BB asks female employees not to wear short sleeves at work

The Bangladesh Bank has issued a dress code for its officials and employees, suggesting female workers refrain from wearing short-sleeved and short-length dresses, and leggings while on duty.

Male workers have been asked to avoid jeans and gabardine pants.

The central bank's Human Resources Department issued the dress code in an internal memo, asking men to wear formal shirts, trousers, and shoes.

It asked female workers to wear saris or salwar-kameez with scarfs and other decent dresses of "professional colours" with formal sandals or shoes. They can also wear head scarfs and hijab of simple design, according to a decision made on July 21.

All departments have been directed to designate an officer to monitor dress code compliance.

"Failure to comply with the dress code will be considered a disciplinary offence," said the memo asking all departments in the headquarters to take necessary actions.

Additionally, the HR department asked officials to follow office etiquette and manners.

It also directed officials to follow Bangladesh Bank staff regulations while behaving with female colleagues. Complaints of sexual harassment should be sent to the concerned committee formed by the HR department within 30 working days, it said.

Contacted, Areif Hussain Khan, executive director and spokesperson of the central bank, told The Daily Star, "When we all work in an organisation, it's important that no discrimination or division arises among colleagues based on clothing."

He explained that people wear different kinds of clothes and sometimes those are not quite appropriate for office.

He acknowledged that individuals have the freedom to choose what they wear. "But within that freedom, you also have to adhere to certain norms of the organisation.

"Regarding the hijab, this is just a clarification. There is no insistence, no suggestion, no instruction to wear the hijab. But if someone chooses to, the person is allowed to wear a hijab," he added.

"This is more of a guideline, a suggestion."