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Nation Focus: Back to Dress Codes
Dressing down has employers worn thin    
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031777828559


I came across this when I was checking the business news this morning.  I find it interesting and for one, am very happy to see it happening.  I've found myself dressing more and more casual lately simply because no one in our office dresses up for anything except out of the office functions that require them to dress up and I can't seem to make myself replace the worn out work wardrobe I currently have.  I've already started working on my wardrobe so I can work back into dressing less casual at work.  The casual attire has started to affect my focus.

The dress code in our school system has tightened up too this year.  No more low rise jeans - pants cannot be below the waist.  I had to call on that one for clarification though since all pants are made below the waist now.  I was told they meant hip huggers and basically, the rear end should be fully covered when the child sits - either by the pants or a long shirt.  One school system has even gone so far as to require that shirts be tucked into your pants while at school or a school function.  They say its for security reasons since large shirts can cover hidden weapons in oversized pants.


Michelle

I too am glad to see the change coming.  And for once, I'm ahead of the curve.  I started out last week by updating my wardrobe with 2 new pant suits.  Then got hubby to splurge on me a very good power suit (long skirt/jacket).  In the past couple of weeks, I've found myself wanting to wear suits instead of the (for me) more casual slacks and dress shirt or summer dress that have become my normal mode of dress.  And I'm feeling more put-together and in control.  I think part of it is that now I'm almost dressing better than my supervisor, and since she's trying to make me look bad, I need to use all the tools at my disposal, to include dress.

Our schools here have almost all gone to uniforms of some sort or another.  The school right next door requires the students to wear red shirts without printing on them, and tan or black slacks/long shorts.  It's really interesting to hear the younger kids not complaining about this, as they're growing up used to it, and even a lot of the high school kids at schools that have only been doing these uniforms for the last couple of years are coming to appreciate it.  I don't know how I would have felt as a kid and faced with this change, but then I didn't really push the limit on styles even then.  I say that whatever makes it a safer place for the kids as far as clothing, we do it.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

Our management wears sport shirts, sweaters, docker type pants, but keep a sport coat handy for impromptu meetings.  I keep an assortment of ties for just such occasions as well.  For the type of business we are in, I would say that they are dressed appropriately.  

Our support staff however, is pretty lax.  I would like to tighten it up a lot but I don't think anyone would stand still for it.  And it is easy to get sucked into dressing down.  I find myself doing it at times and have to force myself back to skirts and tops, dress pants, etc.

Piercings are becoming the rage.  What about at other companies?  What is the policy?  We don't have a policy because we have not been confronted before but last week, two of our people went at lunch time and got their noses pierced.  It is small and discrete but where do you draw the line?

chevygirl55

I have always worn suits to work but then I believe that comes with the job I do - PA.  In the summer or hotter weather I would wear lighter suits or smart trousers with a nice top.  We only dress down (or casual) on Friday's which most private companies do now.

G

We have a casual dress attire as well and managers will wear polo shirts and pants most of the time, unless they are travelling, then its whatever our locations attire is, and it is NOT business casual.  However, when they come to our office they are told we are business casual and dress accordingly.  I've been updating my wardrobe as well and noticed others are following suit.  I have pant suits to wear and two piecers with a skirt matching for Summer that was so comfortable I really didn't mind putting on panty hose during the warm weather months.  However, we really didn't have that much hot weather this year.  But at any rate, even though we hardly ever have company in on a regular streaming flow of people, I find dressing up does make it seem like "work" instead of just dressing everyday wear.  It really does make a difference and yes they do notice that you are making an extra effort.

Our office is smart with "smart casual" on a Friday (that means no trainers, no garish logo T-shirts and no blue denim !!)

All the men wear shirt and ties (suits) but the women seem to vary from one end of the scale to the other !!  Some wear suits and some wear outfits that really should only be seen on a night out on the town !!

I myself don't wear suits, but always wear a shirt and skirt or trousers and a smart top.  
Helen

In a setting based on the school year, we tend to go a bit casual in the summer and on school vacation weeks.  However, since we're now gearing up for the start of the semester, we're back to business attire.  I wore a suit today and got many compliments on it, I think my office is a bit tired of capri pants and summer tops.

