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Radhika Panjwani is a freelance writer from Toronto.
- Workwear affects productivity, self-esteem and confidence
- With more workers returning to the office there’s a bigger emphasis on comfortable clothing
- Studies show when someone opts to break norms of work attire, they are perceived as having higher status and competence
Dressing for success is not a just a tired cliché. What you wear to work can help boost productivity, poise and your personal brand, says a Toronto-based personal and brand stylist.
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During her 20-year career in sales, Renée Lindo always made an effort to ensure she dressed well for work. Once she made the connection between looking good and feeling great, her confidence surged. Her self-assurance coupled with her competence proved to be invaluable assets at work whether Ms. Lindo was around boardroom tables, meeting clients or clinching plum contracts.
“Our clothes make a powerful statement,” said Ms. Lindo, chief executive officer of Let’s Get Dressed, a company that helps professionals to create functional wardrobes that align with their personal brands. “Clothes are how we introduce ourselves to the world and so, in the corporate setting, it’s important that we control the narrative and own our story.”
The death of formal business wear?
Over the past four years – including during the pandemic – where and how people work has seen a radical shift. Subsequently, what people wear to work now is greatly influenced by the individual industry and company culture. Most employers have a relaxed dress code, Ms. Lindo said. This may be because employers are expecting workers to be in the office now and so most organizations are wary of enforcing a strict dress code on top of their return-to-office mandates, she added.
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“I always say a ‘relaxed’ dress code doesn’t have to mean sloppy,” Ms. Lindo said. “We can dress a bit more relaxed [than before the pandemic] and still be polished. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. There’s a wide range between the two.”
Most businesses have now opted to dress down a notch. For instance, if workers previously wore suits with ties, now they are opting for a blazer or a sports coat with buttoned-down shirt and no tie. The trend these days is to wear comfortable clothing, she says.
The science on dressing
For their study in the Journal of Consumer Research, titled, “The Red Sneakers Effect: Inferring Status and Competence from Signals of Nonconformity,” researchers observed people’s reaction to those who defied well-established rules of dress code. The study found when individuals flaunted nonconformity and deviated from established norms, they were perceived by others as having a “higher status and competence.”
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In the study, college students were asked to rate two male college professors on their skills as teachers and researchers.
One subject wore a formal suit and was clean shaven and the other sported a beard and wore a T-shirt.
The students thought more highly of the bearded professor in casual attire, but only when the teacher’s bio mentioned that both the professors worked at prominent universities with formal dress codes. Simply put, it wasn’t the casual dress itself that inspired more confidence but the professor’s non-conformist attitude, which the students interpreted as “someone with high levels of autonomy and control.”
Another study from Temple University examined how clothing affected a worker’s choices in real-world. They found when employees thought they looked good and their style was distinctive, they experienced higher self-esteem, which in turn made them more productive.
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Style tips
Ms. Lindo, a personal and brand stylist says it’s possible to be comfortable and look sharp.
Her suggestions to be put together at work are:
- Many employers are now okay with employees wearing business casual attires including jeans, [which is actually smart casual]. In that case, wear dark denim and pair it with a blazer.
- Understand what works for your body shape and what styles work for your personality.
- A suit is not the only answer to what constitutes as “professional” attire. If you’re changing industries, do the research. Get an understanding of the industry and company expectations.
What I’m reading around the web
- This blog in Career Sherpa will help answer a common and important question during the interview – “Why did you choose this job?”
- This campus-to-career.com podcast dives deep into soft skills and discusses the much sought after attributes employers want in employees.
- This article on CNBC presents the findings of a study of 11,000 Americans conducted over 20 years that reveals good-looking men are more likely to land better jobs and make more money than similarly attractive women.
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