Extreme Dress Code

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You’ve hear of Extreme Sports, but what about Extreme Dress Code?  UBS sought to downplay a new 43-page dress code widely lampooned in the international press for detailed instructions to staff extending as far as the color of their underwear and the care of nasal hair and nails. The memo said the dress code was first created in 2009 for reception staff, event attendants and chauffeurs, but was being extended to customer-facing staff in Switzerland to help the bank present a consistent image.

Questions:
1.  Does the way you dress influence the way you work? Discuss.
2.  Do you think all accounting firms should have dress codes?  Is it tied to a “brand” effect?  Discuss.
3.  The company insists that this measure is needed to develop a consistent corporate image.  Do you think there will be any other effects regarding customer-facing staff?  Discuss.

Source:
CNN Video. (2010). UBS dress code raising eyebrows, December 16 (Retrievable online at http://www.cnn.com/video).
Reuters. (2010). UBS Internal Memo Responds to Dress Code Jibes, CNBC.com, December 17 (Retrievable online at http://www.cnbc.com/id/40715987/UBS_Internal_Memo_Responds_to_Dress_Code_Jibes)