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Black Collegian Career Center
'How Do I Look?'
Survey Says: Relaxed Attire May be Too Comfortable
A
growing number of employees are taking dress-down Friday a bit too
literally, suggests a recent survey of executives. While the majority (55
percent) of those polled said they feel employees’ dress appropriately
on relaxed attire days, 39 percent of managers believe workers appear too
casual.
Accountemps,
the world’s first and largest temporary staffing service for accounting,
finance and bookkeeping professionals, developed the survey. It was
conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150
executives with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.
Executives
were asked, "How would you describe the appearance of most employees
on casual dress days?" Their responses:
|
Much
too casual |
5% |
|
Somewhat
too casual |
34% |
|
Appropriate |
55% |
|
Somewhat
too formal |
1% |
|
Much
too formal |
1% |
|
Don't
know or no answer |
4% |
|
|
100% |
"Relaxed
dress policies are a proven recruitment, retention and motivational tool
for businesses, but they are not without limitations," said Max
Messruer, chairman of Accountemps and author of the best-selling Job Hunting For Dummies® (IDG
Books Worldwide). "The operative word in 'business casual' is
business - what you wear has an impact on how you're perceived at work and
continues to play a role in career advancement."
Messmer
said that while being neat and well groomed is essential, dressing
casually, but professionally, doesn't have to involve splurging on
expensive designer clothing. He offers the following tips:
-
Observe
what managers at your firm are wearing and follow their example. The
maxim, "Dress for the position you would like to achieve,"
still holds true.
-
Know
your industry. Some fields, such as finance and law, are traditionally
more conservative and may call for more conventional business attire.
-
Be
attuned to your company's culture. Clothing that is perfectly suitable
for one employer might be too
casual for another.
-
When
in doubt, err on the conservative side, particularly if your job
involves meeting with clients regularly.
-
Always
keep a jacket or blazer on hand in case you are called into a meeting
unexpectedly.
Accountemps
has more than 270 offices throughout North America, Europe and Australia,
and offers online job search services at: http://www.accountemps.com.
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