What You Can Learn from Katy Perry

October 4, 2010

Singer Katy Perry recently started a debate about what clothing is and is not appropriate by donning a cleavage-baring dress while guest starring on Sesame Street. Although her costume was what can be considered typical Katy Perry style, many people who previewed her segment on YouTube felt that it was inappropriate clothing for a children’s television show, and because of the onslaught of negative press, the segment was pulled from Sesame Street’s future television air date.

Since I provide recruiting support to expansion stage companies at , and am interested in HR policies, I was curious whether Sesame Street had a dress code policy in place for their show, including its guest stars. If they do have a dress code policy, it’s possible that it may not have included policies for those who are not full-time employees. Or, perhaps the producers of the show did not feel comfortable telling the star what she could not wear.

An article published on the HR website TLNT last week discussed this issue as well, and asked its readers, How Would You Deal With Katy Perry? The article is interesting because it discusses the fact that Sesame Street knew who they were hiring — someone who is known for her over-the-top attire — and only got cold feet about about airing the segment once it started receiving negative press. Perhaps press of any form was what Sesame Street was looking for in the first place, but regardless, there are certainly lessons that can be learned from what I feel was a poor decision by producers (or maybe even HR!).

What can your company learn from Katy Perry?

  1. If you have a dress code policy, enforce it, no matter who is breaking the rules! Even if someone on your management teams (or a famous pop star!) is breaking your employee dress code policies, make sure that they are enforced. The rules may start slipping for everyone when more senior members of your company start to bend the rules for themselves.
  2. If you don’t have a dress code policy, make one! It does not have to be long, or even strict. Many expansion stage companies welcome diversity in dress and style preferences, but it should be to a point. Would it be acceptable for someone to come to work wearing a tube top in the summer? Everyone working at your company is a representative for it, so even if you embrace a casual dress working environment, you should consider putting some rules into place to avoid an uncomfortable conversation about dress code when someone breaks unwritten policies.

VP, Human Capital

<strong>Diana Martz</strong> is Vice President, Human Capital at<a href="http://www.ta.com/">TA Associates</a>. She was previously the Director of Talent at OpenView.