Has the Pandemic Signalled the End of a Formal Dress Code?

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Has the Pandemic Signalled the End of a Formal Dress Code?

In 2020, clothes sales plummeted by 25%, the largest annual drop since records began 23 years ago. Our diminishing need for new business attire was a contributing factor as we lounged in pjs and comfy clothes on Zoom calls rather than dressing to impress in person. As we return back to the office, will we see a renaissance of more formal business attire?

Having discussed this with the Office VIBES® team, it feels like it is almost a foreign concept to don high heels or a suit and tie. This isn’t to say we’re not dressing smartly but with flexible working practices now commonplace, employees are questioning the need for an office dress code and instead preferring to adopt more comfortable and functional outfits.

It’s clear that the pandemic accelerated the long-standing discussion around whether business attire is still relevant. We may have started the Zoom calls making an effort but after a long period of lockdown, we wore what we wanted and were just as productive.

The power suit or dress once had a significance – a sign of professionalism – but the hybrid era will have fashion implications. Employees will need fewer office clothes and employers will focus on output. “I think people are going toward a more functional approach – what you get accomplished, not these formal rules about the number of hours you’re in the office, or how exactly you’re dressed,” says Robert Pozen, senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

It is likely that your own personal dress code will depend on how often you are in the workplace and if the traditional business attire empowers you. A more modern attitude to workplace fashion will affect your budget, the amount of time it takes you to get ready in the morning and how your clothes make you feel. Some people will feel the need to dress up to achieve optimum performance and others will have a more relaxed mind set but what is clear is that productivity and professionalism don’t need to come packaged in a suit. Who knows what the future holds…

(Source: bbc.com)