Dress-down policies

Many commentators report the demise of the traditional office uniform of shirt, jacket and tie. The way in which office attire reflects a particular organisational culture has taken on new meanings in an age when younger workers in particular aspire to ‘dotcom-style’ working practices – notably a lack of restrictions on what may be worn to work.

Irrespective of whether or not this is a fad, a number of companies have followed suit, so to speak, and introduced a casual dress policy. In some cases, this has not taken the form of a written policy – as one accountancy firm’s introduction at the launch of its casual dress policy says: ‘we have to do it without rules’. Others have taken a more formal approach, reflecting the fact that a dress-down policy does not mean that ‘anything goes’.

When the policy is applicable

The approach to dressing down can take a number of forms. One fairly well-established concept is the dress- down Friday. An example of one company’s policy on this is shown above. Some organisations take a seasonal approach, relaxing the rules on wearing jackets and ties during a defined summer period. Alternatively, the dress-down policy may operate all the time. However, even when this is the case, it may not apply when staff are meeting clients or on business trips abroad. As the policy of one finance company states:

‘When attending business meetings with visitors or clients, whether onsite or offsite, your attire should reflect that of the individuals with whom you are meeting. You should be prepared to dress in a business-appropriate manner at very short notice. This may mean having appropriate business attire at the workplace’.

What is acceptable ‘casual’ wear

One of the criticisms sometimes levelled at dress-down policies is that they may inadvertently encourage some staff to dress inappropriately for work. For this reason, staff may need guidance on how their organisation defines ‘casual’. Most companies do this by including a list of examples of inappropriate garments within the policy. For example, one financial services company, which defines its policy as ‘smart- casual’, excludes the following items:

no denim, suede or leather

no open-toed sandals

nothing which might be construed as beach wear (eg shorts)

To emphasise that the term ‘casual’ can be used in slightly different ways, another finance company describes its ‘business casual’ policy as excluding:

denim of any colour (jeans, shirts, dresses or skirts)

sportswear, including trainers

T-shirts and sweatshirts

lycra

shorts

On a more general note, the policy contains a hint to aid staff who are unsure about whether a particular item of clothing conforms to the ‘business casual’ approach. It says that: ‘if you have to think about it, then it is probably not appropriate’.

For some staff who are used to fairly formal office environments, a new casual wear policy may make them feel uneasy – offering, as it does, more options in terms of what they wear to work. For this reason, most casual wear policies emphasise the point that the policy is optional. If staff feel more comfortable wearing a suit to work, then they should continue to do so.

This article is an extract from an IDS StudyPlus on Corporate clothing & dress codes, which examines the issues surrounding what employees wear to work including the guidelines that employers have governing the general appearance of their staff.