Many of us dutifully conform to impress and advance but there are benefits to a more casual work dress code, including that it will likely make us more productive
Opinion: I wore ankle boots with a heel for the first time in a long time at the weekend.
I was off to see Barbie and felt I had to see it in heels. Putting them on felt like I was making an effort the night out deserved and they looked good but were also a bit uncomfortable.
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* Barbenheimer and the music of excess
* The power of a well-designed uniform
* Workers dragging feet back to offices in hybrid work set-ups
Putting on heels (instead of my usual work-at-home fluffy socks and sneakers) ran counter to Barbie. There, her impossibly arched feet go flat, and it ends (spoiler alert) with her choosing … Birkenstocks.
Post-Covid, work dress codes seem to have gone the same way as Barbie.
Have you noticed we are increasingly dressing more casually at work? The necktie is thankfully and hopefully a thing of the past for many. Many of us can now even wear sneakers (fancy ones, mind you).
Wander down Lambton Quay or Commercial Bay on a weekday lunchtime and you'll see a parade of casual pants, T-shirts, jumpers, and those white sneakers.
But is the risk now that we swap the navy-blue tailored suits for casual pants and sneakers, that we are substituting one unofficial compulsory uniform for another?
I remember in the early days of my career feeling like I had to wear a navy-blue tailored suit, white shirt, and black heels to be taken seriously. I must have looked like I was going to work at the stock-image photo office. I was dressed like a bad office meme.
Wearing sneakers to work would have been unheard of, unless they were hastily put on over black tights as I scampered for a bus at the end of the day.
There are many spoken and unspoken rules of work attire, such as subdued colours and tailoring to signal professionalism; black T-shirts with graphic prints means tech and innovation. These are strong norms, that seek to exclude and create tribes.
Many of us dutifully conform to impress and advance.
But there are benefits to a less restrictive work dress code, including for the bottom line.
It will likely make us more productive. Researchers also found when workers are not restricted to a certain aesthetic, and felt confident and attractive in their clothing they exhibited higher self-esteem and made more progress toward their work goals.
It also means more opportunities to dress to suit your body type and personality, and more comfort. Wearing sneakers or shoes without heels means we are more likely to walk to meetings or catch a few steps in our lunch hours.
It also takes a lot of energy not to be your authentic self; to curate an image to conform. That energy could be much better spent on our work.
So, it’s not surprising clothing retailers are responding with ‘power casual’, ‘business comfort’ and ‘work leisure’ collections. Heels are dropping or disappearing, and pants are becoming elasticised.
But is the risk now that we swap the navy-blue tailored suits for casual pants and sneakers, that we are substituting one unofficial compulsory uniform for another?
The message from the research – ditch the restrictive options, narrow dress codes and unspoken rules. Encourage wearing what suits you best and whatever clothing will make you most confident and productive.
And that might mean heels for me, and jandals for Barbie.
