Why it’s HR’s fault for Casual Dress Code “Don’ts”

Don’t be this guy on Casual Dress Code Day

Casual Dress Code

If your company has a casual dress code day, do your workforce a favor and give them a heads up on what your company considers casual dress. HR usually only knows what Casual Dress Code Day means because we know what Casual Day is NOT.  Plenty of folks in the workplace don’t know what “casual dress” implies. If they did, they wouldn’t have worn what they did. You didn’t hire someone stupid, did you?  Is it their fault for not knowing what to wear, or HR’s fault for not explaining the standards and the implications? 

Only BAD impressions will stick with us.  Anyone who honors the Casual Dress code will fall under the radar. Folks shouldn’t be judged for their lack of professional experience and the interpretations that come with it. The workforce is a reflection of leadership, and how they carry themselves is a reflection of HR.     

Everyone who has worked in a company with a dress code is familiar with “casual dress day.” D-day for dress Faux PAS in the workplace. Ground Zero for Cosmo “Don’ts.” On this day, there will be as much, if not more, behind-the-back snickering, raised eyebrows, and shaking heads as the rest of the year. The exception, of course, is the company Christmas Party.   

Summertime casual

With summer comes the company BBQ. This isn’t the weekend BBQ held off-site, where you’re expected to shoot squirt guns or eat messy foods. Shorts and T-shirts are encouraged. I am talking about a parking lot BBQ. This usually happens during the week, and the managers may serve food to the staff. HR makes a big announcement and a big to-do about how they will “let” everyone wear casual clothes. Company-wide emails, meeting announcements, and hallway flyers- type stuff. Yes, we will let you wear jeans.    

If you are accustomed to wearing a suit and tie to work every day, you can take it down a notch. The company usually suggests slacks and a polo shirt. Women can wear pants and open-toed shoes. 

If your dress code is slacks and a collared shirt, HR will “let” you wear jeans, not T-shirts. This is aka, “jeans day.” Whoo Hoo!

The Breakdown

The lemmings fall in line, get excited, and jeans will run the gamut. The Marketing department will be sporting the latest $250.00 7’s, True Religions, or Japanese Selvage Denim. These jeans NEVER go into the dryer.  Hang dry only.   

Analysts will be wearing jeans that they wore 7 years ago. It is a little too short and tight at the waist after too many sessions in an extra-hot dryer. “If I can dry them in 1 hour on normal, I can dry them in 30 minutes on extra hot.  It’s simple math!”  Avoid low-rise, tight, ripped, or jeans with holes. Your manager won’t know your jeans are special at $300.00. Common sense would suggest that you cannot be trusted with the company’s funds.  

I spent many of my formative years in a place where a white shirt and a two-piece, matching suit were required. Leather-soled shoes and a clean-shaven appearance were mandated. (Being a hairless Asian, I never had to worry about this one.) You would have thought the week before Jean’s Day was the week before Christmas in a grade school. Giddy! 

We may not know what Casual dress is, but we know what it is NOT:

Professional Athlete wanna-be: 

A baseball cap with a flat brim is worn to the side, and the tags may still be attached.  A team jersey tank top, extra-long basketball shorts designed for someone 6 feet 8, glasses worn indoors, and shiny 150.00 kicks.   Why this professional athlete wannabe is eyeballing every female in the house is beyond me. SITUATION and Jersey Shore come to mind. CLM!  (Career Limiting Move)

PJs

We said casual day, not “this is what I wear to bed” or “this is what I wore to bed, ate breakfast in, brushed my teeth in” day.  I don’t want to see flip-flops on a day like this, but I don’t want to see house slippers.  CLM. 

I don’t care, aka I don’t think

Wearing the dirtiest, rattiest T-shirts that are stained and ripped always show up. Some employees go to the extreme to make a point. We are not talking strategically placed rips that are sexy in the stripper, rocker sort of way. As GrumpyOldMan would say, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”!!!  Seriously!  What kind of statement are you trying to make here?  In my Corporate America days, I would personally take this as a slap in the face.  2x CLM.    

Preppy Golfer Guy

You know him.  Bright Plaid pants, sweater draped over the shoulders, and boat shoes with no socks.  Ray Bans resting on top of the head.  Insert collared polo or button-down here. This isn’t a fashion show, this isn’t the Stanford Rowing Regatta, and this isn’t an Ivy League fraternity. Your choice of clothes on this particular day indicates your decision-making process. 

I’m not sure what to call it

I understand that leggings and skinny, tight-fitting stretch jeans are in style. They are not “in” regarding the workplace. Heels with a low-cut top, see-through crop cut, or all listed are not work-appropriate.  Skin is not the new Black in the workplace.  CLM.

When in doubt: If I can see up, down it, or through it, don’t

The dress is a reflection of the company and the manager. Visits to clients typically require a certain level of discretion. Bigger opportunities and larger projects often go hand in hand with speaking in front of work groups and making presentations. Be remembered for your work, not your wardrobe.   

No post on this topic would be complete without suggesting how to dress.  Use your head. If you’re considering making Casual Day your runway and want to know what to wear, ask HR. Don’t trust your HR department? Wear what you usually wear and skip the tie. 

If you plan to hold Casual Dress Code Day or Casual Friday or expect dress standards for any event, you owe it to the folks to set clear expectations.   

Got a Casual Dress Don’t or a Rant on the topic? Let us know in the comments.

HRNasty works in a startup environment. There is no dress code, and therefore, one is not necessary. Give trust and you will receive trust.

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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