Copyright © 2000 by Ethan A. Winning
Admittedly, I have been slow to accept the casual dress adopted by many industries in the past five years. Having come through the ranks of a large bank during the days of the corporate uniform, at one time I even thought that sloppy dress led to or even engendered sloppy thought. For those of you too young to remember, the uniform was not really promulgated by a bank, but rather by IBM which decreed that men should wear white shirts, ties, and suits. A real breakthrough had to be when such companies allowed sports jackets and maybe even a blue shirt.
But when one thinks about it, is there anything more ridiculous that putting a noose around ones neck every morning, a noose which is a vestige of a 12th Century prayer shawl? (Come to think of it, there is one thing more ridiculous: paying fifty bucks for an accouterment with no known purpose or other use.) That men have to wear coats and ties or that women must wear dresses is archaic.
This is not a complete break from other positions that I have taken regarding dress codes. There still exists a need for some guidelines for attire in most if not all companies. I recently received an e-mail regarding an employee who still wore sandals even though this was expressly prohibited by the company's casual dress code. Although I see nothing wrong with sandals unless there is a safety issue, the company was quite liberal in its definition of "casual." In this particular case, I think the employee may have been testing the limits or just being plain obstinate and immature. The employee should not question the standards set forth by the company unless they are just plain ludicrous.
What's "ludicrous?" Unfortunately, dress codes and the tastes of the individual writing the codes, place the sanity of some codes in the mind and eye of the beholder. But in countries where the climate is hot to the point of being oppressive, "standard" dress is what we would consider casual. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why even shorts and shirts are not acceptable in Houston, or Miami, or Washington, DC. On the other hand, I can't think of anything so incongruous as the working population of Manhattan walking around in shorts.
At any rate, where safety is not an issue, comfort should be the watchword. Again, I used to think that casual dress led to casual relationships and less productivity. The question of relationships remains, but the question of productivity is just the opposite of what I once believed. Employees are more productive when they are comfortable. No, I haven't proved it, but perhaps a company one day will put this to the test. Half the employees will dress casually; half will wear the uniform of management, and perhaps we'll see whether the comfortable half will get more done.
Dress no longer "makes the man." However, in many companies it still denotes position. If you go into a bank looking for a loan, would you rather speak with someone who dresses the part of a programmer in a dot.com or someone in a coat and tie or dress or suit? When I visit a dot-com, I have noticed that the president is usually dressed less casually than the troops. Sometimes, I have even seen a coat and tie, but I'll be that he has a meeting with a banker or backer. In time that too will change, probably sooner than all the other changes in dress that we've seen.
Just as good manners are still important, being clean and neat haven't lost importance either. People are judged by the actions (manners) and by their appearance (standards set by culture, corporate and otherwise). That has not changed, and other than safety, it is probably the most important reason to have a dress code, that being guidelines as to what is and is not acceptable. Do we need dress codes? Yes, perhaps now more than ever because there is so much confusion as to what is "acceptable attire."
I may never see the days when shorts are acceptable, and that's okay. I still have a pair of slacks that fit. But khakis and a shirt or slacks and a blouse may well become the uniform of the day, and bless that day. I haven't worn a tie in over a year, and hope that I never have to again. I love seeing my dot-com clients, and I look forward to the day when all of my clients will listen to what I have to say rather than be so concerned about how I look. But a word to the wise: if you don't know how you will be expected to dress for an interview or meeting, always dress up.
6/16/00