Ties and suits

Ties and suits have been replaced by the new business casual dress style at many North

Carolina companies. While the change has been attributed to helping break down workplace

barriers and fostering creativity, it can be challenging for companies seeking to maintain a

professional appearance. That challenge has placed more demands on human resource

departments to define what is - and is not allowed in the modern workplace. “The image of

the person must be in touch with the image of the entire company,” says the vice president of

human resources with Spectrasite Communications. “Each company has a different

environment and the dress codes must be customized to that setting.”

The relaxing of ofñce dress standards seemed to coincide with the explosion of computer

companies in the 1980s. Creativity and originality were more valued among young computer

designers than were three-piece suits. The founding of the dot-com companies further

promoted the idea of casual dress for creative thinking. Many companies have eliminated

coats, ties and suits, but reject blue jeans and T-shirts. Some started allowing casual dress on

Fridays and then slowly let it creep into the rest ofthe work week.

Giving up formal business dress has been favourably linked with employee performance and

the elimination of some barriers among various levels of employees. If people dress the same

in companies, there tends to be better communication among the different ranks of

employees.

A manager loosened the dress code at his company, aiming at improving business

relationships with clients. “The dress codes of most of our customers have changed to a more

casual style,” he says. “I felt wearing a tie was actually creating barriers between us and our

customers

Most companies rely on their employees’ good judgment to dress appropriately for a sales call

or meeting, although human resource directors agree that sometimes, especially in the

summer, employees can push business casual too far.

As more college students enter the workplace, more companies are also having to deal with

the recent fad for tattoos and body piercings. Students are advised to cover tattoos and remove

jewelry besides women’s earrings, before going to a job interview. Conservative, professional

business suits are still the correct interview attire, and female

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