approach.

Understand the gender and racial norms that undergird most workplace dress codes * Understand how these codes adversely affect women, LGBTQIA people, and people of color * Gain an awareness of alternative approaches to ensure workplace safety while also fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture