Is ''Casual Friday'' Good For Business?

[arwalden]

Is it good for employee morale? Or is it just an excuse to be sloppy? Does a person who wears sharp-looking business attire act more professional? Is there any correlation between how sloppy one dresses and how much the quality of their work suffers?

-- Allen

Does anyone in your workplace push the limits of "Casual Friday" attire? You know... things like: wearing sports-clothes or something you'd expect to see at an office picnic, or sexy night-club attire?


"You know... 'an office that looks efficient, IS efficient,' as Mr. Hart says."
-- Roz Keith ("9 to 5")

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

1. I work in a very casual law firm

where everyone wears jeans, t-shirts and shorts. Yet, we all work like maniacs, we have clients out of the wazoo and we get our job done.

I don't feel that the way we dress (including our boss, who always wears ratty t-shirts and shorts) determines whether we do our job and if we do it well.

In fact, I find that our clients feel more comfortable in this "relaxed" atmosphere. Of course, I have worked at my share of law firms that required strict business dress and, as a plus-size woman, getting dressed in the morning and avoiding to wear an outfit more than once in a week was a drama unto itself.

[Nosmo King]

2. The problem with "Casual Friday" is

if Friday is the only day some clients have to do business in your firm, the impression those clients get is that it's "casual" around here everyday.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Not if your clients have a brain.

Or if your employees have half a brain to explain it. Casual Friday is pretty common.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. It absolutely boosts morale to let loose for one day a week.

The quality of work can't possibly suffer that badly because of how one dresses on one day a week, compared with how much better they feel to be able to relax a little bit.

[DS1]

4. I think if anything it would be bad for business

My response to a 'casual friday' would be - "Oh look, my company thinks I'm mature enough to handle wearing jeans and still get my work done, but they'll only risk 20% of the workweek"

It's shallow. Either make every day casual unless you're in sales, or get rid of them altogether.

[rocktivity]

7. The last two places I've worked have gone "business casual"

Which basically means anything BUT sneakers or jeans--except on Fridays.

:headbang:
rocknation

[sniffa]

6. casuaL everyday, is good for our buisiness

of course, most of us work in the fieLd.

[Pool Hall Ace]

8. We are allowed to be casual every day

although there are rules. For instance, blue jeans are not allowed, so I just wear black or khaki jeans.

There are people who push the limits, and they are usually sent home to change. There was one young woman who was "counseled" about her wardrobe. She often looked like she was dressed to go clubbing (revealing tops, short skirts). She went out and bought a new wardrobe, and now she looks really sharp and elegant.

One guy who was sent home because he was wearing a silk tee-shirt came back in a suit and tie.

[supernova]

9. We have casual day everyday

I fall somewhere in the middle on the formal scale around here, with my no-iron peddlepushers, cotton shirt and open-toed shoes. There are people who dress more formally than I do, some less. One guy even wears shorts and sandals.

In general though, the higher up on the food chain you are, the less likely you'll indulge too much in casual dress. Most of the big wigs stick to loosened business attire, meaning dress slacks and ironed shirts, but no ties.

I'm at a Fortune 10 company, btw.

[Parrcrow]

10. Its okay, unless you dress like a pirate

and that's okay, if you work on a pirate ship.

[arwalden]

11. ... or Disneyland.

[Catfight]

12. Did you see the "Curb your Enthusiasm" with casual Fridays? LOL

[Danmel]

13. I think it depends

I worked at a law firm that had Casual Fridays but one day we had an emergency court appearance and people weren't dressed for court. One of the attorneys went in and got his head handed to him by the judge. The partners still wanted Casual Friday but I always wore something I could go to court in on Fridays just in case something came up on one of my files. Not necessarily a suit, but something presentable enough that I could go if I had to.

[Beware the Beast Man]

14. I found that I was much more productive on jeans days.

[kedrys]

15. The last place I worked at was business casual

and since we were an IT department, I got away with untucked polo shirts for 3 years. Our department boss always wore suits, probably to cover the fact that she was the most clueless person in the department. No shorts or t-shirts (unless you had to come in on a weekend), your choice of footwear, and damn near everybody cussed like a f*cking sailor, including our clients. :P

On edit: and the occasional hawaiian shirt Friday, or other sartorial conspiracy, decided by the crew, not the execs. :evilgrin:

[DBoon]

16. Yes it is bad for business

tough. We work hard enough. We deserve it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. I come to work wearing jeans and polo shirt every day

This is Brazil, remember. We'd have to come on thongs for it to be "Casual Friday".