Dressing to impress

If you look around the office on a Thursday, the odds are that an overwhelming majority of employees are wearing suits or smart office attire. The rise of ‘dress down’ Fridays in the past few years has meant that the way employees dress is considerably more relaxed on a Friday.

However, recently, when I look around the train on a Friday morning the commuters no longer appear to be dressing down; in the age of the economic downturn and increased job insecurity it seems that ‘dress down’ days are becoming a thing of the past.

This is not due to businesses formally restricting the uniform of employees, but rather employees making the decision themselves that dressing more casually on a Friday might affect their performance and job security.

A study by UK work wear provider Alexandra found that 94% of respondents say that the way they dress can influence the outcome of the economy. This study revealed that workers believe what a person wears determines how professional and trustworthy they look and that this can have a direct impact on the security of their jobs. The results demonstrate that employees prefer to wear the same clothes on a Friday as on every other day of the working week as they think it will help them win more business and increase sales.

In The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway’s character isn’t taken seriously until she conforms to the image of a budding fashionista. Alexandra’s study suggests that image isn’t just limited to the fashion industry and can be very important for other sectors, such as professional services.

So how many of our opinions about people are based around how they dress? Suits may not be appropriate in a non-corporate environment and the wearing of smart clothes may not actually have any impact on the quality of work performed. Although it would certainly be fun to watch builders try to build a house in a suit, it is clearly not practical and I for one would be a little baffled to see it.

With the working world so competitive, and people vying for jobs, ensuring a professional appearance seems to be an easy way to demonstrate that you are taking your job seriously.

The Dress For Success organisation shows exactly how important image is to securing a job. This global organisation provides disadvantaged women with a suit prior to interview in order to help boost confidence and give them the tools to thrive in work and life.

Disadvantaged women are referred to Dress For Success by a diverse group of not-for-profit and government agencies and this year up to 3,000 organisations have sent women for the professional apparel and career development services offered. Once the woman has secured the job, they are then invited back for additional clothing which she can use to build a professional wardrobe. It shows the importance of the way we dress on both our employment status and our performance in a job once secured.

Although the company only helps women, it does not mean that men don’t also face the same barriers. The fact that there is a need for such an organisation demonstrates employees are willing to take every step necessary to remain employed. It appears that despite changes in the way we work, image still matters.

By Belinda Hallworth – Graduate Trainee at Flagship Consulting