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The Ins and Outs of Business Casual

On a bright spring day several years ago, when the sky was bright blue, the tulips were in full bloom, and I was considering playing hooky as I walked into work, one of my accounting clerks sped by me in a flesh. Or was that flash? I still don’t know. All I remember is that seeing that much skin in an accounting office on someone under my direction was more than my brain could handle before eight o’clock in the morning. It was also a very rude awakening to the pitfalls of business casual.

I was new to the department and still “learning the ropes.” The atmosphere was very casual; while I’d come to accept that dressing professionally wasn’t a high priority here, I refused to abandon all sense of propriety.

Casual Friday or not, the shorts, flip-flops, and tank top had to go. I tried to think of the best way to tell this woman to go home and change. I was heading straight for her cubicle when I was stopped by one of the most senior department accountants, who was dressed pretty much the same way as the clerk. Since this person outranked me, I knew that my protest would be in vain. Regardless of my feelings on the matter, the company norm had been set.

So…just how confusing is business casual? With more than 70% of all American companies adopting some sort of casual dress policy, you’d think there’d be some clear-cut rules. But there really aren’t. The relaxed attitude that began invading corporate America in the early 1990’s has seen a decade of bewildered business people trying to follow the trend, yet still maintain their professional credibility. What’s more, with current trends favoring a return to traditional business wear, it’s easy to see why so many people get confused.

One of the biggest reasons why there’s so much uncertainty is that few companies have established dress code policies. While the office fuddy-duddy may think business casual means losing the tie, someone else may assume it means a T-shirt and jeans. Without a written policy, employees tend to “push the envelope” to see how much they can get away with. That was certainly the case with the accounting clerk.

If you’re in a position to influence the dress code-or have the ear of somebody who is—there are a few things you should consider about the pros and cons of business casual.