78 WORK & RELAX
Fotos: modustollens, blackred, BeylaBalla, George Marks, Halfpoint, bonetta/iStock.com
Business Spotlight 6/2019
W
hat do you wear at work? How
do you decide? Does your work-
place have a dress code? Cloth-
ing really matters — to organi-
zations as well as to individual
workers — and it can have a deep
psychological effect. “What we wear has
a real impact on how we feel about our-
selves,” says Arianna Huffington, founder
and CEO of ThriveGlobal.com. “And that, in
turn,” she adds, “influences our work —
our confidence, creativity, ability to focus
and collaborate.” Her research shows that
80 per cent of employees have increasing-
ly experienced casual dress codes at work.
Nevertheless, according to TotalJobs.
com, the average female worker still
spends five months of her life thinking
about what to wear to work. No surprise,
perhaps, since more than a quarter of
women have had to deal with unwant-
ed comments about their appearance at
work, and one in ten has been sent home
to change as a result of their outfit choice.
Meanwhile, 88 per cent of men say their
work dress code causes them no concerns.
What we wear at work is subject to
generational differences, too. CEO Today
reports that the younger generation are
much less tolerant of dress codes — and
that a clear majority of young jobseekers
would “have a negative perception of any
company that enforced a dress code”. Ac-
cording to a study by outdoor clothing
company Stormline, allowing employees
to wear what they want can make them
happier and more productive.
With the majority of employees, espe-
cially millennials, favouring more casual
clothing, many employers are offering
WORK & RELAX
IN THE ZONE
Dress for success?
Kleidungsvorschriften am Arbeitsplatz sind in den letzten Jahren lockerer geworden.
Oft gibt es keinen formellen Dresscode mehr. Aber wird das auch den Erwartungen von
Klienten und Kunden gerecht? Und was sagt die Auswahl Ihrer Kleidung über
Sie und Ihr Unternehmen aus? JULIAN EARWAKER berichtet.
MEDIUM
appropriate [əˈprəʊpriət]
, angebracht
casual [ˈkæʒuəl]
, leger
CEO (chief executive
officer) [ˌsiː iː ˈəʊ]
, Geschäftsführer(in)
collaborate [kəˈlæbəreɪt]
, zusammenarbeiten
enforce sth. [ɪnˈfɔːs]
, etw. durchsetzen
environment
[ɪnˈvaɪ&rEnmənt]
, hier: Umfeld
founder [ˈfaʊndə]
, Gründer(in)
impact [ˈɪmpækt]
, Auswirkung
out of date [ˌaʊt əv ˈdeɪt]
, überholt; hier: nicht
mehr zeitgemäß
perception
[pəˈsepʃ&n]
, Wahrnehmung
research [riˈsɜːtʃ]
, Forschung
tie [taɪ]
, Krawatte
50% 76%
69%
22% 43%
26% over
1
/ 2
1 in 10
60%
42%
of British
workplaces have
a dress code
of these organizations
have a casual
dress policy
of workers feel more comfortable
dressing casually for work
believe that dressing
casually allows them to
express their personality
believe that suits are
no longer appropriate
as office clothing
say that a casual dress
code reduces the
pressure of having to
look good all the time
of workers say
that a casual
dress code is more
affordable and
takes less care
British workers
wears a suit
to work
of workers believe that a casual dress
code encourages a more relaxed office
environment and friendlier colleagues
think that a tie
is out of date for
workplace fashion
A QUESTION OF STYLE
Sources: http://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/Its-death-power-business-suit-casual-
Friday-every-day-working-week-now