By Jeanette M. Coon*, A.I.C.I.

What is going on in corporate America? If you go downtown or walk into a majority of companies, you will not find many power suits greeting you. In fact, you will find anything but that. You’ll find women in short skirts and open-toe shoes, men in golf shirts and khaki pants and even people dressed in jeans and T-shirts. Today 90% of all companies have adopted some form of business casual dress policy, whether it is “Casual Friday” or “Casual Everyday”.  The Cincinnati Enquirer asks, “By trading neckties for sandals, or a Liz Claiborne blouse for a tanktop, are employees sending the wrong message to clients?” Has the pendulum swung too far?

As a corporate image consultant, the question most often asked me is “How did business casual get started in corporate America and where is it heading?”

Many of us were brought up in mainstream corporate American where the standard business attire consisted of a dark suit, a white shirt, and a contrasting tie for men and a matched, skirted suit for women. We did see some variation in attire depending on the career. For example, if you were employed in a conservative industry such as insurance, banking, accounting and financial services, you primarily wore the traditional suit. But if you worked in advertising or the entertainment industry, you had more leeway. Manufacturing plants often had a required uniform. Technology industries, especially the computer companies, never saw a need to have a dress code. Many worked from home and there was little face-to-face communication with clients.

Business casual became an issue in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. At that time many companies were downsizing and reorganizing and they were looking for ways to cut back expenses but still find benefits to give employees. When asked what kind of perks they would like instead, the answer was, “We would like to be able to dress more comfortably.” That seemed simple enough. It would save the employees money because they would not have to spend money on expensive suits, thus receiving an indirect bonus.

What went wrong? It seemed so easy. Unfortunately, most companies implemented the policy with no guidelines. The result?  - mass confusion and mixed messages. There was a different interpretation of business casual from every person entering the workplace. And many people confused casual with sloppy.

In addition to sloppy dress, there were other repercussions. According to a poll by employment law firm Jackson Lewis, 44 percent of managers noticed an increase in tardiness and absenteeism when casual dress policies were introduced, and 30 percent saw a rise in flirtatious behavior. In many cases, casual dress translated into sloppy work.

What is the answer?

When we* meet with companies with dress policy issues, we begin by reviewing the current dress code policy. Too often the policy is very vague.

We recommend putting into place a new dress code policy with very clear-cut parameters of the different levels of business casual and then setting out guidelines of when and where each level is appropriate.

We offer private consultations with management. Employees are told to emulate management, so it is very important that the leaders of a company have a thorough grasp of the dress policy.

We recommend wardrobe seminars for the employees, so that there is a clear understanding of what the policy is and how to implement it. Often we recommend wardrobe development seminars so that employees can learn how to develop a business casual wardrobe without spending a fortune, which is a big concern for most people.

While certainly there have been problems with the business casual dress issue, there is little doubt that most employees are happier. And it is nice to have choices. The answer lies with clear-cut policies and education on what is and what is not appropriate. We can look professional even if we are dressed casually. The secret is dressing appropriately for the occasion.