Can my boss charge me for my uniform?

• Author: Cohen, Randy
• Position: THE ETHICIST - Brief article

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I work in a low-wage job that involves contact with the public. The company requires us to wear a uniform--a polo shirt bearing its logo--and asks us to buy it from them. Is it ethical to charge employees for uniforms? J.M., Arizona

IT IS NOT. An employer should provide the staff with the gear required to do the job. Just as no high-level executive must supply his own desk or chair, no low-wage worker should have to provide his own shirt. (There are exceptions among skilled workers: Chefs, for example, often use their own knives.)

Of course, a boss may require employees to wear clothing--nobody wants a shirtless bus driver--and that usually means they have to...