First appearances give a lasting impression about individuals and organizations but does that apply in all instances? Does dressing code have an impact on productivity and revenue generation? Yes, it builds a strong and a very noticeable culture but could there be more value than that? It creates a niche in terms of brand reputation and serves as a form of advertisement for the organization.
Many organizations have well-designed attires purposely to be worn on Fridays, branded tie and scarf amongst others. The question, therefore, is what does this seek to achieve? Admittedly employees look smart and good in the prescribed attire – they are easily noticed. Will that attract and retain customers? Will that improves service excellence and customer experience? Will that improves the quality of our products and services? – your guess may be as good as mine.
The future of work is all about empowering employees to work however is best suited for them, and for most employees, that doesn’t involve wearing a suit. When you get dressed for work in the morning, do you put on a suit or a t-shirt? There’s a huge variety in company dress codes, with some organizations on one end of the spectrum requiring employees wear a suit and tie every day, while other companies opt for jeans, shorts, and t-shirts. Are we limiting the dress code to just the attire or we are also considering the type of haircut both for male and female employees? Are men supposed to keep beard and moustache? If yes why/ if no why? What kind of shoes and footwear is allowed in the corporate certain? What is the accepted colour of shoes allowed to be worn in the office?
Dress code affects a lot of what we do at work and how we do it. Dress code alone is only a small aspect of the workplace, but it represents the company culture and how management views its employees. What we wear has a huge effect on how we feel and act. Forcing employees to come to work in a suit every day creates a conservative and stuffy environment that doesn’t breed change. A stodgy dress code isn’t conducive to collaboration, creativity, or trust–if a company is controlling so strictly what its employees wear, how will those employees ever feel trying a new idea, making a suggestion, or being creative and forward-thinking?
On the flip side, a more casual dress code and work environment generally help employees feel more comfortable and make it easier to communicate and collaborate. After all, when given the choice, the vast majority of people would rather wear more casual clothes and be comfortable. Many start-ups and tech companies lean to the more casual side of dress code, and it has a huge impact on their corporate culture, employee morale, and retention. At some of the most successful tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, MTN etc. employees at all levels regularly wear jeans, t-shirts, Lacoste, African print, khaki trousers, shirts and sandals. Their line of thinking is that if employees are comfortable in what they are wearing, they can do their best work and feel more excited and included to come to work.
In fact, the idea of a relaxed dress code is growing quickly, spreading past start-ups and into other industries. JP Morgan Chase has announced a company-wide dress code change from business to business casual, meaning employees are now free to wear a dress shirt without ties, nice jeans, and more casual slacks. This is especially noteworthy because investment banking has long been thought of as a particularly stuffy industry full of suits and boardrooms. With JP Morgan Chase leading the way, perhaps other companies will follow suit and move away from strict dress standards, especially after seeing the boost in employee satisfaction and morale with a simple change.
We are anxiously waiting for the day when the financial sector – banking, insurance and non-banking financial institutions will go easy on their dress code. It’s an old tradition which is tightly upheld but dress code across the corporate environment has evolved and the financial sector cannot be left out.
Of course, there are situations where employees should be in more professional attire–for a big meeting or when interacting with clients, for example. However, if an employee isn’t meeting with customers or executives, they really don’t need to be dressed to the nines. As long as employees are decent and comfortable, that should be enough for most managers.
Dress code is simply a company policy that has a huge impact on the company. Changing the dress code to give employees more freedom is one of the easiest things an organization can do to show that it values its employees and wants them to be comfortable. As the dress code lightens up, you’ll likely see the atmosphere in the office start to lighten, as well. Employee comfortability is a major source of motivation which cannot be downplayed.
Employers must take a second look at dress code policy and identify what really matters and will make the necessary impact at the workplace. The millennial workforce is increasing at the workplace – they have a taste for freedom. Hence the design of a flexible corporate culture that will accommodate their needs and ensure discipline, hard work and the maximization of productivity should be the focus.
Source: BrightAmpaduOkyere/JacobMorgan
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