Work 'dress code'

dearg lady

Hey, dunno if this has been brought up before but just wonder what peoples opinions are on dress codes in workplaces?
I suppose I'd be considered a little bit 'hippie' myself and i really dislike having to tone down my clothes for work. I know to a lot of people that might seem silly but I love clothes, love dressing up, love bright colours. It's so boring to buy officey clothes for work.

At the moment I'm in a fairly junior position so it's not a huge issue but I know as I move up the ladder in my chosen career path I'll have to tone it down massively.

What are other peoples opinions, prefer a dress code or no? And do you really think it's necessary? i know it's become the done thing now but...why? Why is suits/shirts/blouses etc professional gear?

beks101

Totally depends on where you work and where you see yourself in the company.

My work place is quite casual, colleagues come in wearing jeans, high street stuff but as I'd like to advance into another department I usually dress smartly, in a way that I would fit in in the position I am shooting for. 'Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want', or whatever it is they say.

Work clothes don't have to rob you of your personal style, you can mix and match with shirt colour, funky shoes, hair accessories, etc to express your own personality while keeping it professional.

Birdie086

I work in a theatre as Front of house and like the fact that we have a dress code. Basically black as well as being neat and tidy. Sometimes we work seven evenings evenings a week and it takes the pain out of deciding what to wear. I make it my own style by my jewellery. Every now and then I work a day or day or two in the office and we can wear bascially what we like then.
I am lazy so like the decision of what to wear to be out of my hands.

Oh The Humanity

I live in jeans normally, bit of a metal head.

I resent having to look like a girly tool for work. I just keep it as simple as possible though, black/dark trousers. Neutral top thats not blousy. I suppose a ladylike t-shirty top. Nice shoes maybe black wedges or pumps or something.

I really dislike feminine clothes though and hate wearing it for work. I am not a girly girl so it just makes me feel un-me...!

Off duty I would just live in jeans, boots etc...My boyfriend likes skirts but I wont wear them out except maybe a denim mini on holidays or something.

gillo_100

Look on the bright side, lads are restricted to suit or shirt and slacks, no room for variety there.

It kinda depends what you want out of the job though. If you want to move up in it dress smart, if not feck it wear what you can get away with.

ztoical

I work from home so dress code= pj's and socks most days and the days I have to go into the studio [work in animation] it's jeans and comfy t-shirt....i love my job!:D

dearg lady

Birdie086 wrote: »

I am lazy so like the decision of what to wear to be out of my hands.

lol, quite a few people have said that to me! girls I used work with reckoned a uniform would be easiest, no thinking!

I suppose it bothers me slightly that the way I dress could potentially hamper my career. How I choose to dress is in no way a reflection of or even related to the quality of my work. But alas I may have to bow down to higher forces for now

SeekUp

I understand the need for a dress code, and the idea of creating a professional atmosphere in the workplace. However, I'm not a huge fan of it. Generally speaking, I sit in front of a computer most of the day; I can do my job in sweatpants -- and our office is so casual, I've been tempted to do so (although I haven't crossed that line yet!).

If you're not trying to make an impression - meeting clients, meeting with higher ups in your company, etc. - I like having the freedom to wear whatever I want.

It takes me a lot less time to pull out jeans and a top in the morning than to decide what else to wear!

Oh The Humanity

I don't understand the need for it (dress code) at all.

I always worked in Techy environments so have been used to wearing my own clothes for years, now have to wear office clothes (well, my grudging interpretation of them)

Makes no difference whatsoever to the job I do. Or don't do !!! :P

I hate suits and formal clothes.....I don't see the need.

As long as people are clean that's all thats important really!

jellie

i work in IT in a small office with no other girls. i can wear whatever the feck i like. ive come in in combats & hoodys at certain times when the weather is sh*te and im feeling crappy and all i want is comfort! but usually ill wear jeans, some sort of top and converse or pumps.

dearg lady wrote: »

lol, quite a few people have said that to me! girls I used work with reckoned a uniform would be easiest, no thinking!

I suppose it bothers me slightly that the way I dress could potentially hamper my career. How I choose to dress is in no way a reflection of or even related to the quality of my work. But alas I may have to bow down to higher forces for now

it is a reflection on your personality though. people DO judge you by what you wear, its just the way things are. what you wear will automatically draw judgement from customers/clients. if you dress like a slob, youll be seen as lazy, etc etc. not saying its right, but its the way things are.

