Earlier this week I was having coffee with another professional talking about work and the related environments when the topic of workplace attire came up. I have to agree with her final conclusion that throwing on a pair of yoga pants to go into the office would be most desired! She was spot on for me!
But, just like a college degree sends a message to an employer (or potential employer) so does our outward appearance (like it or not). The Signaling Theory[1] was offered by an economist in 1973 to explain how education is used by employers to evaluate ability when it is not readily observable. Employers don’t readily have the data available on an individual’s productivity so they use things like the willingness to get an education to measure their ability to produce. How one appears in workplace is also a signal. Seems straightforward and I’m sure we all have understood this for some time. We’ve all been told to “dress for success” or “dress for that next position you want.”
How women dress in the workplace can present its own set of challenges. This isn’t to say it can’t be a challenge for men as well (yes it can be). However, for different reasons women have to be aware of how we are judged by our co-workers (male and female) in the business setting. The fact is that our outward appearance sends messages to those at work that can impact progress.
Every work environment is different and company policies vary widely. Company policies can be based on long-standing company and/or industry cultures (e.g. Wall Street conjures up a certain expected appearance). Conservative banks typically favor suits or at the very least business casual. Construction sites, not so much. Also, a company sets dress code(s) that in some cases is both written and unspoken. The company policy states “business casual” but the expectation at a certain level (or even to get to that level) is more formal. What do you do?
A former colleague of mine, Paula, worked at a firm that had a business casual policy when she started. She observed a couple of things: 1.) the men at the top wore traditional suits, some even tailored; 2.) any employee who worked at corporate headquarters rarely just wore business casual, especially if they would be meeting with “top brass” that day; and 3.) the CEO’s view: “if you dressed sloppy, you’re thinking must be sloppy.” She decided she would wear a business suit every day that were both pant suits and those with skirts. She did this purposefully to look as much like the men at the top as possible. She figured it would have a positive (or at the very least neutral) impact on her career at that firm.
Over time she was known for her dress in both a positive and negative way. A male senior executive commented to her one day that she was the best dressed woman in the bank. Not too long after that a female senior executive told her she needed to lose the banker look. This particular female senior executive didn’t wear business suits, nor did she wear business casual but instead wore more of a chic and tasteful Glamour look. I find the differing views and their owners very intriguing.
In July of 2013, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court upheld a ruling that a dental assistant had no legitimate claim to unlawful sex discrimination against her boss after he fired her. The former boss and dentist (Dr. James Knight) fired her because he “didn’t think it was good for him to see her wearing things that accentuated her body.” Dr. Knight’s wife demanded that she be fired, testifying “She was a big threat to our marriage.” If Dr. Knight is so easily distracted, I’m very happy he’s not my dentist!
Personally, I think it’s great that women have so many choices in terms of work wardrobe: dresses, suits, skirts and blouses, pants and blouses, etc. It’s far better than just khakis like Jake from State Farm! (That sounds hideous!) But our choices can have consequences as it can lead to the disapproval and criticism of others in the workplace and even your boss’ wife. Even more serious, it can have an impact to employment, promotions, raises and bonuses.
Most days, like my coffee companion, I’d prefer to get up and throw on those favorite yoga pants for work, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be within company policy. So then it’s the important decision of what message I want to send. Like it or not, the style of fashion I chose is read by those I work with every day. They may see classy, trampy, sloppy, neat, or disheveled depending on their perspective and make judgments about my work ethic, intelligence, intentions and abilities.
So as we wait here for that next job or promotion or raise, we have to decide what to wear and understand it may impact that next job, promotion or raise. In the end, we have to decide what is right for us as individuals and how that aligns with our values and goals.
So what are you wearing, “Jake from State Farm”?
P.S. If you don’t get the Jake reference, it’s a U.S. commercial. YouTube “Jake from State Farm.”
[1] Spence, A. Michael 1973. Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics 87, 355-74.
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