From Casual Fridays to Dressed Up For Meetings: What we wear matters
In this posting from the LinkedIn agency influencer program PHD's Simon Lawson asks whether the creeping trend of casual dress at work is having an impact on how people are perceived.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the idea of casual Fridays seems to have been steadily gobbling up the entire working week over the last decade. In many parts of the corporate world, it’s actually more accurate to describe the typical dress code as dressed up for special meetings rather than casual Fridays.
Simon Lawson
The corporate world has relaxed its dress code and that’s no bad thing. After all, what you wear shouldn’t affect the quality of your work. If you want to wear a t-shirt, jeans and runners, where is the harm in that?
Nobody wants to go back in time to the daily grind of formal business attire, but every now and then, I do catch myself thinking: Does what we wear to work matter?
There is an old saying that you should dress for the job you want. The idea is that you should dress up to the same level as your manager; it suggests you might get the next job you want if you look the part. It suggests that what you wear to work matters.
Is this idea old-fashioned and out of date? Is the corporate human race now so enlightened that we no longer judge others based on their appearance? Do we no longer fall victim to that?
I don’t think we have: People haven’t changed that much. First impressions do still count and our personal appearance is an important part of that.
Daniel Kahneman popularised the idea of system 1 and system 2 thinking with his book Thinking, Fast & Slow (2011). System 1 “is the brain’s fast, automatic, intuitive approach, and system 2 “the mind’s slower analytical mode, where reason dominates.”
We spend most of our time using system 1 thinking with people using mental short cuts or heuristics to make decisions quickly in order to successfully navigate today’s fast paced modern life.
In the corporate world, this means that people are making judgements about you based on what you wear and how you present as well as on the quality of your work, whether you like it or not.
So what should you do?
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is famous for wearing the same grey t-shirt to work every day. His rationale is that not having to think about what he wears to work each day frees up his brain to make more important decisions.
Zuckerberg’s grey t-shirt has become his work uniform
Karl Stefanovic, an Australian morning TV presenter, notoriously wore the same blue suit on-air every day for a year and nobody noticed. For Karl, this was a social experiment to point out the inequity of his viewers’ constant commentary on what his female co-presenter was wearing each day.
For me, both of these examples point out the benefit of creating a work uniform that is appropriate to your particular industry.
A good rule of thumb when you’re in the process of deciding on a work uniform is whether you would feel comfortable being called in to a snap meeting with senior leaders at your employer or attending an unscheduled meeting with a client or better yet, a potential client: If you’re comfortable in that situation, you are all good.
Create the right work uniform for you and you’ll neutralise colleagues and clients thinking about what you’re wearing and make sure they’ll instead be concentrating on how good you are at your work.
What do you think? Does what we wear to work matter?
Simon Lawson is general manager, PHD Melbourne
This article is part of the LinkedIn Agency Influencer program. See more from the program by clicking on the banner below.
Simon, guys in suits work for guys in T-shirts.
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^ what he said.
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If you don’t need to prove yourself – wear what you want. If you need to prove yourself, dress the part.
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Simon went to a private school and was a proud prefect. Simon has had the same haircut all his life and would never dare grow a beard or any facial hair. Simon is very judgemental, and at meetings often finds it hard to listen when he doesn’t like those not dressed like him. Don’t be like Simon.
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I think a lot of the Sales Industry are dressed more formally because they believe it’s perceived as being more trustworthy.
Maybe we should have a plebiscite on what’s appropriate? I support Office Wear Equality.
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I have never hired anyone that turns up in a suit. It makes me think they are trying to hide their lack of skill behind a fancy suit. I need whats inside their head. I have mostly found that people that wear suits never align with my values.
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Another anonymous keyboard warrior. Perhaps a sting of jealousy?
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Hey Simon, any comment on what work uniform women should wear?
Given your mention of the Karl Stefanovic story, I think you’re well aware that finding a uniform for women, any uniform, where they’re not judged is impossible. Would love to hear your advice on what you think we should wear.
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In a somewhat ironic turn of events, referencing Kahneman in itself is becoming a heuristic from agency quasi-psychologists.
Chuck a Byron Sharp reference in there and that’s pretty much every agency presentation from the last few years.
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We’re all born naked and the rest is drag.
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Waaaa – so right. So polish those shoes!
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From one Jane to another. Women should dress to look gorgeous every day for work or going out. At home you can slop around in your baggies but please not outside the front door. Don’t be a follower of fashion, become a leader and get some style on. I can assure you when you show your creativity in your style, and when you do it well, you get noticed for all the right reasons and not judged for all the wrong reasons.
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Really, really!! I’m so sorry you are so easily bored and clearly so uninteresting.
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Good article Simon. You are quite right, how we dress makes a difference. It’s a great indicator of what one thinks of oneself and leaves other people to make up their mind of what they think of each other. My observations of Australian dress is mostly very daggy, uninteresting and boring. People are too afraid to wear something too different or dressy in case they are criticized by their peer group. It’s a representation of one’s self-worth and self esteem.
As an image consultant and professional stylist, I couldn’t help weigh into this article and make comment/s
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Up or down dressing is too narrow. It can be embarrassing to be overdressed, it can be embarrassing to be underdressed.
Yeah, what we wear matters. Who doesn’t want people to make a whole bunch of subconscious positive judgements about them? But that can be achieved through casual, formal, military, ethnic dress. Just pick what is the best option for the situation.
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Perhaps other people simply don’t place as much weight on their clothes as they do on other aspects of their life.
The smartest bloke I ever worked for drove his Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead to the office whilst wearing a daggy old polo/tee and shorts. I don’t think his lack of style really had much of an impact on his success.
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This is the line that made me puke: “A good rule of thumb when you’re in the process of deciding on a work uniform is whether you would feel comfortable being called in to a snap meeting with senior leaders…”
Blah, blah, blah, blah. Suits are fakes.
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Why is it that the bravest critics are also the ones that are not brave enough to own up to their names?
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Hi,
I remember starting my first job as an adult and desperately trying to prove myself to my superiors. Only to go to my first work party and to be embarrassed and barrated by one of my superior officers in front of all my colleagues because i was a ‘jock’. Luckily i learnt my lesson and left this company. I hope future employees dont suffer the same.
Jesse.
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