Requirement to wear specific uniform in a hospital

[ronphx2]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Arizona
Can a Hospital employer require staff to wear a certain color of uniform and not pay for at least one of the uniforms. The premise from Administration is that patients and family can more easily identify their caregiver's profession/occupation if we are all "color coded". We are not unionized. Many staff feel is is not "legal" for the Hospital to force employees to wear a specific color uniform without paying the cost for the employee.
Thank you.
I am an RN,
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? AZ

 

[antrc170]

Arizona has no laws that prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to pay for a uniform, tools, or other items necessary for employment for the employer. However, an employee must consent in writing to any deduction from wages to pay for the uniform. Your employer can dictate that you wear whatever color they deem appropiate.

Arizona Wage Payment Laws - EmploymentLawHandbook.com

 

[cbg]

It is absolutely legal for an employer to require that you wear color coded uniforms. Whether the employer is required to pay part or all of the cost depends on a combination of state law and whether or not the uniform can be worn outside of work. For example, if you have to wear khaki pants and a black shirt the employer will not be required to pay for that because you could wear it as street clothes; if you have to wear a shirt with the company logo on it, it's quite likely that the employer would have to pay part or all of the cost.

We've just lost our expert on such matters to cancer, but perhaps someone else will have a link to your state's regs. Betty?

 

[Betty]

The only Az. state info I have on uniforms is:
Arizona Wage Payment Laws - EmploymentLawHandbook.com

Uniforms, Tools, and Other Equipment Necessary for Employment-
Arizona has no laws that prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to pay for a uniform, tools, or other items necessary for employment for the employer. However, an employee must consent in writing to any deduction from wages to pay for the uniform. (seems to be same info antrc170 posted)

The only US DOL (federal) info I have is:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs16.pdf

 

[cbg]

Then it would appear that the poster is stuck.

 

[xylene]

One of my surgeons was a very serious doctor - he was the kind of guy who wore a lab coat over a three piece suit.

But on the occasions when he would wear scrubs... he would wear the the most ridiculous ones, like Tweeey Bird and Foghorn Leghorn, co-ordinated bottom and top...

Personally I think your hospital is making the wrong decision, but it is their right and they don't have to pay for it.

 

[ronphx2]

Thank you very much for your comments. I agree, the nurses on my unit are mainly upset because it will take some of the individuality and autonomy away from their choice of uniform, but most hospitals in the Phoenix area are converting to color coded uniforms because patients who have been surveyed for years are asking for it,
Thanks again.

 

[justalayman]

I agree, the nurses on my unit are mainly upset because it will take some of the individuality and autonomy away from their choice of uniform,

maybe that is why they want uniforms; they are uniform. They do not want individuality and autonomy. They want consistency and subordination.

 

[FlyingRon]

As a patient, I find scrubs outside of the certain clinical areas where they make hygenic sense to be objectionable. It particularly annoys me that the office staff at my local FP provider wear them. They never get any closer to the patient than handing out forms and collecting payment.

Frankly, you're lucky they're not requiring you to wear the traditional uniform and cap.

 

[Billy_Tompson]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Arizona
Can a Hospital employer require staff to wear a certain color of uniform

Is it a SPECIFIC uniform then?

 

[ronphx2]

The uniform will be scrubs in a specific color for nurses, and color coded for all departments. Thanks.

 

[Billy_Tompson]

The uniform will be scrubs in a specific color for nurses, and color coded for all departments. Thanks.

Specifying colors was not the answer I was looking for .. are they saying to wear specific garments (garments by a certain manufacturer or garments that have been given some type of specifications). Then they may be considered "uniforms".

If they are technically uniforms, then you would have to investigate if uniforms are required to be paid by the employer.

 

[cbg]

Billy - in case it's escaped your notice, this entire thread has been about whether the employer has to pay for it. In the poster's state, the employer does not. The only proviso is that the employee has to authorize paycheck deductions. There's a link to the specific law and everything.

Try to keep up, huh?

 

[TheGeekess]

The hospital I worked at put the unit clerks/ward secretaries/Patient Care Secretaries (they changed the name for the 'upscale' ) in grey slacks/skirts with white blouses/shirts and red neckties/neckscarves that a 70's airline attendant would have been proud of. Needless to say that didn't last very long.

 

[FlyingRon]

I've worked in hospitals three times in my career. When I was a paramedic in training, I had to wear my departmental uniform. And yes, I paid for it myself. OSHA requires the department to pay for my safety equipment (fire gear, boots, etc..) but we're on our own for our day wear.

The other times when away from patient care, I could dress casually. When in the patient care areas I had to dress professionally.

My father sent me an invitation to an event for a foundation he was in charge of that read "business attire." He wrote a personal message to me that said that's "Lawyer Business Attire" not Software Engineer Business Attire.