The Dress Code of the New Workforce
A sales professional who began his career in the 1980s may be shocked to walk into the headquarters of Google in 2017 and find the Senior Vice President wearing jeans on a Monday. As new age professionals embrace a more casual corporate culture, things like stuffy e-mails and the 9 to 5 work schedule are slowly fading away. The suit and tie lifestyle seemed to be the first to go.
Half of senior managers surveyed by OfficeTeam said they wear less formal attire to work than they did even five years ago. Office dress codes are getting more relaxed and the surge of millennials joining the workforce may be part of the reason why. A casual dress code appeals to new professionals in today’s competitive job market. Balance is a huge perk for today’s workforce and having the freedom to wear what makes you comfortable reinforces the value of balance full-circle.
Nearly 60% of professionals say they’d rather work at a place that is business casual or doesn’t have a dress code at all. A mere 18% of professionals still prefer strict dress codes. Companies are following suit by scaling back on the rules and tooting laxed dress codes as a perk right up there with medical benefits and high salaries.
This new outlook doesn’t stop at in-office practices. Even client-facing roles are becoming a bit more casual. The same OfficeTeam survey found that clients have even reported feeling slightly uncomfortable when a third-party company shows up in a suit and tie. Consider how your team might feel if your contractor shows up in a three-piece suit with a briefcase in hand. Depending on your industry, that kind of energy may give off corporate auditor vibes.
Even with this distinct shift in corporate culture, there’s still a fine line between business casual and just down right too comfortable. Close to half of senior managers surveyed felt that sometimes things got a little too casual! Things like flip flops, showing too much skin, and visible tattoos are still deemed inappropriate by 47% of professionals.
Most professionals agree that you have to dress for your audience. Fashion PR firms in the Garment District of NYC may have a much different protocol than the accounting firms on Wall Street. Wearing open-toed sandals to a board meeting may be a hit or miss depending on the crowd. With personal discretion beginning to play a major role in what is viewed appropriate for work, the lines are often blurred. Research has proven that ultimately upper management continues to set the tone for what’s flies and what doesn’t in the office through leading by example.
What did you wear to work today? Is it different from what you would have worn just five years ago? Tell us in the comment section.
No comments:
Post a Comment