It seems almost impossible to imagine now, but there was a time when people dressed up to fly. During the 1950s and 60s, men donned suites and women wore dresses while traveling on airplanes.

I bring this up not to grumble about the sweat pants and flip-flops you often see on today's airline passengers, but to point out how much more casual Americans are today about their attire. The work outfits that were once reserved for casual Fridays are now seen every day in some office environments.

In such an era, property managers might be wondering if having a dress code for their onsite leasing teams is really important. In my view, the answer is, resoundingly, "yes."

Dress codes remain essential to creating a professional environment. When team members dress in a professional manner, they are more likely to behave in a professional manner, and they are more likely to command the respect of prospects and visitors.

At ROSS, we have a fairly strict and detailed dress code. For starters, no visible body piercings, except for earrings, and no visible body tattoos are allowed.

In the leasing office, women are to wear navy blue, black or gray business suits or pantsuits; skirts must be of a conservative business length (not more than 2 inches above the knee). Men have to wear navy blue, black or gray business suits with buttoned dress shirts.

This may seem old-fashioned to some, but our employees really respond to our dress code and recognize how important it is to present themselves professionally to our customers.

Whatever the exact details of your dress code, here a couple of things to keep in mind.

• Consider helping your employees pay for their work attire. Professional business clothes can be expensive, and helping your team members cover the cost of their required clothing can go a long way towards them embracing the rules.
  
  At ROSS, we give our leasing staff members $500 every September for them to purchase professional business attire for work. Each September, they are also able to borrow another $500, a portion of which they then repay with each paycheck.

• Enforce the rules. A dress code doesn't mean much if team members feel it's easy to ignore, and we have serious consequences in place at ROSS.
  
  On an employee's first violation, the team member receives a written warning and is sent home to change and report back to work in the appropriate attire. A second violation results in a one-day suspension without pay, while a third violation will result in the employee's termination.

When it comes to the specifics of its dress code, an apartment company will need to determine what works best for the image it's trying to project and the office environment it's trying to create. But some type of dress code is essential for appearing professional to prospects and residents, and for maintaining employee discipline.