I agree that I feel more professional and "work-like" when I'm dressed up.  I'm more focused on networking now than I used to be as well, and my thought now is you never know when you'll meet someone that will provide that next step in your career, so why not look your best when that moment arrives?

A very interesting article.  Our dress code requires us to dress smartly at all times, though I do not wear suits mainly smart blouses/tops and skirts.  I never wear trousers to work but this is mainly because my figure doesn't suit them....I would certainly consider wearing smart ones if they looked right on me!  Men have to wear ties also.  We do not have a dress down day.

Our Travel Agency staff have to wear our uniform which is a blouse and skirt for the ladies and smart trousers and white shirt + tie for the gents.  Women are not permitted to wear trousers, though obviously the men are encouraged to!

I thought it was interesting in the article that one employee only dressed up when he was expecting clients.  We quite often get unexpected visitors so I really feel it best for us to have the same dress code at all times.

When I was in secondary school we had a uniform throughout my time there.  

All the best,
Nicola.

I read that a good rule is to dress for the job you want to have.

Well I guess that means I should wear my slippers and robe since my longterm goal is to work from home.

Where I work, we just finished our business-casual wear for the summertime. Now it's back to professional-wear with Fridays only for business-casual.

semaxwell1

I was told you should "dress for the job you want, not the job you have".  Shows potential and desire to move up within your company and you are taken more seriously.

G

About a year ago our company did a 3-month trial with dress down attire on Friday's.  After the 3 months the company said that it had been such a success that the office was moving to smart casual all the time.  

I have to say that I haven't noticed a difference, apart from one or two leaving their ties in the desk drawer in case of visitors.  I even recently mentioned that we have a dress down policy to a colleague - he hadn't even realised that there was one!

Perhaps it is the industry and the location that make everyone feel that a suit (and tie for men) is proper attire.

I did recently manage to find the dress policy hidden away in the intranet - no flip flops, shorts, mini skirts, trainers, crop tops.  

In a way I think I prefer wearing suits - one I am not a morning person and it is much easier grabbing a suit and shirt in the morning and not having to think, and also at both my primary school and secondary school everyone had a uniform to wear including ties for girls.  On the other hand it is nice to have the option of dressing down, if I am dashing off for the weekend, leaving straight from work.

All the men in our office wear ties.  I always wear skirts (sometimes suits skirts but not the jackets) or trousers with either blouses, smart tops or shirts.

If I am off away for the weekend straight from work then I normally get changed in the "Ladies" before I head off - its quite good as we also have a shower room too.

Coz

I'm glad to see this change coming too.  I dress formal/smart casual for work - formal suits, unstructured suits, dresses or matching shirt-and-skirt.  I don't wear trousers to work, which I suppose is a relic of my secretarial college days when we were not allowed to wear trousers at all.

The most important thing, though, is for people to be clean and tidy.  Especially clean.

Raindance

Just out of curiosity - has anyone received a "dressing down" as a result of not dressing down?  

Last place I worked instigated a dress down Friday policy.  I chose to stick with work clothes - I like being able to go home at the end of the day and switch from work catsy to casual catsy.  One manager told me, in no uncertain terms (and loud enough that several others heard) that I was "letting the side down", and if we didn't all adhere to the new policy, the right to dress down on Fridays would be withdrawn!

I ignored him (he was a grumpy g-t at the best of times).  Needless to say, policy was not withdrawn, and in fact later extended to cover the entire week.

NB: I finally caved in and started dressing down on the same day that I handed in my resignation, by which time I just didn't care any more!

Dressing down has become an art form of sorts for me, LOL.  I'll explain.  Two Fridays ago I had sneakers on one from each set of shoes!  OUCH!  I got to work, started getting into my Friday routine, and around mid-day, I decided my feet felt different for some reason, happend to look down and did the Homer Simspson
D-O-H!  Needless to say we had a good time over it here in Finance.  They took my picture with the digital and ran with it.   It's still on the bulletin board, a picture of just my feet with Guess Who?  I'm sure some people don 't know who it was, but most folks in our department sure do.  Ah we had a good laugh over it anyway.

