For those who work in an office there is a classic suit and tie look which has survived for decades. For women, there may be more flexibility, but certain rules still apply. Some workplaces have a more casual atmosphere and it is demonstrated in the way the employees dress. Sometimes I will walk into a business and be surprised by the attire of the employees. Whether it is an office, or a retail outlet, I have a certain expectation of how the staff should be dressed, and shouldn't be. While I know it is a personal thing, I don't feel as confident working with businesses in which the employees are overly casually dressed. Do you think it is still necessary for businesses to require proper dress from their employees?
It really depends on the company and the office. Usually a more sober office (finances, accounting, economy) are more conservative in the dress code, meaning you need to wear more formal attires. But companies focused on technology, clothes, beauty, for example, are usually more informal. Where I work I consider the dress code business informal. We wear dark wash jeans, or black pants, and a shirt. Some people are more formal, some more informal.
It's absolutely dependent on the type of business or company. I understand what you are saying though. As a customer we tend to think a lot higher of those who actually take the time to put themselves together in a formal way. It also tends to be the person who is formally dressed that we as customers take more seriously with our concerns or questions. I personally always go for a more formal look when I go to work no matter what the position. Granted there were places I worked that required a uniform, but even when my job didn't require it, I still felt more professional when I looked my formal best.
It depends on the company. Not for profit organizations are usually more laid back and they don't require you to wear anything besides your normal casual dress. Otherwise just go with the fill of the also but I feel even at the most prestigious of organizations dress is not anywhere like it use to be in the 1980s or even the late 90s and you can still modernize any outfit.
I would have to say that it depends on the atmosphere. I have to walked into store and seen some crazy attire I have notice that some of the workers try to dress close to the attire that they sell. But I personally like to wear casual clothing being I work at a business.
Casual attire in the office makes you lose some credibility. If I wanted help from a financial adviser for example, walked into his office and found out that he was in dressed in a wifebeater [presuming it's a hot day] and a pair of yoga pants I'd definitely lost my confidence in that guy. Fact is we associate certain kinds of clothing with certain professions and when you encounter something out of the ordinary [as far as that dress code is concerned] . . . it definitely has to disconcert you.
In the office, we are required to wear semi-formal attire. So I've got no choice but to follow instructions. I wear semi-formal attire, which is not a very big problem for me. I used to wear a kind of this, and somehow I agree with the policy, because being formal is a nice way to represent yourself and to show your civility.
I like it a lot when companies allow their employees to dress down a bit. It makes work all the more comfortable. However, I still think that those jobs that require client interaction or interaction with people from other companies should dress up appropriately. It would not look right if you are in a meeting with other executives wearing the proper suits and then there you are wearing jeans and rubber shoes. I think dressing down is a bit ok, but there is a proper venue and timing for that.
I would describe the dress code as very smart casual. It's basically normal office wear with quite a bit of flexibility. Of course on Friday it is simply smart casual. I have worked in a office though that was extremely strict and didn't even have dress down Friday, so there is a lot of variability.
