July 24, 2007
‘My colleagues are dressing down, like my boss’
A new boss has recently taken over at my office and he differs from the old one mainly in what he wears. The previous boss always wore a suit but this one is much more casual – he wears linen jackets and khaki trousers and has never been known to wear a tie. I’ve noticed that my team mates have stopped wearing ties too and are wearing chinos and open-necked shirts instead. I object to this as
a) they look terrible;
b) they are guilty of brown-nosing; and
c) my suits are expensive and I like wearing them.
So far I am sticking to my guns but increasingly I feel that I stick out from the others. Does this matter?
Consultant, male, 30
I sympathise with your predicament - grown men in chinos is a pretty distressing sight. Problem is that, if you persist with constant suit wearing, you run the risk of seeming to your colleagues and boss that you are aggressively trying to prove a point, which will make you look stubborn and humourless (even worse a look than chinos).
Why not just dress down on Fridays, and wear the smartly cut suits the rest of the week - you’ll fit in with your boss’s David Brent-esque aspirations for an informal office, but you’ll still look professional for the majority of the time.
Posted by: Female, 25, PR | July 24th, 2007 at 4:44 pm | Report this commentDon’t change, if you feel at ease in your suit, just stick to your personal style. Your boss feels good in his khakis, your colleagues obviously not, isn’t it better to have a personal style rather than followig a fashion? Be yourself and you will be appreciated as a balanced person, whatever you wear.
Posted by: Alessandro | July 24th, 2007 at 5:24 pm | Report this commentStick to your guns. Whilst others may choose to dress more informally in the office, it is more than acceptable to continue to wear your suit. It demonstrates professionalism and, following the move to chinos in your office, your individuality. If you feel comfortable in your expensive suits then there’s no reason to change. If you feel like you need to concede some ground, go crazy and take off your tie!
Posted by: Female, 20s | July 24th, 2007 at 5:43 pm | Report this commentIsn’t it at all possible your boss has also spotted the brown nosing?
Stick to your guns, wear what you feel is more comfortable and understand that any negative comments are just a result of the same insecurities that made them dress like your boss in the first place.
Posted by: FD | July 24th, 2007 at 6:51 pm | Report this commentGood for you for sticking to a suit. Nothing beats going to work in fine tailoring. It would be tragic if we all had to shop in Gap for work clothes. Work is the last place you can look genuinely 1930s stylish (without the cigarette, unfortunately)- i just hope hat wearing comes back in…
Posted by: Rick Eling | July 24th, 2007 at 8:27 pm | Report this commentBe practical - I work in a hot non-air conditioned office where during summer months it makes no sense to wear a hot suit every day.
However if during these sweaty days I know I’ve an important meeting with a customer (like today) then a suit it is.
Like with many things in business life, you need to adopt a chameleon like attitude.
Full marks to most of the pro-suit advice above. A good suit is still more professional and like-it-or-not gives the impression of value added professionalism. Don’t forget, the packaging is often seen as more important than the contents - so looking good in the office is a high priority.
Posted by: Andy Granger, Prague | July 25th, 2007 at 7:55 am | Report this commentWell, I read this at home before I left for the office and decided to put on my finest suit, crisp shirt and tie. I even polished my shoes. Damn, it feels good.
I work for a small company in mobile/media. My colleagues are quite surprised.
Posted by: dan wilson | July 25th, 2007 at 8:53 am | Report this commentI run a project team of around 25 people ranging in age from early 20’s to mid-60’s. My dress code is simple. If people are working in our office, they can wear whatever they like, as long as it is clean, tidy and decent (I ban micro-skirts and naked belly-buttons, being a crusty old fogey, but reckon that’s better than inflaming the passions of our older menfolk). Some of our people always wear suits, others wear jeans and sweatshirts. I don’t mind and nor does anybody else.
However, if we are meeting a client, suits and ties and female equivalent are de rigeur on the simple grounds that we should accord respect to the people we depend on and dress accordingly. Just tell your boss, if the question comes up, that every day you might have to meet an important client and need to make the right impression.
Posted by: Stephen, consultant, 60 | July 25th, 2007 at 9:15 am | Report this commentWhen Accenture reputedly introduced a less formal dress code people quite logically asked how “down” was “dressing down”….. and the advice came back was that you should dress “so that none of your colleagues would ever feel overdressed”.
A fine tailored suit, worn without a tie if you wish, is simply a look that cannot be beaten.
