00:00 We had the lady who turned up at an office without sleeves and went and draped a curtain
00:09 over her. We are aware of the gentleman who went to another office in shorts, was turned
00:14 away, went and stapled brown envelopes to his pants and was allowed in. So all of these
00:21 ridiculous things occur because of the absence of a reasonable policy.
00:25 In an attempt to treat with that, Minister of Public Administration Alison West says
00:30 her ministry looked at different trends, drafted a report which was taken before Cabinet and
00:35 the stamp of approval was given in December 2023. After what she calls a sensitization
00:41 and training, the Public Service Dress Code policy comes into effect on Monday, January
00:46 15.
00:48 So what does it mean for you? Well, you can now wear sleeveless tops, three-quarter pants
00:53 and slippers at government offices.
00:56 What we are asking you to do is ensure that your upper body is covered, that your lower
01:01 body is covered at least up to mid-thigh, that you may wear a face mask for whatever
01:09 reason. Some people are still wearing it for health reasons, some people wear it for religious
01:13 reasons for example. But if you do wear a face mask and it conceals your features, you
01:20 may be asked to remove it so that we can quickly see what you look like and that there's no
01:25 threat and in those cases we'll allow you in.
01:29 As for people wearing religious face coverings such as the burqa, they would not have to
01:33 reveal their identity publicly.
01:36 We take them into a private area and then they can reveal who they are and we'll allow
01:43 them to continue with the service.
01:46 Footwear is mandatory and the ministry is asking that whatever is chosen is not a safety
01:51 concern, for example slippers in a construction zone.
01:56 As for what would not be permitted...
01:58 Vulgar displays in respect of your clothing or in respect of any signage or pictures or
02:07 whatever on your clothing. No swimwear, no share clothing, no bareback, no vulgar obscene
02:15 messages or images and no gang symbols.
02:19 West says customer service representatives have been appointed at public offices to address
02:24 any problem that might arise, as she outlines that the aim is to try as best as possible
02:30 to provide a service that is required and to avoid people being turned away.
02:35 If a frontline staff member concludes that even with the relaxed policy a particular
02:42 person is inappropriately dressed, we have the more senior customer service reps who
02:49 can be approached to make a decision as to how this member of the public should be treated
02:56 with.
02:57 These TSRs are available upon request. A total of 431 people have been trained, including
03:04 the reps, service managers, security guards and receptionists.
03:08 Venues that are not offices are not covered by this policy. This would include schools,
03:14 hospitals, police stations, health centres, community centres, sporting venues. All of
03:26 these things are not covered by this policy. This is for people going to government offices
03:30 to receive government services.
03:33 The ministry hopes that the relaxed policy would be embraced.
03:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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