Dress codes seldom go down well in finance. In that tradition, a Swiss bank's new dress code for bankers has received a cool reception.
Basler Kantonalbank (BKB) is reheating an issue that most banks have steered clear of since the financial crisis: the Basel-based bank has ordered its bankers to adhere to a strict, binding dress code as part of a revamp of its branches, «BZ Nordwestschweiz» (in German) reported.
The style guide goes into effect in July and sets «clear standards» for roughly 160 front-facing bankers.
What does it entail? Not just suits, shirts and blouses: bankers have received a set of accessories including ties, jacket pocket squares, or scarves, one of which they are expected to wear. Visible tattoos and piercings are a no-no, the paper writes.
Disenfranchised Bankers
The accessories is free for employees, who have also received financial help for their new wardrobe: «Employees can decide for themselves where they want to buy their clothes and which styles and cuts suit them best,» a bank spokeswoman said.
Nevertheless, the style directive has rubbed some bankers the wrong way: many staff have voiced skepticism, according to the paper.
«We already did dress correctly and in line with our roles. For the bank to direct us to do so is infantilizes us,» one banker said.
Controversial Style Codes
Dress codes of the type that BKB is seeking to implement have long been controversial. UBS made headlines when it issued a 44-page style guide to staff advising them for example to stick to neutral, flesh-colored underwear.
Today, neither UBS nor Credit Suisse has a formalized dress code for all staff, leaving the decision instead to bankers on what is appropriate or not.
For relationship managers in Credit Suisse's flagship offices on luxury Bahnhofstrasse, a suit and tie remains de rigeur. For staff in back-office offices like Credit Suisse's Uetlihof or UBS' Opfikon sites, rules are looser.
