Dressing down suits Britain's bosses

Citation

(1999), "Dressing down suits Britain's bosses", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 20 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.1999.02220dab.001

Dressing down suits Britain's bosses

Keywords: Clothing, Image, Corporate culture

According to a recent study, Britain’s workers are dressing down.

One employee in two – equivalent to 13.5 million workers – is no longer required to wear a suit and tie.

And this is just one of many measures being used by bosses to foster more informal office environments, according to independent research commissioned by Inside UK Enterprise.

Three in five bosses now help employees to combat work-related stress, offering benefits ranging from rest and relaxation rooms to free massage sessions.

And clocking on and off is a thing of the past. Only 16 per cent of companies still ask staff to record their arrival and departure, and three in five companies now allow employees to choose when they take their lunch break.

Image consultant Mary Spillane, Managing Director of Colour Me Beautiful, confirms that dress codes are easing up. ‘‘Five years ago, women who wanted to get ahead never wore trousers and men wouldn’t contemplate anything but a suit and tie.

"But as British businesses become more global, what is considered ’smart and appropriate’ is very different today. Dress is more relaxed, colourful and varied but still businesslike."

Fiona Wishart, Managing Director of Inside UK Enterprise, said: "Businesses may be adopting more relaxed attitudes to dress at work, but this doesn’t mean that UK companies are less professional. Motivated and healthy people are the key to a successful business – it makes sense for bosses to listen to their employees and act on what they hear, as well as adopting best practice and sound management structures."

Inside UK Enterprise, a DTl-back initiative can be contacted on +44 01730 235015.