Interesting thread on dress codes.  We don't have one at my work - company guidelines state "The choice of clothing and personal grooming is a matter of personal taste. Employees are, however, expected to maintain acceptable reasonable standards of personal hygiene. Formal standards of dress are required during meetings with external customers and visitors. It is expected that employees will refrain from chewing gum during both internal and external meetings."  In my role as PA to the CEOs, however, I *always* wear a jacket either with a skirt or a dress - never trousers:

1.  I hate myself in trousers!
2. I'm oldfashioned enough to think skirts are better in the workplace.  I would *never* wear trousers to an interview (I told you I was old fashioned ;-)) and would never wear jeans to the office.

We're fairly lax here on dress code - most people will wear jeans and t-shirt, or polo shirts (we have some in company colours and logos) but I much prefer to wear jacket and skirt/dress - I don't feel dressed for work otherwise.  It's also commented on quite a lot that I'm always dressed smartly, and generally with killer heels!

I'm also constantly meeting visitors to the office etc, and don't think dressing down is appropriate if you're customer- or client-facing.  Mind you, don't know whether my (two) bosses would even notice ...

Last comment ... I do think the way one dresses has a (bit of) impact on attitudes at work.  I know that last one could be a bit contentious ;-)

I absolutely agree that the way you dress has an impact on those around you. I tend to dress up rather than down, but in a very understated way. I once saw a presentation where half the room spent the whole time watching the presenters interesting earings swing to and fro!

Not sure about the logic about skirts though! Why would anyone want to see my legs in a professional situation? Or does the wind around your knees make you concentrate harder . Mind you, I wouldn't have a problem with men wearing skirts or kilts in the office if they wanted to. Is that wierd?

Bethalize
Peer Moderator

I've been watching this thread and done a lot of ruminating on the subject before I chimed in.  And I the thing I ask myself in the morning is:  is it in line with my workplace and it's objectives?

I used to work in the office of a warehouse that dealt in heavy industrial products -- bearings, pulleys, belts, conveyor equipment, large motors, gearboxes, etc.  Now, in that environment a formal business suit and heels would have been totally impractical for a number of reasons -- and a big one was safety.  Rubber-soled flat shoes (usually leather oxfords) with a neat pair of docker-style pants and a neat oxford shirt or turtleneck was my daily dress.  Often I would have customers coming in the front door, right off their shop floor handing me a busted part, black with grease and dirt, to find the part number.  It wasn't "dressing down" -- it was "dressing for the job" and, in my mind, entirely professional.

In my last position, I was the one who would be on my knees with my arms deep in the bowels of a copier or printer, inevitably getting toner all over me.  I was also responsible for the organization and upkeep of the storage room and did the unpacking of office supplies when they arrived.  I also often had to delve into the archived files which weren't in the nicest area of the building.  So again, I usually wore dressy-but-machine-washable slacks and a simple shirt and flat shoes.  Didn't bother with a jacket because it only spent the day on the back of my chair.  But again, I didn't look at it as "dressing down" but rather "dressing for the job" that I did everyday.

Now would that fly in a law office or high level corporate HQ?  No, of course not.  But I think it's folly to immediately condemn certain items of clothing right off the bat.  That being said, I DO think things like t-shirts and jeans or "over-exposure" of arms, legs, midriffs, and feet or showing up looking like you just rolled in from clubbing all night are definite NO-NOs.

Well, if I'm at home doing my self employed thing, and not planning to go out and meet clients, I definitely dress down.  But I do change if I have to go out and see a client unexpectedly.

At the Parliament, on non business days (Monday and Friday) and during recess, most people do dress down, but I find most folk are dressed appropriately for business days so that if you have to meet a constituent or go to a meeting you won't feel uncomfortable.  We had a discussion with another member's staffer just yesterday on this, and he always wears a shirt and tie on business days, but he's in jeans the rest of the time!

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

We have a business casual policy in my large corporation, with explicit rules about what is/isn't appropriate.  With call centers in several of our business lines (with hundreds of entry level positions), there were always issues of people taking business casual to the limit (skimpy/see-through tops, ratty/torn jeans/pants, shorts that qualify as underwear, etc).

