Are we dressing too casually in the workplace? Re-visiting the Smart Talk photo gallery

Thursday, 01 September 2011 14:00

Are we dressing too casually in the workplace? Re-visiting the Smart Talk photo gallery

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Friday, September 2:

It's Friday and chances are the that if you work in an office setting, it's Casual Friday or Dress Down Friday. Fridays designated as days when employees may dress more casually and not break a company's dress code is a practice that has been around for most of the past 20 years.

Originally designed as a morale booster, some employers now allow their workers to dress casually all the time. But what is business casual? To some that may mean a pair of khaki pants and a dress shirt while to others its jeans and a t-shirt.

Google "has business casual dress gone too far?" and you can find dozens of articles and hundreds of professional business people complaining that the answer is yes.

On Friday's Radio Smart Talk, we'll discuss the current view of whats appropriate clothing in the workplace with two human resources professionals.

Do you think casual dress has gone too far, should we even more casual or is it just right for the most part? Weigh in.

Also, after a Radio Smart Talk program last month on photography, we asked listeners to post their favorite photographs on our website. We received more than 70 magnificent pictures. On Friday's show, we'll talk to one audience member who submitted a photograph of himself on Mt. Kilimanjaro. You can also view a gallery of the photos on our Facebook page.

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

Published in Smart Talk

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comments

# Ammon 2011-09-02 09:25

One of the best things about working from home is that I can dress the way I want to. I often joke about working in pajamas but I almost never actually do this. There is something about the process of getting ready for work that changes the way that I work and how seriously I take my work. I do dress up a little bit more when I leave home to meet with clients.

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# BJ 2011-09-02 09:30

Much of this is a generational thing. Those in the "younger" generation (under 40) more used to flexibility in careers and in their entire life, more comfortable with just being themselves. The flip side of that is that not everyone seeing the more casual appearance has the same cultural attitude toward that look, and therefore not the same perception regarding what is professional and what is not. For now, how you dress reflects you - including your attitude toward your job and profession, where you want to go, how you want people to perceive you. Too many people don't think that is important, but it is the same with "casual" language vs. "professional" language. There is a difference.

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# ALBERT FREROTTE 2011-09-02 09:40

For 40 years I was in retail management. when I was paged to meet an angry customer I alway wanted to show up in a suit and tie. It s about my authority and power to get this done. Show up in jeans and a T shirt and one is not presenting the image of authority and effectiveness.he boss. Meet a customer dress like a slob and their credabity takes hit even if their issue is valid.

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# James 2011-09-02 09:43

Do clothes really make the man or woman? I've worked in places where my manager dressed like a million bucks but at the end of the day, was still a weak manager and was regarded as one. I've also worked for a manager who dressed much more casually (jeans everyday, MAYBE a button-down shirt) but they had a commanding presence and personality. EVERYONE knew they were in charge, whether they dressed like "the boss" or not.

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# Curtis Culwell 2011-09-02 09:59

I think it is important to show respect for your business and co-workers by dressing well. Dressing differently than at home also serves like a "thinking cap" that changes your state of mind and helps you focus on being productive. If you dress the same at work as you do when you are relaxing at home, you are more likely to relax at work and be less productive.

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# K 2011-09-02 10:08

I work in a local middle school. We have no written dress code. Yet, the men dress in slacks & shirts, often ties and jackets, the women in dresses, skirts & slacks, and the administration is always in suits. We pay for bi-weekly dress down days and that money is given to students for college scholarships. We are presenting respect for the profession & the students. Interestingly, when we have special days when the students dress up, they behave better. Dress is not everything but has an effect. It almost seems the business world is a generation behind,displayi ng the casualness of the 70's in the 21st C.

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# Beth 2011-09-02 19:51

One disturbing trend I've noticed over the last few years is women displaying cleavage in the office. Some are so bad, instead of cleavage we call it 'boobage'. This is not just being perpitrated by young women, but also middle aged women. Not only is it inapprpriate in the office no matter the age or attractiveness of the woman, but having pastey saggy middle-aged breeast peeping out of a too low top is just heinous. I don't understand how people get dressed in the morning and say, "yeah, that looks good!"

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# Doris 2011-09-02 21:07

I feel that the scrubs that the medical profession wear on duty lessens the confidence I feel when in their care. It appears as if they are wearing their pajamas to work. You cannot distinguish the person who is in to clean your room from the nurse in charge of your care.

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# Kevin Kelly 2011-09-07 13:29

This episode was a low point in Smart Talk shows, and also for Scott LaMar's normally central/neutral position. At best - it sounded like 1960s conservatism revisited. At worst - it was bigoted, insulting, mostly one-sided, sophomoric Stupid Talk. I assure you that NO ONE here at work knows or cares if I showerd this morning, or if I'm wearing underwear. (Do people still wear underwear with jeans? Science says that contributes to declining sperm count.) I have heard more people complain about excessive perfumes and smelly deodorants -including allergic reactions to them - than I ever did about a lack of them. A suit? A tie?? I haven't worn one in years, but I still seem to remain a rather respected Aquatic Biologist and educator. Did Jacques Cousteau ever wear a tie?? ...even when meeting Presidents of nations? This was a nutty show that I could do without. The topic was one I thought people moved past years ago. Sadly - I'm obcviouly wrong about that.

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