YOU, DRESSING AND THE WORK PLACE

HOW SHOULD YOU DRESS?
Your goal to getting dressed for work is to project a professional, competent image, regardless of your employment level or career path. This could gauge your self-esteem. The styles, colours, lengths and fit of your fashion choices will speak volumes about your ability to do your job. If you are concerned about your career, you will be more concerned with looking professional than looking cute or trendy. Looking dishevelled portrays poor dress sense and this can be a disincentive to achieving your career goals. Notice that dress code seems to depend on position –  "Upper management does not dress down, even on Fridays."

Unless your job requires you to wear a uniform, choosing clothing for work can be difficult. Of course there are industry standards, such as the navy blue suit for accountants and bankers. What do you wear, however, if you work in the department where there really isn't a typical style of dress?  More especially, frontline staff are ambassadors-extraordinary and should make extra effort to dress well in order to represent the corporate image of the company. Most of the receptionists (staff and interns) put on casual wears rampantly, which are normally unacceptable in a standard workplace. Another important observation is the excellent dress code adopted by the Coach “Pilots”. Apart from the Management staff, the Coach drivers definitely should earn praises for appearance in our work environment. I never thought of such until the last Accident – Free Award. Those proud chauffeurs looked great in their branded suits and ties.

In corporate world, there is never a second chance for a first impression, and first impressions are lasting ones. In this environment, clothes may not only "make the man" , but they may also make or mar a career. Thus, whether you are a staff or an intern or aiming for a promotion, you should showcase your corporate look and let your superiors know that in addition to your skills, you are a potential leader. Interns (IT staff) should use the work environment to cultivate a positive fashion habit, which would keep them ahead of their peers when they eventually go back to school. While acquiring skills and knowledge, they should also learn, from the work world, ethics and professionalism that go with it. Interns, what about the job interview in the future?

In general, the more distracting a piece of clothing or jewellery is, the less appropriate it is for office wear. Employers typically base their dress policy choices on the presumption that employees at all levels and job positions are representatives of the organization and, therefore, their dress, grooming, and personal hygiene affect both the public’s impression of the business and internal morale. You should study what the company rules say and adopt those within this framework so that you are dressed appropriately and do not end up standing out like a scare-crow.

THE CORPORATE LOOK
Experts say “the first rule of thumb is to recognize that dressing to impress in social circles is very different from dressing to impress in the corporate environment". For instance, dressing to impress for some may mean wearing expensive apparel, sparkling jewellery, strong make-ups and heavy perfumes. Impressive? In some circles, yes. Appropriate for the corporate environment? Never! Now, here are some tips:
HAIR. Your hairstyle should be neat and your hair color should be natural-looking and complementary to your complexion. Your hair should be coifed professionally, whether it is short, mid-length or long - for ladies. Men should have their hair short and neat. Beards must be neatly shaved regularly ( 2 –3 days). Hair that looks glued, unkempt or flamboyant is not acceptable in the work environment. Avoid popular hair decor such as barrettes, scarfs, ribbons, butterflies or glitter.
NAILS. Long, elaborately decorated nails are not conduciveat all, especially in the IT-driven world. You need your hands and nails on keyboards and other gadgets, thus short nails come very effective. Exotic nails may cause your boss to doubt your ability to do your job. Short, clean manicured nails , or one-tone polish are always preferable.

MAKEUP. Ladies’ makeup should be subtle and complementary to their overall polished look. You don't need to look like Barbie dolls or models on stage. You need to look smart.

DRESS. Remember, your clothes can say more about you than your mouth ever will. Your clothes should not be so casual and unkempt. For sisters, clothes should not be too short, too form-fitting, or too revealing in the office –  it could send the message that you are not serious about your job. "You should have a nice `church look' at work" . "Women really dress up for church, normally a business suit that is very comfortable and not necessarily revealing. The church look is a very distinguished look that says, `I'm here for business, I'm confident and God is watching!.'" Darker shades of blue and basic black are good conservative colors.

DRESS LIKE YOUR BOSS
Don't know where to start working on your career image? One of the best clues to company dress codes is what your boss wears. Sorry! Not all bosses are role models.  Just think about the styles that the highest-level gentleman or woman in the organization wears and use them in your wardrobe. Does he wear mostly black, three-button suits with ties? Or does he/she rely on casual corporate wears? Does she wear skirt suits or pant suits, leather shoes or brogues? Copying your role model does not mean spending that much, you can always “cut your cloth according to size.” If you don't have a reliable executive to emulate, then adopt the general formula. Your best bet is to use suits and ties: the most formal of business looks. These are but a few general guidelines on corporate dressing for staff.

BUSINESS DRESS CODES
Normally, staff should have three business-related reasons for implementing dress code:

1. To present or create a professional or identifiable appearance for customers and the public;
2. To promote a positive working environment and limit distractions caused by outrageous, provocative, or inappropriate dress; and,
3. To ensure safety while working.

Formal Business Attire- This constitutes business suits (a matched skirt/trouser and jackets) and, in most workplaces, trousers (matched pants and blazer). Closed-toe shoes (no sandals please!), blouses and conservative hair, jewellery and mild makeup are expected.
Corporate Casual Looks- Staff have interpreted this to mean everything from shorts to sundresses, but in its most truthful sense it means "smart business". Suits without ties, jackets, shirts and trousers, blouse and skirt are all examples of corporate casual. Denims, jeans, polo etc are not truly corporate casuals as perceived by many.
Casual Friday - Depending on the business, this can mean anything from traditional attires, corporate casual, casual instead of formal looks or wear the company’s logo polo and jeans/denim or chinos. If in doubt, ask a superior.

WHY APPEARANCE MATTERS
Maybe it is unjust to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. It is human nature. While the person in jeans may be as competent and as intelligent as the one wearing the formal suit, or more so, we do assess these attributes based on appearance. All the ingredients – knowledge, preparation, and appearance – are necessary to make a good impression. When you work at home or in an office where casual attire is the norm, it's difficult to get out of that role and into the role of the professional in front of the audience or in front of a television camera. But, if you want to make a good impression, it's worth the effort. Here's what you need to do.

WHAT DO YOUR CLOTHES SAY?
Is it true that clothes make the man or woman? Do people form an opinion about us based on the way we dress? I think so. Does that mean we should avoid any sense of individuality in the workplace? Of course not, but I do feel that some types of clothing are inappropriate for certain work environments. In addition, some work environments have a dress code that all who work there must follow. Sometimes you won't find these dress codes in writing; but if you look around you'll find that all employees are dressed in a similar way. Let's say we work somewhere where expressing one's individuality is tolerable. Does that mean anything goes? That brings us back to being evaluated based on what we wear. Is it improper to wear disgusting, revealing, provocative or suggestive attire to work? Well, I think it depends on where you work and whom you work with. In other words, good judgment and common sense is important here. If what you wear is distracting to others, then maybe it is time to go shopping!

Chukwuemeka O. Ulor
Customer Service, Head Office