Oh The Humanity wrote: »

I always worked in Techy environments so have been used to wearing my own clothes for years, now have to wear office clothes (well, my grudging interpretation of them)

Makes no difference whatsoever to the job I do. Or don't do !!! :P

Makes a difference to how i do my job tbh. it might only be a minor thing but id be far more relaxed in jeans and a tshirt than i would in office type clothing, and can find it easier to work than being uncomfortable. though in saying that sometimes i get a little too comfortable & dont want to do anything. like now :P

dearg lady

sar84 wrote: »

it is a reflection on your personality though. people DO judge you by what you wear, its just the way things are. what you wear will automatically draw judgement from customers/clients. if you dress like a slob, youll be seen as lazy, etc etc. not saying its right, but its the way things are.

I don't dress like a slob!! Swear!!! Nah, I know what ya mean, it's natural for people to pass judgement, often without even realising it. But with people I work with day in, day out, get on with, they know the quality of my work, why does it matter if i choose not to wear a suit?

Carsinian Thau

Well, I'm hoping for a career in healthcare so it'll be pretty formal for me:
Shirt and tie, no jeans etc.

The girls in my class will be subject to similar restrictions.

So not only will we all be made to wear officey clothes, but apparently it goes over really badly if we do otherwise. I've heard stories of people being sent home for "inappropriate attire". Now, these were all students, I'm not sure what happens when we're working properly and full time at it but I think the standards will always be that high.

rannerap

it was never the dress code that got to me,more the fact i had to cover up my tattoos or take out piercings and wear no eye make up:(

winking weber

I can wear what I like

I was quite formal for the first six months but now I just go with my own style. That means I've no split between work and weekend clothes though

Nervous Wreck

Birdie086 wrote: »

I work in a theatre as Front of house and like the fact that we have a dress code. Basically black as well as being neat and tidy. Sometimes we work seven evenings evenings a week and it takes the pain out of deciding what to wear. I make it my own style by my jewellery. Every now and then I work a day or day or two in the office and we can wear bascially what we like then.
I am lazy so like the decision of what to wear to be out of my hands.

Exact same for me. FOH in a Theatre and I just wear the same suit as the rest of the staff. It's important to put out that vibe of professionalism when you're working in such an environment though. Like others, I do express some parts of my personality through the clothes that I wear and this doesn't change in work. My suit tells people that I'm there to help, that I'm professional and that I can handle my job. The rest of my personality comes out in my interactions with people, which is usually to have a laugh with people in the place as much as I can....!

Lollipops23

i work in a department store and have to wear all black.
don't mind sometimes(when i'm hungover and can't be arsed picking clothes) but wish i could be a bit more colourful:(

it does mean i'm less inclined to wear dark stuff in my spare time!sometimes i look like a rainbow's thrown up on me:o

Snoopy1

Hmm. What i wear at work

A boiler suit, plus hard had and safety shoes and glasses and no makeup. The only time we wear our street clothes is when we are on our breaks, and then we can wear what we like, so everyone comes in jeans and hoodies.

You can always tell the production staff apart from office staff here, as the office staff are just slightly better dressed than us scruff's

Stheno

I wear suits or dresses into work, it's expected, but there is no formal dress code. Very occasionally on a Friday I would wear jeans (twice in a year and a half)

In previous jobs I have almost always had a dress code, usually with a dress down day on Friday which was subject to a more relaxed code, but still enforced.

Two companies I have worked in did send employees home for being in violation of the dress code.

I quite like having a work wardrobe to be honest, first it makes me feel like I am in work, secondly it clearly seperates out my work and social wardrobes, and it gives me confidence if I am dealing with senior people.

lizzyvera

A very prestigious man came to give a talk where I work recently.

He was a big, fat, Scottish man with a full beard, a long grey pony tail, Bermudan shorts, socks, sandals and a t shirt. He could win a Nobel prize for his work. Some people are so brilliant it really doesn't matter what impression they give or what they look like because their work speaks for itself.

In crappy unskilled jobs I've had like reception, filing and waitressing, image was important because it was all that set us apart from chimps.

dearg lady

lizzyvera wrote: »

A very prestigious man came to give a talk where I work recently.

He was a big, fat, Scottish man with a full beard, a long grey pony tail, Bermudan shorts, socks, sandals and a t shirt. He could win a Nobel prize for his work. Some people are so brilliant it really doesn't matter what impression they give or what they look like because their work speaks for itself.

lol, yeah I like that, damn I have a long way to go to get to that stage!!

Hermione*

I'm quite young to be in my position so I try to dress smart for work - I'm twenty years younger than most of my colleagues! I also need to represent the company in meetings and it's easier to feel authoritative amongst all the suits if I dress up.

