Topic: Is business dress code defunct?

[Beorning]

Sorry for creating another fashion thread, but I'm really curious about something...

Today, I was at a group recruitment meeting in a really big company: the biggest securities company in my country, actually. The meeting was in one of the company's big offices. I fully expected to see quite a lot of people in stereotypical corporate clothes.

I saw... no-one.

Really. The whole company seemed to be totally casual. Even the receptionists were wearing jeans (okay, they had semi-good looking blouses. And one of them had a jacket. Still... jeans!). The only somewhat-professional-looking person I saw was the recruiting woman... who still was more "business casual" than anything else.

I wonder... is this company an exception from the rule? Is it something local - I've heard opinions that we Poles don't really like the normal corporate culture? Or is it like that everywhere and the business dress code is now a thing of the past?

[Avis habilis]

It has been everywhere I've worked for the last ten or so years, yeah. I haven't seen a suit outside the university president's office. More usually it's "business casual", with a side order of whatever the hell they like in the IT departments.

[Lilias]

The British workplace is heavily uniformed, and even if the regulation uniform is not a full set, there are rules about what to pair with the uniform items (almost universally black slacks/skirts and shoes with company tops). But even in places without uniform, the majority do go for suits, occasionally even 3-piece. The one professional I've seen here in a day dress, rather than separates, was a lawyer. Ties are everywhere, even without jackets, even as parts of school uniforms; my husband is a teacher and has to wear a blazer and tie every day, on the reasoning that, if the students are made to wear uniforms, the teachers are not supposed to let go of any sense of dress code.

[HairyHeretic]

Probably depends on the industry to some degree as well. Some are a lot more casual than others.

[kylie]

          I believe there are quite a few US office jobs still paying around $9-10 / hr.  Sometimes less.  Particularly when you consider the reliance of businesses on the temporary and short-term employment market.

         Would you consider many suits in the budget range that leaves, to be presenting much beyond "business casual"?  I would suspect not. 

[Caeli]

Probably depends on the industry to some degree as well. Some are a lot more casual than others.

+1.

It definitely depends on each individual company culture, but industry can have a certain effect as well.  I work in an area with a lot of IT and tech startups, and most are known for their casual dress code.  This is often seen as a perk/benefit to working for the company.

[Aleph]

+1 with Caeli. I work in IT and a suit in my office is a sign that you're in charge of something or someone. *coughs, puts jacket back on* Everyone else tends to dress for comfort though there's an unenforced minimum of 'a shirt with a collar', so polo shirts, etc.

[Mathim]

I work in a financial aid office at a community college and while most of the permanent staff tend to dress very professionally, they have been known to wear short-sleeves and jeans so I don't think it's enforced at all, they just want to give off the vibe of being professional to the students. The rest of us can wear whatever we want as long as it's not in bad taste or against the school's dress code.

[Sho]

I've found that it's regional. The West Coast of the US is way more casual than the East Coast. DC and New York? If you're not wearing a suit (and if you don't work in tech), you're probably not making a lot of money. It's a bit of a status symbol. Suits indicate high-powered jobs. West Coast, however? Suits are seen as stuffy and unapproachable. So yes, it's very regional, but it's also tied closely to jobs. It's fairly rare for an investment banker or a lawyer to show up in anything but a suit, whereas in the tech industry a suit is a pretty good indicator that you don't really know what you're doing. Obviously these are sweeping generalizations - there are plenty of places that don't fit this - but no, I wouldn't say the business dress code is dead, it's just been more regionalized and pushed into higher income brackets.

[Craz]

I live in California, and work in a used bookstore. If I didn't dress casual I would look weird.

[Amazee]

I really haven't been around business people that much, but my father who is a high school math teacher always dresses in suits.

[Dovel]

Where I work its business casual on most days. No jeans. Men must wear a collared shirt and it has to be tucked in. Only time we dress with ties, jackets is if a client is touring the office. Most Friday's though is dress down, so you may wear jeans then, but only if a client is not coming to visit.