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Following months of negative press and layoffs, Target has instituted a sweeping change of its dress code at its Minneapolis HQ in the hopes that a more relaxed policy will make employees happier. The retailer announced the news on Monday, saying that they now trust Target team members to "dress for their day." What does that mean, exactly? Let's let Target explain: "For example, a big day might call for something like a dress or a suit, or maybe even dressy jeans and a blazer. For a low-key day, jeans and a nice polo might be the answer." In a memo to employees that was leaked to press, Target said, "We all know that casual days, weeks or months make team members really happy. We also know that life's a little easier when we have more choices — and less dry cleaning."
For the past ten years, Target's dress code has been rather strict. Men were required to wear jackets or ties and women were not allowed to wear sleeveless shirts without a jacket or cardigan to cover their arms. The rules regarding attire were so strict that they supposedly ran 20 pages long on Target's internal website.
Target's not sliding all the way into startup-land: no flip flops, Birks or "heavily-worn" shoes are allowed; women aren't supposed to wear spaghetti-strap tops or leggings as pants; and shorts and overalls are both verboten.
· Target eases up on HQ dress code, says jeans and other casual garb is OK [Star Tribune]
· Target headquarters team members dress for their day [Target]
· Target Chief Information Officer Takes the Fall for Security Breach [Racked]