Personal Grooming

" Personal Cleanliness and Hygiene "

                  The appearance begins with personal cleanliness. Parents always teach their children about basic hygiene that should be maintained. For example, a mother scolds her child when he/she eats food without washing hands. Similarly, she ensures that her child brushes twice a day, bathes daily, and wears clean clothes. However, when the child grows up, he/she has to take care of his/her personal cleanliness and hygiene. If these habits are ignored, it can:

Create an embarrassing situation: 

Ignoring personal cleanliness and hygiene can create embarrassing situations. Consider a situation. Sunoj works as a customer service representative at SM Retail. One day he went to attend the inauguration function of a new retail store. The employer instructed all the employees to remove their shoes because it was an auspicious occasion. When Sunoj removed his shoes, a bad smell put off all the colleagues. It was so bad that Sunoj became embarrassed and left the place immediately. In this way, his negligence for personal cleanliness and hygiene led to his embarrassment.  

Put off clients and colleagues: 

You are constantly interacting with people – these are the people who matter to your growth and to your company’s growth. Ignoring personal cleanliness and hygiene can put off clients and colleagues. Consider an example. Jack is a sales executive in an organisation. His job is to sell products to the customers. To sell the products, he has to visit the customers and give a demonstration of the products. Despite being well qualified for the job and having good communication skills, he is not able to sell his products to most of the customers. Even his colleagues avoid talking to him. He discussed his problem with one of his colleague, Robin, who is close to him. Robin told him that he has all the qualities of a good sales executive but he has a problem of body odour, which overshadows his good qualities. This problem puts off his clients and colleagues.

Hamper your professional image: 

You represent your company. Therefore, ignoring personal cleanliness and hygiene can also hamper your and your company’s professional image. Consider an example. Mohan has recently joined an organisation as a regional sales manager. He has to address a meeting of all the area managers. It is his first face-to-face meeting with the area managers. The area managers assume that the new regional manager is a smart and dynamic person. However, when the area managers met Mohan, the image that they had in their minds was shattered. This is because Mohan came to the meeting with untidy hair and clothes. The untidy appearance of Mohan made the area managers think that he was not worthy of the position. This diminished their interest in the meeting. 

Some of the basic hygiene problems that you are likely to face due to the negligence of personal care are:  -

Bad breath: 

You should take care of bad breath by brushing your teeth daily. In addition, you should also visit a dentist regularly.  

Body odour: 

You should use deodorants daily to avoid body odour.  

Persistent dandruff: 

You should use an anti-dandruff shampoo to get rid of dandruff.

                 If you find that one of your colleagues is prone to some personal hygiene problem, ensure that you confront the issue sensitively. For example, Amir and Sanjay are colleagues. Amir is suffering from body odor. All other colleagues avoid him because of his body odor. To handle this matter sensitively, Sanjay mentions that recently ANJ Company has launched a new deodorant, which is very effective and suggests him to use it. 

Checklist for Maintaining Personal Cleanliness and Hygiene

• Brush daily  
• Bathe daily  
• Use an anti-dandruff shampoo  
• Use good soaps  
• Cut your nails regularly  
• Use deodorants  
• Brush your hair properly  
• Shave regularly  
• Wash your hands before and after meals 

" Clothes "

                       Some common guidelines for your clothes are:

• Check the fittings of the clothes: Check that the clothes you wear to the workplace are neither too tight nor too loose. In addition, women should avoid wearing clothes that have low necklines.
• Clothes should be ironed: Iron your clothes, especially cotton clothes. Creased clothes hamper the professional image.  
• Select anti-crease material: You can select clothes that are made of an anti crease material. They are good for long workdays.  
• Wear clean clothes: Your appearance reflects your company’s image. Therefore, wear clothes that are washed and clean.  
• Avoid T-shirts with words or pictures: Usually many workplaces allow casual clothes on Friday/Saturday. You can wear T-shirts as casual wear. However, avoid wearing T-shirts that have words, messages, or pictures embossed on them.  
• Refer to company’s dress code: Refer to the company’s dress code to ensure that the clothes you wear to the workplace are according to the company policy. 

