When Casual Attire Becomes Questionable
When Casual Attire Becomes Questionable
Q. At the small company where I am a manager, employees dress casually on Fridays. I find some of my staff use questionable judgement, especially now that it is getting really hot. Tell me what the guidelines are for dress, and how to have this discussion without getting everyone all worked up.A.
Casual Friday is here to stay; in fact, casual every day is here to stay in many industries. It’s the new reality and organizations and managers will adjust – somehow. The definition of “casual” may vary based on your role—a client-facing role may have different needs than a position in the back of the house, for example. At the end of the day, employees need to remember, or be reminded, that they are still at work.
To address your situation, prepare to address the real issue, and specific people if that is what is called for. Some managers believe that when people are dressed casually, their attitude toward work also becomes more casual—and that presents a problem. So focus on whether the work is getting done. Is it? If so, is the attire still an issue? If work I not getting done, as expected, then be specific. Have a frank conversation with your team. You might say, “On casual Fridays, I have the sense that the attitude toward work changes and we don’t approach our work with the same kind of energy as we do Monday through Thursday. I want to make sure that we continue to prioritize the work while still being able to maintain Casual Friday, so let’s find a way to do that.” See if people agree, or are looking for more specific examples of what gives you that impression. For example, a typical lunch hour is about an hour. A Friday lunch hour more often is an hour and 20 minutes, because people want to sit outside in the sun.
If your concern is really about how people are presenting themselves with what they wear. keep the topics separate. Employees are adults and need to be approached like adults; many organizations give long lists of rules—no sleeveless tops, no sports logos, no open-toed shoes—which many employees find demeaning. An alternative approach is to emphasize the idea of professional attire, perhaps using magazine photos to illustrate an extreme “no” versus an ideal “yes” for proper attire. It is also crucial to hold one-on-one conversations with any employees who are stretching the boundaries rather than addressing a group by memo or in larger meetings—you don’t want to risk the one or two targeted employees assuming it is does not refer to them and carrying on as usual.
Differences in “appropriate” casual attire can also be attributed to generational divides. Dressing professionally might mean something else entirely to employees of different generations. If you tell a Boomer to dress professionally, it might mean wearing a nice tie; if you tell a Millennial to dress professionally, it might just mean putting on socks. Keep this in mind when assessing your team’s understanding of “casual.”
So, for casual Fridays or casual every days, remember: employers need to treat employees like adults and be direct with any corrective feedback regarding attire or work attitude; meanwhile, employees need to continue to prioritize their work while maintaining the necessary professionalism of any workplace.
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