Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

•  
  Enrico Pallazzo09/10/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  I work in an office where the upfront expectation is that you'll be in business casual clothes, but you later find out that fully casual dress isn't exactly frowned upon in practice. I don't think the clothes I'm wearing alters my productivity, but wearing jeans occasionally does alter my morale for the better. And in turn, I'd expect that is affecting my productivity for the better.

•  
  ChrisMac41609/11/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  Biz casual is the way to go in my company. Most of us are at our desks all day. However, we work with large corps where Senior Mngt always wears a tie - even in the height of summer heat waves (this seems insane to me) so when client facing events or meeting happen you've gotta dress to meet your audience. It's some strange ritual that I believe is spill-over from the 20s to 40s when men and women showed their "class" by their dress. I for one feel the tie/noose is for board meeting, weddings and funerals!

•  
  GinaD09/11/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  I think it all depends on how it's packaged. If you announce casual dress as a reward for a job well done, the attitude is different. If it just happens because people are not being reminded of the dress code, or because the boss' attitude is less than enthusiastic, "since he's dressing down, I will too". I think it's the attitude that leads to complacency and not the attire.

•  
  Ramses the Great09/11/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  I believe that you should dress according to the situation you are. I do not see that wearing always the same formal or casual clothes is very much motovating or stimulating. Diversity is always the key. The way you dress shows the respect and consideration you have in any situation.

•  
  ndlicht109/11/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  In sales, I mostly see business casual. Dressing like your targeted contacts puts them at eas as well.
  
  I see business casual at the office as quite natural. Street play time dress, well thats a little too casual because you never know when a prospect or customer may want to come by and "see" your facility and people.
  
  It also is guided by the job. For instance, if you are in manufacturing, accounting, why dress up.
  
  For men in sales, Ties seem to convey a subtile "I am worthy of being heard" but jacket is not needed.
  
  In my travels, I do see a lot of different environments. Dressed well, although business casual says to me that folks care and take pride in themselves and their work. Dressed in a tee shirt doesn't quite get that across.
  
  And yes i know that clothes do not make the man or woman but projected image, now thats another story entirely. Consider that if public contact is part of the job.

•  
  Gustavo.Clorus09/12/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  I am an IT Manager for a med-size business in England. I have adopted the Friday-Dress-Down-Day (FDDD) and have worked quite well.
  - Hands on jobs are done - that way we can get dirty!
  - We try to avoid meetings with clients/suppliers.
  - The mood is excellent and so are productivity levels, rather than staff coming to work already feeling tired and waiting for the 17:00 bell!
  - It simply makes a change!
  
  As Ramses said 'Diversity is the key.'

•  
  Girsang09/12/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: Does Casual Dress Affect Productivity?

  What about the environmental impacts of dry cleaning? It seems to me that any environmentally responsible company would ban suits.