Do We Need Dress Codes?
Dressing for work was once a simple blue-collar and white-collar decision. Dress codes took the guesswork out of dressing by giving us direction. You always knew what was or was not appropriate. And you always knew who the decision makers were by their selection and quality of clothing. This has changed in most industries with the popularity of business casual, and the new roles of management. In fact, many organizations have renamed their managers “team leaders,” and casual dress is the norm for all levels. The business dress line started to blur during the recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s when a record number of companies were “downsizing.” The “casual Friday” custom was instituted as a way to build morale at a time when pink slips were rampant. Eventually, casual dress became the norm for the entire week at many companies. The risk was in the interpretation, especially during warmer weather and when the fashion industry was promoting a new fad that found its way into the workplace. (more…)