'' Jewelry "

                    You might love to wear jewelry. However, at the workplace, excess jewellery hampers your professional image. Follow these guidelines, while using jewellery:-

• Use simple gold or sterling silver: Invest in simple 14 carat gold or sterling silver jewelry, such as earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, or pins. Simple gold and silver jewelry is best suited with the professional attire. However, do not mix gold and silver jewelry.  
• Select jewelry that complements your attire: You need to ensure that the jewelry that you select complements the attire rather than being distracting.                    
• Avoid wearing jewelry that you seem doubtful of: While dressing, if you feel that you are wearing jewellery that might not complement your attire, avoid wearing it. 
• Maintain the key “Simplicity”: Jewellery that you wear to the workplace should be subtle and simple. Simple gold and silver jewellery add a finishing touch to the attire. 
• Follow Rule of 13: Women should not have more than 13 accessories. Count your accessories, which include glasses, earrings, necklaces, watches, bracelets, rings (one on each hand), a belt, scarf, ornate buttons, and buckles. If the number is more than 13, then you are over-accessorized.  
• Avoid danglers: You should avoid wearing danglers. In addition, avoid wearing charms and identity bracelets.  
• Select classic styled watches: A watch is worn more than any other jewellery. Therefore, you should invest in classicall styled watches that have a gold or silver tone band. Never wear large flashy watches.
• Wear natural color contact lenses: If you wear contact lenses, use the natural eye color. 

                While selecting jewelry you should follow the simple rule of thumb – “Be as understated as possible”. An appropriate set of jewelry consists of simple gold earrings, a single chain with a small pendant, a wedding band (if married), and an elegant watch.

" Hair Grooming "

                  Some common hair grooming tips for women are:

• Style should project a professional look: Your hairstyle should enhance the professional look. If it is shoulder length or longer, ensure you tie it neatly. If it is short, it should be well groomed.  
• Maintain a simple style: Maintain a style that is simple. Else, ensure the style you create is maintained with regular trimming. 
• Wash your hair regularly: Wash your hair regularly to keep it clean and healthy. 
• Select the hair color appropriately: Some hair colors are acceptable for recreational settings but not acceptable for the workplace. If you need to color your hair, select natural colors.

Some common hair grooming tips for men are:

• Trim and brush your hair neatly: Your hair should be trimmed regularly, usually after every 20 days. Ensure that it does not cover any portion of the ear. If you have long hair in the front, it should be properly groomed so that it does not touch the eyebrows. Carry a comb and brush your hair at regular intervals to maintain the neat look. Spiky cuts are not accepted.  
• Wash your hair regularly: Wash your hair regularly to keep it clean and healthy.  Select hair color appropriately: Select a color carefully because many colors are not suitable at the workplace. The best practice is to select natural colors.  
• Trim moustache and beard: Moustache and beard must be neat and well trimmed. In addition, ensure that sideburns are trimmed short. 

Some common tips of hair grooming:

• Don’t use perfumed oils. Use gel if necessary, in small amounts.  
• Always carry a comb/brush so that you can set your hair right frequently. 

" Tattoo and Body Piercings "

         Tattoos and body piercings are not acceptable at the workplace and many people feel uncomfortable with that look. In addition, they are not good for health because they might cause infections in the body. 

         Some common guidelines of tattoos and body piercing are: -

• Tattoos, if any, needs to be covered: You might consider tattoos to be appealing, but usually it is not accepted at the workplace. Therefore, it is preferable to cover your tattoos at the workplace.  
• Pierced ears of women are accepted: Globally pierced ears of women are accepted. However, ensure that you wear only one pair. You might wear multiple earrings at social events, but it is not accepted at the workplace.
• Pierced ears of men are not accepted: Nowadays, it has become a trend for men to wear a small stud in one ear or both ears. However, it is usually not accepted at the workplace. If you are eager to wear earrings, check the company policy before wearing earrings to the workplace. 
• Body piercing in non-traditional places is not accepted: Body piercing in non-traditional places, such as the eyebrow, lips, tongue, and belly might give you credibility in the street but not at the workplace. Always remember, an appropriate professional appearance is a must for the workplace. 

" Tips to Complement Appearance "

Some of the common tips to complement your appearance are

• Wear ironed clothes: The clothes you wear should be ironed properly. Ironed clothes give a smart and professional look.  
• Wear polished shoes: The shoes you wear should be polished. It boosts the appearance. However, avoid flashy shoes.  
• Avoid noisy heels: You should ensure that the heels of your shoes do not make any noise. Noisy heels disturb others.  
• Wear a recent haircut: Hair is an important factor that compliments your appearance. Therefore, you should wear a recent haircut, which is neat. 
• Wear appropriate make-up: It is important for a person to wear appropriate make-up. The make-up should not be too light or too dark. It should be appropriate according to the appearance of a person.  
• Use a fragrant detergent and fabric softener: Use a fragrant detergent and fabric softener to keep your clothes smelling fresh for a long period.  
• Shave regularly: It is an important factor for men to shave regularly.   
• Use mild fragrances: Use perfumes with mild fragrances.