Posted by: Stewart Keigher | July 25th, 2007 at 10:47 am | Report this commentStick with your suit! I used to work in a bank with a ’smart casual’ policy which I hated because it meant I had to buy a third wardrobe as I would only wear this style of clothes to the office, prefering jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops in my spare time. A well-fitting suit and a freshly ironed shirt are a pleasure to wear and inspire the right frame of mind for getting the job done. Don’t worry about standing out from your colleagues, a reputation as ‘The Dapper One’ can’t be a bad thing.
You can use the excuse of client meetings to keep your co-workers quiet. If things get really uncomfortable follow the advice given out earlier on this page: take off your tie - you’ll still look professional in your suit, but you won’t stand out so much from the Gucci loafers crowd. Besides, you can always put it on again in the evenings and at weekends.
Posted by: Bored Banker | July 25th, 2007 at 11:15 am | Report this commentDo you only like your suits because they are expensive?
Posted by: Marketing Communication Business Casual Guy | July 25th, 2007 at 3:04 pm | Report this commentMaybe your colleagues hate wearing suits and ties and are not brown nosing at all - I know I was really glad when my company went permanently dress down… that didn’t stop anyone dressing in a suit and tie if they wanted. Just chill out. It strikes me that you are thinking the worst of your colleagues (and are worried they are thinking the worst of you) - what sort of mean-minded company do you work at? Oh yes it is a consultancy!
Posted by: Mark, fund manager | July 25th, 2007 at 4:31 pm | Report this commentIt’s not what you look like when you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s what you’re doing when you look like you’re DOING what you’re doing.
Posted by: James - office manager | July 25th, 2007 at 6:24 pm | Report this commentExpress yourself.
- I believe this is from the Isley Brothers.
Dress in whatever permitted style makes you feel most confident when doing your job. Let your colleagues do the same, preferably without damning them for “brown-nosing”.
Posted by: Ironybrew | July 25th, 2007 at 7:27 pm | Report this commentKeep on with the suits and accept that the rest of the office prefers a different uniform. I expect your customers prefer to see you, the supplier, smartly dressed. It indicates that you value their business. Chinos and button-down collar shirts are uniformly dull and inappropriate for any customer-facing activity beyond retail and the arts. You can rest assured that once the next recession or sector downturn begins to bite your colleagues will suddenly rediscover the importance of appearance and start wearing suits again.
Posted by: MD 54 | July 25th, 2007 at 9:10 pm | Report this commentIt requires far less effort in the morning to dress in a suit. All you have to do is choose a shirt and a tie, rather than a whole outfit. Don’t feel pressurised - you’re actually taking the easiest option, as well as the most presentable.
Posted by: analyst, female, 30 | July 26th, 2007 at 3:27 pm | Report this commentIf you are a consultant then you should be able to work out the answer for yourself.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 26th, 2007 at 9:02 pm | Report this commentThe trouble with business-casual stuff is that very few British blokes do it really well.
Perhaps that’s why the suit and check-shirt-with-no-tie combo has become popular in the last couple of years. A typical British compromise for those who can’t bring themselves to shop at The Gap.
Posted by: Rick | July 28th, 2007 at 12:49 pm | Report this commentIt’s the job you do, not whether you wear a suit and a choker (i.e. a tie) towork every day. Maybe most of us are tired of feeding the fashion indistry our cash and just want a comfortable working environment!
Posted by: Greg | July 30th, 2007 at 1:40 am | Report this commentPersonally its not the clothes (smart casual or formal suit) that make a difference but the stupid hairstyles that people choose - Abbey Financial Advisor with teeny-boy meets post-punk mohican hair please take note.
Posted by: Oliver | July 30th, 2007 at 1:42 pm | Report this commentAdmittedly, as a Californian that has not worn a tie to work for years, I have a different perspective than someone in a UK office. However, it looks to me like you are in a power struggle with your boss.
Do you see yourself as as leading a successful battle of the “tradionalists” vs “lower standards” (or however you define it)? If you think you can win the battle, by all means do so. If not, look for another job or find a way to gracefully give in. Your obstinancy is being noticed by all parties…
Posted by: Dave Kastner | July 31st, 2007 at 4:11 am | Report this commentAdmittedly, as a Californian that has not worn a tie to work for years, I have a different perspective than someone in a UK office. However, it looks to me like you are in a power struggle with your boss.
Do you see yourself as as leading a successful battle of the “tradionalists” vs “lower standards” (or however you define it)? If you think you can win the battle, by all means do so. If not, look for another job or find a way to gracefully give in. Your obstinancy is being noticed by all parties…
Posted by: Dave Kastner | July 31st, 2007 at 4:12 am | Report this commentRemember: It’s not survival of the fittest, fastest, strongest or smartest. Those that are the most successful are those that are best at adapting to change.
Literally, in your case.
