Posted on 09/10/2001 9:42:13 AM PDT by southern rock
Casual dress? Oh, please
Trend to dressing down in workplace becoming a nightmare for many
By Barbara Bowes
Working World
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Let's be right up front. I'm annoyed and fed up with the business casual dress trend. It has simply gotten out of hand.
While the trend has been around since the early 1990s, particularly in the high-tech firms, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon. In fact, a 1992 study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management showed 63 per cent of businesses in the United States are now offering casual business dress code.
In other words, business casual is no longer simply a perk, it's a general rule.
From a company perspective, dress code has been seen as a cost-effective way to improve employee morale, provide a means for a company to become more attractive to new employees and a strategy to improve overall productivity. However, it's also been an evolving challenge.
Casual business dress code is a challenge for workers who have had to buy new wardrobes and then still don't know what to wear. Women in particular have trouble with business casual because it typically means wearing slacks of some sort.
It's also a challenge for human resource professionals who deal with issues and conflicts as people apply their own unique interpretation of "quot;appropriate."quot; As well, it's a challenge for customers who become confused when the usual dress code power symbols for status disappear. Finally, it's a challenge for managers who now use precious time ruling on bare feet in loafers versus business expenditures.
To complicate things further, the dress code concept has spawned a complete new vocabulary. We see business casual, casual-casual, relaxed dress, dress-up, dress-down, smart casual, classic casual, or country-club casual dress. And, of course, every company has to have its own version.
I agree there are many companies where business casual dress is ideal, but what really bothers me is my fear that business casual dress might be slipping dangerously into weekend casual wear. It's worrisome that an attempt to create a warm and inviting, customer friendly corporate culture and a comfortable workplace for employees might now be turning into a nightmare.
I'm sorry, but you can't convince me that jeans or shorts with holes so big that a cheeky bit of flesh peeks out between the threads is appropriate. Or that short tank tops and hipster pants more suited to a belly-dancer fit into an office environment. What about rings on all fingers, rings on the toes, and rings in the nose? Body jewelry in the most unlikely of places. Just how many earrings in one ear is enough?
Beach bum
And, what about beach bum clothes? You know, those ripped, torn and faded T-shirts that spew sexual innuendo or beer advertisements? Do they belong in the workplace? Do women's tights barely covered by a sweatshirt fit into the workplace? I don't think so.
From a corporate perspective, can you tell me how this improves employee productivity? Can you tell me how it makes an employer more attractive as an ideal place to work? I can certainly see how it can cut down on employee costs, but... oh, please, just leave the weekend casual dress wear at home.
Do you think it is unfair for an employer to expect you to be presentable and professional? No. In fact, I believe that you have an obligation to the organization, to help your company present itself in such a way that it attracts and retains customers. More customers mean more work, which translates into more jobs and job security. On the other hand, don't customers deserve the right to work with someone they can take seriously?
I also believe you have an obligation to yourself to dress professionally. Clothes create a professional image and, whether you like it or not, image counts. If you create a poor first impression in the customers' eyes, they won't come back. If you create a sloppy personal image to your manager, my bet is that you'll be passed over for promotion. If you create a slovenly image to your colleagues, they may suspect that you treat your work tasks that way too. Remember, how you dress influences how people will judge you. And it doesn't matter if that assessment is fair or unfair, it happens.
So, don't follow along with the beach bums. Decide not to look like you've never owned a mirror. Get professional. Take pride in being neat and well-groomed. Take the initiative to project a strong positive image coupled with personal confidence. To be a winner, you need to look and act like one.
If your company doesn't have a dress code then set one for yourself. First, look at the nature of your job. Are you dealing with front-line customer service? If so, then dress so that you are creating a welcoming comfort that invites them to establish a relationship and purchase your services. Remember, from the customer's eyes, you are the company.
Next, take a look at the work environment around you. Ask what kind of corporate image your employer is creating? Then, plan your wardrobe to ensure you project the correct business-like image. Use your common sense. From a career development perspective, you might also want to think about the old adage: "If you want to get ahead, dress the part."
But, why not take this dress code issue a step further? Take leadership.
If your company doesn't have a dress code policy, develop and recommend one. Set up a checklist outlining clothing options and then canvas other employees and managers to get consensus. Next, recommend a set of guidelines that will define and clearly set out expectations for appropriate dress.
No matter what, take action. Stop weekend casual dress in its tracks.
Bring a professional look back to the business workplace.
* * * Barbara Bowes, CHRP, CMC , is HR Consulting Practice Leader for Meyers Norris Penny, president of the Human Resource Association of Manitoba and author of The Easy Resume Book: A Transferable Skills Approach. She can be reached at bowesb@mnp.ca or direct line: 788-6056.
Let's just say that she wants it her way and no one else's. She is a superficial b**** IMO, who thinks she knows best for everyone else. If you feel as I do, maybe you want to drop her a message letting her know what you think of her.
How would anyone like to work in the cubicle next to this broad???
I work in the art/graphics department of a dot-com. Leggings or jeans and sneakers, with t-shirts and other casual clothing suits us just fine. :-)
LOL, the running joke here is that our company will have to form a special re-engineering task force "Z Team" to address the problem of spandex shorts. LOLOLOLOL
Business casual has definitely gotten over the edge. I admit, I have seldom worn stockings this past summer, but seeing $460/hour lawyers wear shorts with their vericose veins sticking out appears quite unprofessional. If I were a client, I'd run from this firm.
I'm pretty good at telling whether a business is going to survive, and from my vantage point, I would currently judge any company or firm whose bosses/partners look like bums to be on the first-to-go-bankrupt list. Trust me. I know losers when I see them.
To say nothing of one's own unique interpretation of "quot;how to write in the English language."quot.
Men dress to fit in. Women dress to be noticed.
It seems people like you always can.
Managers and coworkers respect someone for taking the initiative toward a useful goal. However, nobody respects a brown-noser.
Clearly, she's in the marketing department. They don't understand substance.
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