Casual Policy...Formal Motive?
Posted on October 21, 2019 by Gina DeRosa, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
No jeans in the C-suite? It's time to talk about the negative correlation between casual dress and professional advancement.
“Dress for success. Image is very important. People judge you by the way you look on the outside.”
- Brian Tracy
Once upon a time, in a company with a newly established year-round casual dress code, I witnessed an employee anonymously ask a question of a senior leader to the effect of, “Will the casual dress code hurt one’s chances to be taken seriously for a promotion?” to which the senior leader responded, “We expect people to dress appropriately depending on the situation.” I quickly made three raw observations of this interaction:
1. It’s sad – and telling – that the employee felt compelled to ask anonymously,
2. The leader did not answer the question as asked, and
3. The leader’s implied message was, “If you want to be taken seriously AND move up in the organization, you need to dress up every day, even on Fridays and throughout the summer.”
Recently, I wrote about negative unconscious bias towards people with tattoos and piercings in the workplace. Well, it seems that on a much more muted level, we might have to put “employees who dress casually” in the same bucket, too.
Casual dress codes might be an ‘employee engagement strategy’ on the surface, but unless you work in a Silicon Valley-type gig, they (?inadvertently) deepen the divide between leaders in upper-level jobs that pay more and require higher education and experience versus employees in front-line, entry-level jobs that pay less and don’t require as much experience or education after a high school diploma or Associate’s degree. Furthermore, when you look at who occupies the respective ranks, what other observations do you make?
For example, what if you wear clothing affiliated with your ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, religion, disability, etc.?
Recently, I had a conversation with a woman of color who told me that, every morning as she prepares for work, she has to consciously consider her outfit and be sure to select one that fits in with the corporate culture of her company. She said she couldn’t imagine what type of reaction she would get from the leadership if she showed up wearing a dashiki, and that she wasn’t about to find out. This hurt my heart.
And then it really humbled me, because while I can sit here and complain about not being seen as promotable because I love my jeans too much, here is a person who doesn’t feel comfortable wearing clothing that expresses and celebrates her DNA, who she is to her core. I wonder if this woman’s company is ready to take its own personal inventory with respect to the unconscious biases that are reinforced and enabled within its own four walls…
If you work for a company that offers a full-time casual dress policy, I invite you to get curious about the unwritten expectations the leadership has and then consider the ways in which you can help rewrite the rules of the game – especially for your marginalized peers. Of course, work performance is still a significant component of earning promotional opportunities, so continue to work hard and show your value as you navigate the landscape of the workplace Dress-Up Game.
#dressupgame #seeGseeYou #SixthGearSeries
Gina DeRosa is owner and founder of Sixth Gear Series LLC, a professional coaching firm based out of Massachusetts. She provides rapidly effective, affordable, authentic, and personalized 1:1 and team coaching services for emerging professionals, company leaders, and others who are ready to accelerate past personal and professional roadblocks and drive towards success in their careers and beyond.
It’s time to accelerate your potential.
