Bank delivers a dressing down
Swiss bank UBS is revising its dress code after being widely mocked for a style guide that suggested female employees should wear skin-colored underwear and advised staff to avoid garlic and onions, the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reported.
“We’re reviewing what is important to us,” UBS spokesman Andreas Kern said.
The 44-page dress code also tells women how to apply makeup, what kind of perfume to wear, and advises them to avoid black nail polish. Men are told to get their hair cut every month and to avoid unruly beards.
The code only applies to employees who have face-to-face encounters with clients, and UBS has previously said it had been “misunderstood.”
Other pieces of advice in the document include: “You can extend the life of your knee socks and stockings by keeping your toenails trimmed and filed.”
Another says: “Glasses should always be kept clean. On the one hand this gives you optimal vision, and on the other hand dirty glasses create an appearance of negligence.”
Kern told the BBC the mandatory dress code for men of a dark suit, black shoes, white shirt and red tie would remain, but said the bank was reviewing other things in the guide that were meant only as recommendations.