From Casual Dress to Business Attire

MichiganMfg · May 2003

My company is considering going from business casual attire back to striclty business attire. I read occasionally that more companies are doing this but I've yet to meet someone from a company that has actually done this. If your company has done this can you tell me what your experience was, especially from an employee relations perspective? Did employees take it well or did the top blow off the building? Are employees grousing or did they take it well? Did you see any spikes in turnover or absenteeism as a result? Requests for more pay to offset the cost of drycleaning and business attire purchases? And, if you've reversed course for a while now, how long did it take before your environment settled down?

pecohr · May 2003

I have a question... is the change being implemented as a legitimate business strategy or because of someone high up in the company wanting it. I think you will encounter resistance and a perceived taking away of something from the ee's as indeed it is. But, if there is a legitimate need then that's how I would sell it pointing out that in today economy you need every edge you can get to stay successful and keep your employees gainfully employed. If the change is to meet the whim or desire of a corporate head only then I would argue that the changes cost may not be worth the negative impact it might have on your company morale.

I must admit that I'm not speaking from experience just offering another bit of input.

Stuart

ray a · May 2003

Just started reading a book on rudeness or incivility in the workplace. The author partially attributes uncivil behavior to the current trend of casual dress. Dress casually or even slovenly in some cases and you will deal with people more casually or slovenly.

We have 1 manager who wears a tie. Even the VP in charge of the facility wears casual. So, I really can't answer your question directly.

Don D · May 2003

I can't either. I'm new in this fortune 500 company. Through 6 interviews, 6 weeks on the job, many visitors from corporate offices and regional offices and corporate jets in and out....I have yet to see a tie even once. Company logo shirts seem the norm but I have on my Mississippi State logo golf shirt today. Productivity is outa site. So is customer service. So is morale. I do have some old ties I use for my tomato stakes though, about mid summer.

Balloonman · May 2003

I am now in a business casual environment, would be hard pressed to go back to suits and ties. I long ago worked in a non-air conditioned manufacturing plant, and the CEO felt we should all were suits. I compromised and wore my tie into the office then took it off. Was ignorant, could not wear a tie around machinery, I was the safety manager, and spent a good portion of each day on the plant floor. Besides that is can create an artificial barrier between you and the workers.
I work in construction now, and we are business casual but jeans on Fridays. However when I know I am going out to the job sites I always wear jeans, I fits in much better with the guys, not seen as a office guy that way. I feel it is important to spend time with the workers, and make sure they are comfortable with you.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

scottorr · May 2003

I have worked in both environments. In the Professional Business dress environment, everyone seemed cold and less creative. Then I went to work for a company that was very casual, the new CEO didn't like the "image" it potrayed and attempted to change it. Several customers contacted our CEO and informed him that they felt uncomfortable when they visited our facility. Our morale fell through the floor and we saw a slight increase in turnover. Our turnover went from 11% to 15%. After seeing what happened our CEO then reversed his decision and went back to business casual. I now work for a company that is business casual and we have high morale and productivity. Our turnover is 4%. That is for many reasons but one of them is our dress code.

MichiganMfg · May 2003

Your experiences in making the change, which you described, are very helpful. Both my boss and I feel it would be a mistake to go casual then switch back to business attire. Your experiences help lend credibility to our argument. Thanks for your help.

Don D · May 2003

One last bit of input: I remember when I started with state government in the last century. The men were required not only to wear a tie, but also were required to wear white shirts, and we had to have a coat available in case of meetings or in case some white haired old man, in a blue double-knit suit from the state office came to visit. Pants of any description were forbidden for women, period. One particular dreadfully cold winter the old white haired men who ran the agency decided to let women wear pants suits (remember those?) and even colored blouses, but only for awhile. After I left the agency, I think in 1996, the head honcho, a new old man, who had started with my age group and is still my best friend, sprung for casual (no-tie) Fridays. That expanded to every day, no ties. Now nobody wears a tie at the agency. I don't think productivity changed at all over all those years, or if so, certainly not because of how tight your neck was jerked up or what color your shirt was. One day all the old white haired men will be in rocking chairs and someone will be reminding them to quit drooling and put their britches on before they go out on the porch, and none of this will have mattered one twit.

hrbanker · May 2003

We have business dress through the week, but allow business casual on Fridays & Saturdays. Our most vocal critic of the casual attire is an ex-CEO who retired 20 years ago. Once again, Don, your experience and insight hit the nail on the head.

Rockie · May 2003

Personally, I am a clothes horse and I like to dress up and look nice. It makes me feel good about me. (Yu will never catch me in the grocery store on weekends with curlers in my hair and no makeup). I would be very uncomfortable if I came to work in clothes I would reserve for the weekend. But hey that's me! ....I do understand that there are people who prefer a more casual atmosphere. I don't have a problem with that unless they get slovenly which I have seen happen when things get too "casual". We do address the issue if employees cross the line. We had to implement a "no jeans" rule because people were coming in wearing "holey" jeans and low, low riders. (Most of the latter were not of the type that should be wearing these!)

Logo shirts and khakis can be very attractive and this is what I envision as business casual.

cebudragonlady · May 2003

Here, it is mixed . I am usually the only female who wears
business dress attire every day, the other ladies in the office
wear jeans pants on Fridays. The older owner is very, very casual, while the
younger owner is a suit every day. Factory workers are wearing jeans and t-shirts, as the production work gets quite hard on clothes.

Chari

Hunter1 · May 2003

Kudos to you, Rockie. I am one of those 'white haired old men' who will some day forget to put my pants on before going out on the porch (luckily, one of my requirements for a house is that you can't be able to see the neighbors from the back yard before I'll even consider buying a house), but in the meantime, it makes me feel better about myself to get 'dressed up' to come to work. We do permit casual attire at work, and it seems to get more and more difficult to enforce.

System · May 2003

>Kudos to you, Rockie. I am one of those 'white haired old men' who
>will some day forget to put my pants on before going out on the porch
>(luckily, one of my requirements for a house is that you can't be able
>to see the neighbors from the back yard before I'll even consider
>buying a house), but in the meantime, it makes me feel better about
>myself to get 'dressed up' to come to work. We do permit casual
>attire at work, and it seems to get more and more difficult to
>enforce.

Plano · May 2003

My environment went from business to business casual everyday and on Friday we wear jeans, with a nice blouse and/or t-shirt (no logo). Most the employees work with kids and of course we always get someone who wants to wear a mini skirt. I tell them at orientation a short skirt is a mini skirt while your standing but they become underwear when your sitting down, so be careful about what you wear. I have also had to send an employee home for coming to work with an oil stained outfit on (yes I couldn't believe it either). Turn over is low and morale is high and I think if we tried to change, we would have to close our doors.

Just my little say!

From Casual Dress to Business Attire

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