Q&A talks about dressing for the office during the summer with Kelleigh Marquard, branch manager of OfficeTeam in Hartford.
Q: According to a recent OfficeTeam survey, 74 percent of human resources managers in the United States said their company’s dress code does not relax during the summer. What are the top summertime wardrobe offenses?
A: Summer months can be tricky to navigate, fashion-wise, because there can be some ambiguity when dress codes are relaxed. So of the most common summertime wardrobe offenses include:
Sheer clothing. Your clothing should never be overly revealing. Watch out for materials like linen and chiffon that can be transparent.
Flip-flops/inappropriate footwear. Flip-flops are almost never appropriate in an office environment. In some cases, open-toed sandals are OK for women, but check your company’s dress code to confirm.
Midriff-baring shirts and low-rise pants. In general, you want to avoid any attire that shows too much skin.
Sundresses. If you work in a professional environment, a sundress can seem out of place. Instead, wear sheath dresses or skirts and blouses.
T-shirts. T-shirts are rarely appropriate in an office environment, particularly those that contain political or other controversial messages.
Capri pants. Capri pants won’t cut it in a formal work environment, even when the weather heats up.
Q: How can dressing inappropriately hurt your career? Is it more of a short-term blip? Or does a certain stigma attach itself to you for years to come?
A: If your office attire is inappropriate, you may not always receive the level of respect your achievements merit. If management or colleagues view you as less professional, you may be passed up for important promotion or growth opportunities. When considering people for promotions, companies tend to look for those who will make a good impression on business contacts, clients and alliance partners. How you dress most definitely plays a role in how you are perceived. If you have a one-time slip up and wear something unprofessional or inappropriate to work, it is certainly something you can recover from. But if you consistently break the dress code, you will draw attention to yourself and establish a reputation at work for your unprofessional appearance.
Q: What can a manager do when employees dress unprofessionally? What actions can be taken?
A: First, companies should create specific dress codes so employees know what is expected. When any employees start dressing inappropriately, managers might want to email or post a reminder for all staff to review, rather than singling out the individuals. If the staff reminder doesn’t work and you need to address a specific individual, it’s wise to get the HR department involved as they can provide advice to help you manage that conversation. When discussing the issue, be sure to not let the conversation get personal — keep it business focused. Managers need to be diligent about enforcing the dress code. If one employee gets away with ignoring the dress code, others will soon follow or they will resent the employee for breaking the rules and getting away with it. Either way, it’s best to address the issue immediately to avoid escalation.
Q: Is there a perception that more women than men dress unprofessionally? How does dressing unprofessionally differ by gender?
A: We see both men and women make mistakes when it comes to dressing unprofessionally:
Men often make the mistake of wearing plaid or wild patterns on their shirts or ties. They also sometimes fail to wear dark socks with their dress shoes and also fail to polish their shoes. Men should wear navy, gray, brown or beige suits in natural fibers. For a more casual look, they can wear a conservative sports coat with a light colored shirt and pressed slacks.
Women often don’t realize they are wearing sheer tops or tank tops that can be considered too revealing. They also need to be careful about the details — for example, chipping nail polish or too much perfume — if used at all, scent should be subtle. Many people are sensitive to perfumes, so err on the conservative side. The classic “uniform” for women is a two-piece suit: a jacket paired with either pants or a skirt. Suits in conservative colors look best. Shoes with small heels, like close-toed pumps in leather or fabric, also are a safe bet.
Q: What are the rules for dressing professionally for entertaining clients or taking part in events outside of the office? Can you dress unprofessionally for a company picnic? Or at a baseball game? How about if you play for the company softball team or just go to cheer the team on?
A: Even though a suit is the best business attire, it may not always be appropriate for an event outside the office. If you’re heading to a company outing such as a picnic or sporting event, a more casual dress code is acceptable. Some good dress options include shirts with collars, short-sleeved blouses, khaki pants or nice jeans, and loafers or casual flats. A more casual summer dress code doesn’t mean no dress code at all. You still want to look put together and should always strive to look your professional best in and out of the office.
