It used to be that a 9–5 job meant snappy Charles Tyrwhitt suits and briefcases all through the office. But these days, many companies are happy to let their employees dress how they like (so long as it doesn’t affect their work!). Does dressing comfortably increase or decrease productivity though?
Business Casual
The influx of younger workers may well be to blame for the shift to business casual. It seems as though this age group is more protective over identity and style of dress and is opposed to being told what to wear.
Smart, but not strictly a professional look, business casual balances a clean look with comfort. For a man, this might be a fitted shirt without a tie, navy trousers, and loafers. For women, it could be a smart blouse with cropped, tailored trousers and flat shoes.
More than 1 in 10 18- to 24-year-olds admitted to considering leaving a job over a stringent dress code. Older employees, however, do not share the same strong views. Only 7% of those aged 55 and over said that they would think about leaving their employment because of the dress code. Compare this to 17% of 18–24s, and it’s clear there is a divide. It might depend on which sector you operate in as far as how your staff feel about uniforms. Those working in the energy sector (32%), science and pharma sector (31%), and IT sector (29%) are most likely to leave their role due to dress code requirements, one study discovered.
For the sake of staff retention, should dress codes be relaxed? Quite possibly. Employers are aware of how high staff turnover can have great cost and productivity implications. Costs are incurred during the recruitment process as the position is advertised and time is spent by employers’ interviewing and selecting candidates. Having a dress code may deter candidates too—61% of people looking for a new job in 2017 said that they’d have a negative perception of any company that enforced a dress code. Productivity also takes a hit, as often, a current employee has to spend time training the new starter or letting him or her shadow his or her day-to-day activities—this can prevent existing workers from working to their maximum capacity.
A rise in creative companies could also be a factor in the use of more business casual dress codes. In fact, between 2010 and 2016, the creative industries sub sectors (i.e., advertising, film, and TV) grew their economic contribution by 44.8%. The dress code is often less strict in these companies, as employees are encouraged to express their “creative flair.”
The Impact of Your Outfit
What you wear can indeed impact your work, however. In one study, subjects were presented with a white coat and told different things. The participants who were told it was a doctor’s coat felt more confident in accomplishing tasks compared to those who were told they were wearing a painter’s coat. Other research shows that wearing more formal clothing can make people think more broadly.
Then again, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is known for wearing casual clothes basically every day, and his company is worth billions of dollars! He says that dressing this way gives him one fewer decision to make and allows him to focus on more important workplace decisions.
A study by Stormline revealed that most United Kingdom workers would feel more productive, and also put effort into their appearance, if their workplace didn’t push a strict dress code. Moreover, 78% of respondents to one survey said that they would still make an effort to dress well and wouldn’t blur the line between “work clothes” and “nonwork clothes” if there weren’t any rules on what to wear.
Considering Business
Research seems to support giving some flexibility to employees when it comes to workwear.
Their role might influence this, though. First impressions still, and most likely will, always count. If employees are in a client-facing role, it’s important to look professional and approachable—they are effectively representing the business and should be making it look good.
There’s no reason why a company can’t ask its employees how they feel—what makes them more productive clothing-wise. This could be the best indicator of whether a uniform is best for the business. As we’ve seen, uniforms can affect behavior at work, and it is down to the individuals as to whether they work best following, or not adhering to, a dress code.
This guide was put together by Charles Tyrwhitt.
Laura-Jane Todd is a copywriter at digital marketing agency, Mediaworks. After graduating with a degree in Marketing from Newcastle University in July 2017, Laura-Jane took on the role as copywriter in August of the same year. She uses her creative skills to write unique content for a range of clients from various industries.