Unlike some people, I don't mind wearing work clothes. I have a capsule wardrobe of shift dresses, pencil skirts, trousers and knitwear that I mix and match. It's cheaper than suits and less boring. I wear a lot of colours, and although I do wear shirts, I don't have to if I don't want to. I'm lucky though: I can wear jeans and Converse to work the odd day if I want to.

Blush_01

I've worn the exact same few pieces to work for the past year and a half. Most of the stuff wasn't new then, and had seen me through one if not both my previous incarnations in two other jobs. I think I might have spent €50 on work clothes in the last 18 months.

I have to wear "office casual" clothes to work, but I'm damned if I'm spending more than I absolutely have to on them. I don't buy clothes for myself to wear outside of work unless it's for an occasion, and nobody sees me in work other than my colleagues. I do own some shirts, but they look stupid on me and I have to alter them when I buy them, so tops and cardigans are usual attire. I have worn a skirt to work once, and probably will never wear one again in the role I'm in. I walk to work every morning, so it's not practical as far as I'm concerned. I also wear the same battered flat shoes, more because I can't get another pair of black flats, and my cute pumps are for my time (not for hammering the pavement to and from work).

I'm thinking of up-skilling, and would have no problem living in suits if I had to as a result, but for where I am, and for the prospects I have in the company, it's not worth the effort. I'm always neat, even if my hair looks all over the place (it looks fine before I leave the house but will not go back into place once I get to work, which melts my head) and my clothes are a bit on the recognisable side. My appearance fits in with the guidelines and doesn't impact on my ability to do my job. No problems!

dearg lady

Hermione* wrote: »

I have a capsule wardrobe of shift dresses, pencil skirts, trousers and knitwear that I mix and match. It's cheaper than suits and less boring. I wear a lot of colours, and although I do wear shirts, I don't have to if I don't want to.

I think part of my problem is because work clothes wouldn't be what I would personally choose to wear, I find it difficult to put together outfits. It's partly laziness on my part, I will try look out for smart but nice clothes. But I do find it incredibly difficult to find nice trousers. Any recomendations on where's good to buy?

Dragan

ztoical wrote: »

I work from home so dress code= pj's and socks most days and the days I have to go into the studio [work in animation] it's jeans and comfy t-shirt....i love my job!:D

That's cool, didn't know you worked in animation!

My old job was pretty casual, it all depended on if you were "customer facing" or not...as i wasn't, i didn't have any applicable dress code, so could just wear my baggies , t-shirt and trademark gray hat.

The one thing i used to find pretty funny was that a lot of the customer facing folk, male and female, would end up dressing really similar. Same cuts, same patterns etc etc.

Odd.

Pythia

I like the slightly tacky River Island style of work clothes. I do spend money on my work clothes seeing as I spend 4 days a week in them! 4 days as we have a casual Friday where we wear whatever we wants (no tracksuits though). Sometimes I wear work outfits on non work days and visa versa if it's something like a nice pair of flared trousers with a long cardi and top with waist-belt.

I'm a risk analyst. We aren't customer facing and we don't have clients so there's no real need to dress up but seeing as the dress code is not strict, especially for women, I'm not complaining.

chocgirl

I have to wear a uniform which is great most of the time but I occasionally would love to get dressed up a bit for a change.

G86

My office has a pretty smart dress code but it's not plain skirts/shirts - you'd get away with a nice dress/top and skirt, just as long as it looks smart. If I was meeting a client I'd revv it up a gear though, aka add a suit jacket. We have a casual day on Friday then. Alot of my work clothes sometimes overlap with my everyday clothes too.

Special K

I think a dress code is necessary for some jobs. If I wanted to buy a car, I'd rather buy it off someone who looked like a businessman [wearing a shirt/nice trousers/suit] rather than someone in trackies!

Clothes that you wear reflects your personality. When you work somewhere that wants to portray a good work ethic, reliable, trustworthy etc, you are required to dress appropriately.

Yes clothes may have no bearing on your attitude to work, and perhaps shouldn't be considered, but say for example if I was a secondary teacher in a boys school, would wearing a short skirt and low top be suitable? No.

Careers are for professionals. Inevitably you are meant to behave and dress in a professional manner.

Lockstep

YEah, most places I worked for had dress codes although they are usually quite easy to bend.

For example, I'd add union badges to the shirt, visible tattoos are forbidden so I'd wear bracers etc etc.


Sometimes the rules are bizarre; one lad had a piercing so he was made to cover it with duct tape making it look tackier and more visible.

