The Transport Bureau of eastern China's Zhejiang Province recently announced a set of codes for office-hour conduct:

One should not wear slippers to work; one should not take young children to play in the office building; male employees should not wear sleeveless T-shirts or grow a beard or moustache; females should not wear clothes that are too revealing, etc.

Public opinion is divided. Those for it argue that a government office should look "prim and proper," and detractors contend that even civil servants need "a smattering of color" or "some individuality."

"We don't want to go back to the 1960s and 70s and drown ourselves in a sea of blue and gray, do we?" they ask.

It's safe to bet that nobody would want to embrace the dress code of that era. But I'm on the side of the Bureau for regulating in-office conduct, including dress codes.

The crux here is the dividing line between how one comports oneself during vs. after office hours.

As a general rule, employers have the right to dictate things like that as long as they are reasonable and make sense. For example, salesmen in office towers are usually made to wear suits, which would help them exude an air of professionalism; but it would be ludicrous to ask construction workers to do the same.

As long as the rules are applied to everyone in the same line of work on an equal basis, I don't see a reason to cry wolf. If you find the rules too harsh, you can raise the issue with your boss, and when worse comes to worst, you can always quit your job and find an office environment that suits you.

Granted, I admit that the global trend is towards relaxing erstwhile rigid codes, especially for workers who do not need to interact with clients. When I was working at a Silicon Valley media company, my boss used to say: "If you don't dress as if you're on your way to the beach, it'll be okay with me."

Of course, that leaves plenty of room for manoeuvering, as does "not too revealing." But on the whole, the Zhejiang decrees make perfect sense and by no means drive employees back to the puritanical age of 40 years ago.

The other rules are even more sensible. During the "good" old days, some offices in China had a theme part atmosphere. People bantered and frolicked, except they didn't treat customers with courtesy.

For those who protest the protocols on the grounds of personal freedom, I'd say: You're right. Office workers such as government employees do not have freedom in this area. They are not supposed to. It is not the place to flaunt your sartorial creativity.

The freedom we need to protect is what one wears in one's own time. Even in the late 70s when opening up was on the horizon, scissor hands were dispatched on the street in some cities to cut the leg cuff of flare trousers.

No matter how outrageously one is dressed, the public should not impose their judgment in place of moral standards. And exceptions apply only to public spaces where things like indecent exposure are involved. But it has become more complicated when performances of an artistic nature are involved.

The most ridiculous thing I've heard recently is an expert proposing a dress code for people in their own homes. The gist is, one should not go naked while at home.

This is laughable. Unless it's a lewd act of exhibitionism, which is quite rare, what one wears at home, or whether one wears, is purely a matter of personal freedom. He can't expect us to wear a suit while using the shower, can he?

Of course, this is not what the expert meant. He could be talking about moments of privacy or intimacy that might be spotted from nearby windows. And he could be worrying about Sharon Stone-type femme fatales corrupting kids of James Stewart-like innocence and curiosity. But his time would be better spent worrying about things other than those happening behind closed - or even open - windows of other people.

The Zhejiang formalities and decorums are mostly common sense. The environment in question is a government office, not an artist's studio. That should render groundless much of the controversy.

There was a time when discretion alone would be enough in matters of this kind, but in the age of increased personal rights, it's wise for the bureau authorities to clarify the no-no's.

Most jobs have restrictions. If you want to be truly imaginative, create your own space or become an artist.

E-mail: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/03/2006 page4)