Casual Business Attire

Casual business attire—also known as the "business casual" style of dress—revolutionized the American office environment in the 1990s. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 95 percent of U.S. companies had some sort of casual day policy in place in 1999, compared to 24 percent in 1992. In fact, casual clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss claimed that 75 percent of American workers dressed casually every day in 1999, compared to 7 percent in 1992.

The trend toward casual business attire began in the high-technology companies of California's Silicon Valley, where young computer and Internet entrepreneurs refused to wear business suits and often showed up at work in denim jeans and cotton T-shirts. The trend spread across the country to various types of businesses throughout the 1990s, until it finally struck even the most buttoned-down, old-school firms. Most companies moved toward casual attire gradually, beginning with a "casual Fridays" policy, then conceding the heat of summer to casual dress, and finally allowing business casual in the office at all times. Over time, many businesses found that they had to allow casual dress in order to compete for talented employees in a shrinking labor pool.

As the fast growing economy of the 1990s cooled in 2001 the trend towards casual business attire began to change. In an article on this subject that appeared in the San Francisco Business Times, James Ammeen, president of the Men's Apparel Alliance, attributed the shift away from casual wear in the workplace to the state of the economy. "You're in a tough market, so if you want people to trust you, invest with you, you'd better look like a pretty serious person," said Ammeen. In a survey commissioned by the Men's Apparel Alliance the reversal of trend was seen clearly. Of the companies surveyed with revenues over $500 million, 19 percent had reinstated more formal dress codes during 2001 or early 2002. The threat of being the next person laid off has motivated some to return to suits before their companies even formalize a change in dress code, added Ammeen.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CASUAL DRESS POLICIES

The majority of American workers view casual office attire as a perk that creates a less stratified work environment and puts the emphasis on employees' contributions rather than their wardrobes. "While the goals of a corporate casual dress code include improving morale, enhancing productivity, lowering status barriers, and fitting in with the corporate climate of customers, the wrong code can undermine a company's credibility," wrote Brian Anderson in an article for Wearables Business.

Although casual business attire tends to be a popular option among employees, some companies encounter problems implementing casual dress policies. Many problems arise when companies describe their dress codes using vague words like "appropriate," "professional," and "businesslike" without spelling out a specific policy. This can create confusion among workers and make people feel uncomfortable trying to interpret the right way to dress for work. "The biggest problems employers face with these policies may be how to modify them, enforce them, and adapt the corporate-dress culture to a changing workforce," Anderson noted. "A clear, definitive explanation of a corporate casual dress code is rare. What is acceptable at one mortgage broker's office may be completely unacceptable at another—even if they are different branch offices of the same company."

Unclear dress code policies can also contribute to problems with employees taking advantage of the situation by wearing sloppy rather than casual attire to the office. In fact, there were cases in California in the late 1990s dotcom boom when some employees took things to a real extreme. One in particular, a gentleman who wished to work in the nude, inspired the title for a book about Silicon Valley by Po Bronson; The Nudist on the Late Shift. Although this example is extreme, many companies have been forced to issue specific guidelines describing appropriate attire after they have adopted casual dress policies. There is, as the old saying goes, no accounting for taste. Banned items that frequently appear on corporate dress code policy amendments are halter-tops, stretch pants, jeans, shorts, sandals, and shirts without collars. In order to avoid a situation in which amendments must be added to a new dress code policy, small business owners should make their dress codes as specific as possible. In fact, it may be helpful to communicate the policies by including photos of employees wearing appropriate attire on bulletin boards, in company publications, on Web sites, and in employee manuals.

Another potential problem with casual office attire is that employees may tend to take work less seriously when they are dressed casually. A survey of managers conducted by the employment law firm Jackson Lewis and cited in Entrepreneur indicated that 44 percent noticed an increase in employee absenteeism and tardiness when casual dress policies were introduced. The managers also noted a rise in inappropriate, flirtatious behavior. "Some employers and workers say they don't like the way dress-down day has turned into leisure day, affecting not only attire but behavior," Patricia Wen explained in Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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