Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Casual Apparel in the workplace
What should be worn in the work place has employers and employees finding different views on business dress code which revolve around comfort, work ethic, and overall judgments. Many employers have found that casual apparel promotes laziness, tardiness, reduced productivity, and more flirtatious behaviour in the office; whereas employees find casual apparel to lift employee morale, increase creativity, improve communication throughout the working environment, and casual apparel is less expensive. Many employers set their dress code standards based on customer interaction and under the categories of formal, business casual, and casual. What is and isn’t appropriate is based on what your employer states as the dress code but it really depends on the type of job it is. What do you feel about casual apparel in the work place and how does it affect your job if it does at all?
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My personal opinion on if casual apparel should be or not be allowed in the work place is that firms want their employees to be comfortable in order for them to do the highest quality of work, that being said firms also want to project a business like representation of their company at the same time. I think employees should be allowed to wear business casual apparel that is clean, wrinkle free to an extent, and that should not make other employees uncomfortable, for example showing too much skin. In addition, clothing that includes a company logo is a great idea. Certain days like casual Friday should be allowed when employees are allowed to wear jeans, but they should still look somewhat professional. I think apparel does affect job performance, but I don’t think it is the biggest factor. It defiantly plays a role because if an employee is comfortable, in essence they are more relaxed and should be able to do a higher quality of work. On the other hand, job performance is mainly based on the employee’s skills and knowledge. So if employer’s can make you feel more relaxed and comfortable and thus getting enhanced work from their workers by wearing more business casual clothing shouldn’t it be allowed?
ReplyDeleteSahib Gill
Bibliography
Heathfield, S. M. (n.d.). Dress for Work Success: A Business Casual Dress Code. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from Human Resources - Business Management Development Jobs Consulting Training Policy Human Resources: http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/dress_code.htm
I think having employees that are relaxed and comfortable is important, but it has to be in the right setting. There are places of business that require formal attire and places that are more relaxed. I think you also have to considered geography and culture as well. Even within Canadian culture there is a difference in standards of attire from east to west. The west coast is definitely more laid back and casual than the east. Defining what is acceptable is crucial and where you are located has to be factored in.
ReplyDeleteI think whether organizations should allow their employees wear casual apparel or not really deponds on which kind of organizations they are. What people are wearing is a really important factor for indentifying their jobs; just like doctors have their uniform, policemen have their uniform ofr policemen, flight attendances have their uniform. When you walk into a bank and you need to get some financial advice, who will you go to ask from? A person with T-shirt and jeans or a person with business suit? Most of people will go for business suit, not only because that clothes send you a signal that this person more likely work for the bank, but also, you believe he/she may have more professional knowledge than the other one. A formal dress not only indicates a person's job but also shows respect to the people he/she deals with during work.Can you imagine that you are sitting and talking of important business issues during a business conference with a group of people wearing like they just came back from beach? I believe that you will not only doubt about their professional but also feel humiliated because they are not treating this conference seriously as you are.
ReplyDeleteI am not saying everybody should wear business formal because as I said what you should wear really deponds on which kind of industry you are. If you are a baker, a truck driver or a kindergarten teacher, wearing suits are really not necessary.However, if you are in some industry that formal dress is required or preferred, then you'd better dress up formally. By the way, don't you think people with formal dresses are very attractive?
Shaolei Hou
I think casual attire is a toss up depending on your organization that you work for. For personal example, I work for a company that if I were to wear a business suit it would get completely ruined on the job, however when in meetings with the head office a more dressy outfit is required. All in all it truly depends on where you work. Also how you dress in certain organizations represents your status along with type of job you are doing within that company. Example: You won't see a janitor wearing a business suit, or a company owner wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt. Many companies have introduced casual Fridays or casual other days during the week, which I think is great because it allows for indivudalism and for everyone to be looked at as equal within the workplace.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Shapitka
I agree with what you said in the fact that it depends on the type of work. If a person is in a power position, then yes a suit would be more professional. However, In a casual type work environment, I am sure casual wear would produce a better quality of work from employees. A happy employee is a productive employee!
ReplyDeleteSteve Walker
It definitely depends on the type of work. If somebody is dealing with clients and doing presentations, they should be slicked up. If working alone or with a team, they should be business casual. The key is to work from home and wear pajamas (just kidding).
ReplyDeleteI like the point above about the nature of the work. If somebody is doing physical work it is best to be in comfortable/breathable clothing.
ReplyDelete