Can my employer really force me to wear a bra?

Hi! I work as a store manager for a clothing store and I have to not only follow the dress code but also enforce it too. It's amazing what employers can force their employees to wear but they do have a right to force you to wear a bra believe it or not. When I took my job, I signed off on the dress code saying I'd abide by it so I knew the rules ahead of time. Otherwise, I wouln't get hired. Companies have the freedom to make the rules for dress code as they wish. Some jobs require makeup or pantyhose or high heels. There have even been lawsuits filed by female employees who are required to wear high heels. Not long ago, there was a casino that was sued because they required the female servers who served drinks on the casino floor to wear heels with a heel requirement of 2 inches or higher. The casino would actually check to see if they were wearing heels and would sometimes measure their heels if they looked too low! The court ruled in favor of the casino because the employees were told about the rules as a condition of their job. So employers can get away with a lot as long as they state it in the rules.

My job requires makeup, pantyhose, acrylic nails and high heels! I have to also make sure my female employees are wearing this stuff too and I have to check everyday. It's just part of the job.

It sucks I know! :-)

Some people don't realise their clothes are see though and under certain light it might be. Also, if you have really perky nipples and they're always really noticable through your work shirt, that might be a bit weird. Grocery stores run on PR and customer satisfaction. If your boss thinks customers will think less of the store because an employee doesn't wear a bra and some of her assets are showing through it might make the store look bad and the customers could go somewhere else. I worked in a grocery store for 2 years and I was a member of the local union (you had to be) and they had a workers manuel that stated a manager can approve and disapprove of a look as he/she sees fit. It is their store. A lot of places have dress codes. BTW, how did he/she even know you didn't wear bras? Obviously if you weren't wearing one and he/she commented on it, it's noticable and everyone will be able to tell. So unless you want to have your girls out on display, you should wear a bra.

A workplace dress code that includes wearing a bra is probably legal. Some workplaces have specific uniforms and employees must wear the uniform to work.

In my workplace we have restrictions on our wardrobe. We cannot just wear anything we want. We also cannot have visible tattoos or piercings or hair colours that are not natural. These are all things we are told and we sign that we understand on the first day of employment.

I don't think it's that odd that an employer would ask employees to be properly dressed and to look neat and tidy. Perhaps the bra rule is in response to an issue in the past. Either way it's probably within their rights to make bras mandatory.

I really think it is legal in all states not to wear them in public, I don't think NY is special.

I'm not crazy about wearing them either, but they do present a more professional image.

Heck, some companies require women to wear makeup! (airlines).

So, yeah, they call the shots. sorry.

A business can certainly require employees to follow a dress code, but they can't force anyone to do so. The employee has every right to quit if they don't like the requirements.

you have to follow your company's dress code. If you can't do it, quit your job and find another where you can work bra-less.

Not exactly. They would simply make it a precondition of continued employment. Don't wear one and you don't work there. Problem solved

They would not force you to wear a bra

It's legal.