The Case
Against “Business Casual”
By Sandy
Dumont
“Employees who don’t dress appropriately cap out a ceiling on
their careers really quick,” says professor Dennis Tootelian of
California State University, Sacramento. According to the study done
by Tootelian, nearly two-thirds of Americans have felt
inappropriately dressed at a business or a social function; and more
than two-thirds are uncertain about the differences among business
attire, business casual and casual dress in the workplace.
The biggest fashion problem for workers today is the concept
of “business casual,” according to Tootelian. Nearly one in three
reports that it is harder to know what is acceptable to wear to the
office today than it was 10 years ago. Business casual is also
difficult to define for 47% of the population.
It’s no wonder the term “business casual” creates confusion,
because the term is an oxymoron. You are either dressed for business
or you’re dressed for casual activities, and one has nothing to do
with the other. Ultimately, you are dressed for your own comfort or
dressed to impress clients. And clients get it. You literally hurl
an insult at a client when you don’t dress professionally, because
it shouts “My comfort is more important than impressing you.”
Not surprisingly, Tootelian found that younger participants
in his study had a different, more casual, perception of what
constitutes business attire. “For them, the concept of a coat and a
tie isn’t even on their radar screen,” he said. This study was done
just before the current recession. In these shaky financial times,
the attitude of young employees may very well have to change if they
want to get hired.
Younger employees are much like small children who have been
permitted to indulge themselves with sweets, soft drinks and other
things that may not be good for them in terms of healthy bodies. We
would all agree that parents who let their children eat what they
want are not dong them a favor. By the same token, indulgent
companies who institute a “business casual” policy because employees
demand it may not being doing their staff a favor. That’s because
the way you dress affects many things, including your success in
life. It defines who you are not only to others, but also to the
person in the mirror when you leave the house each morning. Casual
attire suggests a casual attitude; professional attire says, “I’m
serous about who I am and what I do.”
Business casual research was done by other universities, and
one study chronicled in The Journal of American Academy of Business
reports that the more formal the reported dress policy, the more
likely employees are to report a higher level of conscientiousness.
Employees who prefer a more formal dress policy report a higher
level of time commitment, conscientiousness and job satisfaction.
In a study by research psychologist Jeffry L. Magee, it was
shown that when employees were polled, they reported that they were
happier with a casual dress policy. It is seen as an employee perk.
However, management noted increased absenteeism and tardiness among
employees once the casual dress policy began. It is generally agreed
that over the long haul, productivity decreases. One research
psychologist noted, “Continually relaxed dress leads to relaxed
manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity.” He also noted
that relaxed dress led to an increase in litigation.
Yet another study tried “Casual Monday” and “Casual
Wednesday” in an effort to determine if productivity went down 30%
on Fridays because of casual attire or because employees were simply
“winding down” in anticipation of the weekend. Turns out that
productivity went down 30% on any day of the week where casual
attire was permitted.
The way you look and dress announces the outcome others can
expect from you. It could also impact your company’s bottom line.
When you dress to impress, you could safeguard your job.
Read other articles and learn more about
Sandy Dumont.
[This article is available at no-cost, on a non-exclusive basis.
Contact PR/PR at 407-299-6128 for details.]
|