However, there are several areas that do NOT adhere to business casual, but remain firmly entrenched in business formal (General Counsel and Executive suite come to mind).  Although I don't work in either area, my work does carry me to those areas frequently, so I need to continue to dress in a more business formal manner.  As I'm "old school," this is not a problem for me.   As others have mentioned, I find I'm more in a "work" mood when I dress the part.
:)

Bethalize's comment reminds me of another thread I read on a separate message board. Most companies don't state what the men should wear and what the women should wear. That leaves it open for those who want to "cross-dress", of course culture can play a part in it, too.  Women already "cross-dress" slightly. We can wear pants, flat shoes, not wear makeup, have hair real short. A former female coworker at an old job often wore men's 3 piece suits with a tie, flat shoes, and her hair back with no makeup. However, she was tall with a slender figure and a naturally pretty face so she still looked feminine in a vogue way.

What if a man wants to wear a skirt, heels, makeup, his hair all styled up, nail polish? If the employee handbook doesn't "specifically" say, couldn't it leave the door open? A man can state that wearing a skirt or heels can make him feel more empowered to do his job just like some women feel that way when wearing a skirt or heels. I guess the only way to keep something like that happening, the policy has to specifically say so, or if coworkers/customers claim they feel "offended" if a man-or woman-cross-dresses.

semaxwell1

It's dress down Friday and I am wearing jeans, a casual top, boots and a leather jacket.

I feel less fussy than I do on other weekdays, but I would never dress like this except on Fridays.

G

Bethalize, I don't think you're weird but then I've spent the past 12 years working in the tourist/heritage industry where men regularly wear kilts to work.  I think a man in a kilt is a wonderful sight and even the scruffiest of men manage to look smarter.

Personally, I prefer to be in a smart suit at work even if I know I am not going to meet customers. I was once told at a training course that women should wear jackets, if you wore a cuddly cardigan you would be treated like a cuddly cardigan!  However, if I know I have a dirty job to do like rummaging around in the archives, I will dress appropriately.  You can get caught out though.  I was once left a pool car with no oil in it on the day I was wearing a very expensive beige suit.  It was time for the helpless female act in order to find a man to do it for me!  

caroleanne

I work in a office with a business casual dress code.  The employee handbook clearly states what is acceptable for both men and women - with the exception of cross dressing.  It would be interesting to see how that situation would be handled.  Today I am wearing jeans, a Bass v-neck tee shirt and flip fops.  Now, I don't generally wear my flippies to work but today just screamed for them.  I do have nicer shoes at my desk should I need to really explore the office today.  I don't feel uncomfortable wearing them here as many people do on Fridays.  That being said, I have a new boss being promoted to CIO who is a very smart dresser and always dressed to the nines.  Once she moves over to the office behind me (currently empty) I will put more of an effort to look and feel the part.  

On a side note, Caroleanne - I would LOVE to see men in Kilts.  Although, I'm sure that I would be too distracted to pay much attention to my work.  I know that sounds kind of sexist, but I know me and I would definitely be enthralled!  At a previously position I worked with a man of Scottish decent who wore one at his wedding.  Boy did he look great.  Besides the obvious, I think it was more his pride of wearing his family tartan that struck me the most.  It's a beautiful thing.

Happy Friday everyone!

jak

I was at a wedding about 9 years ago where the guys wore kilts - we were in Norway (nearest we had to national costume being from Norn Iron) and altho it was cold the guys were warm.  Very sexy I have to say!

G

RE: the cross-dressing

At my last employer, I worked in human resources and we had a gentleman (?) who was undergoing surgery to change his gender to female.  S/he was taking hormones to grow some female anatomy parts and was intending to start dressing as a woman leading up to the surgery.  It was a very sticky situation to say the least!  It was rather unnerving to see someone you had gotten used to seeing in pants suddenly show up in a skirt.

I guess I'd consider myself lucky....

We're allowed to wear jeans to work. My office is very small, 4 people total, and we rarely have anyone come in. If they do, they're also in jeans. Even my "managers" wear them.

I do have dress clothes and sometimes I do wear them to work, but I don't notice a change in my work when I do.  Besides, I figure I don't get paid enough to afford the high dry cleaning bills!!

I don't get paid enough to spend money on dry cleaning on a weekly or monthly basis either.  Machine-wash is a MUST for me!  Even my DRAPES are machine wash!