Nuggles

kickoutthejams wrote: »

Sometimes the rules are bizarre; one lad had a piercing so he was made to cover it with duct tape making it look tackier and more visible.

Like on his face. . . ?

Surely a customer would have the urge to tell him he had tape on his face.

Hermione*

dearg lady wrote: »

I think part of my problem is because work clothes wouldn't be what I would personally choose to wear, I find it difficult to put together outfits. It's partly laziness on my part, I will try look out for smart but nice clothes. But I do find it incredibly difficult to find nice trousers. Any recomendations on where's good to buy?

I'm reasonably tall, so finding good, well cut trousers isn't easy. I mostly get mine from M&S's Autograph collection. Actually, I get quite a lot of my work clothes from Autograph as they understand that smart and pretty do not have do be mutually exclusive. I want to look smart at work, but that doesn't mean I want to look either old or boring!

confusticated

We have tshirts that nearly everyone working in the shop wears, but it's not compulsory...it's just easier though, I wear that and the same converse and a pair of "work jeans" - I hate wearing my nice clothes to work cos if I wear them when I'm off then I feel like I'm going to work.:o

Jules

Scrubs... FTW, but can be FTL if you are covered in dog and cat pee or poo. Or anal gland juice if your having a really bad day, and interacting with the public all the time!

dearg lady

Special K wrote: »

When you work somewhere that wants to portray a good work ethic, reliable, trustworthy etc, you are required to dress appropriately.
Yes clothes may have no bearing on your attitude to work, and perhaps shouldn't be considered, but say for example if I was a secondary teacher in a boys school, would wearing a short skirt and low top be suitable? No.

Careers are for professionals. Inevitably you are meant to behave and dress in a professional manner.

Agreed that certain things are 'inappropriate' but I wonder where the line is drawn.
Would you really think that a person is less reliable, trustworthy, ethical because they were dressed casually instead of shirt and trousers?
Does the way a person dresses automatically make them less professional at their job?

(I'm not saying you'd be right or wrong btw, I just interested to get peoples opinions)

metaoblivia

The company I work for is run by a Muslim couple (he is Kuwaiti, she is Japanese) and our dress code is on the conservative side. My work skirts or dress all fall to the knees or just below. All of my shirts have sleeves and aren't cut very low. All of my work shoes are closed toe. And we don't have casual Fridays! Whenever someone comes in wearing jeans - whether it be to stop by for just a minute or on a weekend - they apologize for their attire!
But I don't mind.

spinandscribble

i worked in a office setting for just one month and i nearly burned hose horrible clothes after.
when i was teaching art i could wear whatever i wanted, that was great.
then i took this internship here in the states and have to be so careful with what i wear because there's sex offenders and impressionable male teens with disturbances. no ripped jeans, no sandals, no low tops, no shorts, only baggy tops and jeans/pants. they frown on makeup as if the females are drawing unacceptable attention to themselves. i tend to like wearing colour somewhere but my boss used to hint alot it was unacceptable so i've limited it to my hair.

can't wait to be back in my dresses and colourful eye makeup when i come home next month!!

lizzyvera

I don't think I'd mind having a dress code, as long as it wasn't an unflattering, baggy uniform like when I waitressed. I never minded a school uniform. I thought it made things easier. There's a guy with long greasy hair where I work, and I wish we had some cleanliness/neatness code because he makes me feel sick over lunch.

SeekUp

Jules wrote: »

Scrubs... FTW, but can be FTL if you are covered in dog and cat pee or poo. Or anal gland juice if your having a really bad day, and interacting with the public all the time!

Anal gland juice is AWFUL -- is there any way to get out the smell???

dearg lady wrote: »

Would you really think that a person is less reliable, trustworthy, ethical because they were dressed casually instead of shirt and trousers?
Does the way a person dresses automatically make them less professional at their job?

Imo, how you're wearing your clothes depends a lot more than what you're wearing. A person in an ill-fitting suit with unkempt hair and scuffed shoes can look a lot more unprofessional than a person wearing dark trouser jeans and a blazer/sport coat, with a nice haircut. I don't think that casual=unprofessional, and so while I might not place as much trust regarding my personal affairs in a person who was dressed sloppily, I wouldn't say a person in casual wear would make me think they're unethical/unreliable.

Of course, setting plays a role, so if I call in for a consultation and my banker/consultant is wearing shorts and a polo shirt, I might be thrown off a bit (but then again, two minutes into a conversation with someone and you can tell whether or not they know their stuff and are professional).