In a World of Increasing Choices…
here’s an emotive one;
Should we have Dress Down Friday – or not?!!
It’s a conundrum for some. The left believe that fitting in and being comfortable in a work environment on Fridays is an acceptable end to the week and it thus has become part of the office culture (indeed many trendy firms now are constantly in dress down mode.) The right on the other hand, believe it is important to always be smart (you never know whom you might need to meet at the last minute) and that it keeps everyone in the right business headspace – and that they associate with a suit (and an increasingly more optional tie for the men.)
When I attend and conduct meetings on Fridays, and last week I held four, I generally now email ahead and say I’m in dress down and hope that’s not a problem. Obviously if I’m visiting another office and that isn’t their accepted attire I wouldn’t wear my casuals. Then again – what would I do if one was and one wasn’t ….luckily I’ve not come across that yet – in fact I think I would stop doing Friday meetings if I had to change during the day!
But when I think back to my early recruitment career dress down definitely didn’t happen. I started out working for a major corporate and I had my children in my early 20’s and I even remember having to wear…. here it comes… maternity tights! (Don’t ask.) However women also couldn’t wear trousers…. Now I’m perhaps showing my age. Nonetheless similar clothing dilemmas still exist; a classic one for me is ‘business casual’ which I find very difficult. I note men typically wear chinos - but do ladies have a clear alternative? Frankly I generally prefer to be casual or business – not in between… that is no mans land.
So what are your thoughts folks – how important is Dress Down Friday?