The office is always different on Fridays. Everyone is so perky and so casually dressed. Fridays are the only time you can see knit tops and corduroys. Which got me thinking – what exactly is the concept of "dressing-down"? When I was teaching, there was no such thing as "dress-down" days. We had to portray a professional image everyday. Of course I did not need to wear suits or long-sleeved blouses (especially since the classroom was non air-conditioned), but I had to wear appropriate attire to look professional in the classroom and at the same time not get too hot and stuffy. Therefore, jeans and polo T-shirts were out. The only time I was allowed to wear something casual was when I had to take PE classes.
When I entered the corporate world, every company I worked for had Fridays as "dress-down" days. It was then that I realized almost every company has "Casual Fridays". Gosh, I had really lost touch with the world, being confined in a classroom for the past few years. However, the concept of "Casual Fridays" is different for different firms. The first firm I worked for after I left teaching is a medium-sized law firm. The dress code was not too formal – no need for suits unless there was a need to meet clients or go for meetings. But on Fridays, one could wear T-shirts with collars, khakis and capris. No round-necked T-shirts or bermudas allowed, but three-quarts and tank tops were acceptable.
The second firm I worked for is one of the top local firms. For such a big organization, it definitely has a very formal environment. I had to wear suits and even on Fridays, there was a list of dress code on what was acceptable and what was not acceptable. No T-shirts, tank tops and jeans allowed. So in the end, the "dress-down" days ended up with ladies wearing pantsuits.
My current firm is pretty lax in terms of dress code. I still have to wear suits or long-sleeved blouses during the week, but on Fridays, as long as you look professional, neat and tidy, it does not matter what you wear. Thus I have been coming in with round-necked T-shirts, jeans and sandals.
When I attended an interview with one of the premier local firms on a Friday, I felt so over-dressed as everyone there was wearing T-shirts and jeans. From where I came from, we were not allowed to dress down if we had to meet people on Fridays. But for such a reputable firm, everyone was dressed so casually. I started to reflect – does it really matter how you dress as long as you portray a professional image? There are people who got marked down during appraisal time just because they were not professionally dressed.
Actually does it really matter? Why do organizations make such a big deal on how one is clothed? I feel that as long as you do your work well and do not give trouble, it does not really matter how you look in the office. Appraisal should be on how well you do your work and not on how nice you look. I would so love to come in wearing just jeans and T-shirts everyday but I will get into trouble with my HR Manager. :( Maybe everyone should go into office casually dressed everyday as a form of protest, then perhaps the dress code policy can be revamped. I know all you HR people out there are going to hound me for this. :-p
When I entered the corporate world, every company I worked for had Fridays as "dress-down" days. It was then that I realized almost every company has "Casual Fridays". Gosh, I had really lost touch with the world, being confined in a classroom for the past few years. However, the concept of "Casual Fridays" is different for different firms. The first firm I worked for after I left teaching is a medium-sized law firm. The dress code was not too formal – no need for suits unless there was a need to meet clients or go for meetings. But on Fridays, one could wear T-shirts with collars, khakis and capris. No round-necked T-shirts or bermudas allowed, but three-quarts and tank tops were acceptable.
The second firm I worked for is one of the top local firms. For such a big organization, it definitely has a very formal environment. I had to wear suits and even on Fridays, there was a list of dress code on what was acceptable and what was not acceptable. No T-shirts, tank tops and jeans allowed. So in the end, the "dress-down" days ended up with ladies wearing pantsuits.
My current firm is pretty lax in terms of dress code. I still have to wear suits or long-sleeved blouses during the week, but on Fridays, as long as you look professional, neat and tidy, it does not matter what you wear. Thus I have been coming in with round-necked T-shirts, jeans and sandals.
When I attended an interview with one of the premier local firms on a Friday, I felt so over-dressed as everyone there was wearing T-shirts and jeans. From where I came from, we were not allowed to dress down if we had to meet people on Fridays. But for such a reputable firm, everyone was dressed so casually. I started to reflect – does it really matter how you dress as long as you portray a professional image? There are people who got marked down during appraisal time just because they were not professionally dressed.
Actually does it really matter? Why do organizations make such a big deal on how one is clothed? I feel that as long as you do your work well and do not give trouble, it does not really matter how you look in the office. Appraisal should be on how well you do your work and not on how nice you look. I would so love to come in wearing just jeans and T-shirts everyday but I will get into trouble with my HR Manager. :( Maybe everyone should go into office casually dressed everyday as a form of protest, then perhaps the dress code policy can be revamped. I know all you HR people out there are going to hound me for this. :-p
2 comments:
Ideally that should be the case: assess someone based on his/her performance and not the way the person dresses. But, we're not living in a perfect world. The way you dress does matter. Try to show up at work place looking nonchalantly in tshirt/jeans? And very soon you'll be seen as someone with an attitude problem.
On the other hand, though, employees should dress up well with an intention to show respect to the company. And that should be the only reason.
I agree with the dressing up well to show respect to the company part. I do dress up for work. It's just that I find it troublesome and tiring to dress up all the time. Sometimes I really just like to take it easy and wear something more simple and comfortable.
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