Posted by: R | August 1st, 2007 at 7:46 pm | Report this commentGet a grip! Your clients should be paying for the quality of your expertise and advice not your dress sense. Who decided that suits look more presentable anyway? If you’ve got nothing better to occupy your mind with than this then I fear greatly for your business.
Posted by: Partner, 40 | August 2nd, 2007 at 1:11 pm | Report this commentIt is one thing to stick to suits because it is presentable in one’s profession; quite another to betray your thoughts by–gasp–actually rolling your eyes or–gasp again–’rebuking’ anyone for failing to understand or do the same. As long as you refrain from the latter, and until your boss specifically asks you to give up the former, you should do fine.
Posted by: Michael, Private Banker, 38 | August 4th, 2007 at 1:01 am | Report this commentStick to your suits, but try without wearing a tie or have fun with your shirts. Relax your style. Aftr all it really comes down to the shoes. You will always be neat and ready for meetings with clients. don’t try to stick out like a sore thumb and be perceived an a non-team player. Keep a tie in your office or desk. The khaki route is lazy for some and comfortable for others.
Posted by: KH | August 7th, 2007 at 6:01 pm | Report this commentMuppet!
Posted by: Calvin | August 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 am | Report this commentIn my ‘career’ I’ve gone from one extreme to the other: When I used to work in broadcasting and other meeja-type employment, I used to wear jeans and a tee shirt. The station tee shirt, if I was in ‘brown nose’ mode.
In the past I’ve gone to interviews in silk tie and cufflinks, only to be interviewed by people in ripped jeans and dirty sweaters. It’s embarrassing.
Now I do something-or-other in the City, and it’s suited and booted every day. Chinos in the City? It’s just wrong.
My advice would be to make a small compromise: as most folks above say, just keep the suits, but ditch the tie, except when you’re making importanta presentataions and visiting clients.
Posted by: Craigoh | September 4th, 2007 at 4:03 pm | Report this commentLets be honest you want to wear your suits because they are expensive and you like wearing them!!!
That’s fair enough so keep wearing them. You will stand out from your dressed down colleagues but that’s what you want isn’t it?
Does this matter? NO!!!!!
Posted by: Pete the Lawyer | October 17th, 2007 at 5:19 pm | Report this commentGood for you! I am also 30 and male and work in a very casual jeans wearing office. I am the only one who dresses business smart. I don’t wear a suit but wear a stiff collar shirt (starched collar and cuffs) with necktie and smart trousers everyday. I wear my necktie very neatly knotted and take pride in my appearance and work image.
This does NOT mean I am trying to get attention or stand out or think I am better (am actually quite shy). This simply means I prefer working in smart business dress, I feel professional and more productive.
Other advantages:
- Don’t worry about what to wear to work.
- Have clear definition of work clothes and out of work clothes, no cross over.
- Find it is cheaper in the long run having business clothes for work.
- Feel good about being myself, and not having conformed to the pressure of the expectation we are all cool and casual at work.
Basicaly I work in an office and like to dress smart and enjoy wearing a shirt and tie at work - what is so wrong with that?
Posted by: Office Worker - United Kingdom | November 7th, 2007 at 11:52 am | Report this commentBravo! Good for you. You speak for a large number of men today. There are plenty of us out there who are sick and tired of being told to dress like we are going to a hardware store on a Saturday morning, and being forced to wear casual clothes to a professional job.
More and more young men are starting to dress professionally again. If the people you work with are genuinely threatened by you wearing a suit, then why not look around for a job where you can be yourself? Or go out on your own? I was in your situation - and I finally left and started up my own company. Good luck!
Posted by: Jim W | November 9th, 2007 at 8:28 pm | Report this commentYou sir, are an ABSOLUTE idiot.
Ever stop to think that maybe your colleagues don’t like buying or wearing “expensive suits” like yourself? That maybe, just maybe, it’s not “brown-nosing” on their part; maybe it’s just the old boss is gone (one of which I’m sure enforced the ridiculous dress-code policy to the max [incidentally, what the **** is a dress-code good for? To look “presentable?” Why, because a tee-shirt and jeans or khaki’s just can’t cut it when you’re in the office day in and day out?]), and everyone is finally feeling free to be comfortable in a work environment? Everyone, except of course, your arrogant butt, sitting around whining that your co-workers “look terrible” and why can’t they all just continue to play dress-up with you.
Idiot.
Posted by: Mike Cottec | April 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 pm | Report this commentWhy should you care so nuch about what others will think of you? It is your style and your choice.
Posted by: Anna,23, female, specialist in marketing | April 16th, 2008 at 6:03 am | Report this comment