The Changing Office Dress Code And Its Challenges

Recent years have seen a relaxation of dress codes, even in some of the more formal professions such as law and accountancy, particularly when client meetings are not taking place. Often starting with a dress down Friday, some companies and individuals are now finding it hard to accept the results in the office environment.

From standard 3 piece suits earlier in the 20^th Century relaxing to today’s 2 piece lounge suit for formal work wear, dress codes have undergone a lot of change. In most of our lifetimes, formal suits were the standard office ‘uniform’ with a focus on ‘power dressing’ in the 1980s.It is now widely accepted that suits are not the norm in all working environments. Many organisations started to relax the dressing style on Fridays but without really defining what that meant, what is ‘business casual’, ‘smart casual’? Problem number one was that it wasn’t defined; problem two was having been seen dressed in a more relaxed style on Fridays, individuals relaxed their dressing on other days too.

A lot of people would argue that comfort is important at work. To a point this is true, we need to feel comfortable in who we are and confident not just in the work we produce but how we come across.

Whilst more casual dressing can be fine, particularly in more relaxed industries such as IT and music, it seems that in some cases it has gone too far. This means:

• If an organisation is client/customer or even supplier/stakeholder facing then what image is it really presenting? Particularly if there’s no consistency in dressing level across the organisation
• Lack of respect for the rest of the team – I have heard client examples of no shoes in the office and strappy, revealing tops that clearly show underwear and a lot more in Summer to name just a couple and these were in the Finance industry...

It is worth thinking carefully about what image you and your team are presenting at work through your personal image. Some food for thought:

• It is possible to be dressed more casually and present a positive image but attention to detail and personal grooming are still very important. If someone doesn’t look like they have bothered with themselves then they are unlikely to inspire confidence that they will make the best work effort
• It is worth defining what level of dress is expected – this may differ between Friday versus the other days or perhaps when meeting clients and when not but having clarity means there will be a clear idea of ‘the way we do things around here’ and a consistent external image
• Think about what people expect. It’s not that everyone should be in a suit. At a networking meeting, I often get asked about what people should wear. You would generally expect an accountant to be in a suit but not a plumber or a personal trainer. Although you would still expect them to be clean and well presented
• Think about how the external people the team interacts with are dressed. It does depend on the relationship but generally more than one dress code level difference is not good as it puts distance between the two and makes engaging more difficult
• Remember casual dressing often makes people look younger – this can create credibility issues particularly if you have a younger team

So it is worth reflecting on your personal dressing style and if you manage people, on their dressing style too.

• What image are they really presenting?
• What are they communicating about themselves and the organisation?

 It’s about reflecting on what you/your organisation stand for, what values you want to communicate and who you interact with to define a way forward.

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Joanna Gaudoin runs Inside Out, an image consultancy that specialises in supporting professional individuals and organisations maximise their impact for success by developing a clear, positive and professional image.