You make some excellent points, especially about schools and working from home. I have tended not to make a big thing of dressing up socially, though. I would not have enjoyed working from home, having moved to a location more convenient for getting to work many years ago. The UK is a low-productivity economy, and dressing down and working from home can lead to casual attitudes generally.
I’m sure every generation has disapproved of the societal choices of the next, but, I dare say, some of us will be walking around naked before long. Being an office worker in a professional role, my other half always dresses meticulously, in smart, corduroy or tweed trousers at this time of year, with a shirt (often with cufflinks), a jacket, and brogues. If it’s very chilly, he will also wear a nice, Aran jumper. Being in the construction industry, though, there are occasions where he does have to wear high visibility gear, which he puts on over top whatever he has chosen to wear for that day. Even when working from home, he makes an effort to look as professional as possible. As for myself, though I work at home and spend the majority of my time alone, I do have my own ‘dress code’, and whilst it is casual, it’s still smart. One must always make an effort if one can – but everyone has a different definition of ‘making an effort’ and what’s appropriate.
“Dressing Up” can also lead to casual attitudes, by people assuming they’re better than others because they were a better suit. Also, in my experience, “Working from Home” (and the inevitable relaxed dress code) leads to greater productivity. At Arm, the first year in lockdown increased productivity and sales by (if memory serves) over 20%. Considering the company had just moved into brand-new offices when the pandemic happened, this was a very important factor. Also, my last few years there involved working for the Texas office, where “Dressing Up” was not even an option, and anyway everything was done remotely.
I suspect all this depends on the industry and/or situation.
Personally, I feel much more comfortable in a suit. However, when working in a lab or with IT hardware, this isn’t appropriate; ties get caught in the machines or experiment, blood invariably results and spatters (you wouldn’t believe how much DNA gets spread when you’re slotting in circuit hoards).
You make some excellent points, especially about schools and working from home. I have tended not to make a big thing of dressing up socially, though. I would not have enjoyed working from home, having moved to a location more convenient for getting to work many years ago. The UK is a low-productivity economy, and dressing down and working from home can lead to casual attitudes generally.
I’m sure every generation has disapproved of the societal choices of the next, but, I dare say, some of us will be walking around naked before long. Being an office worker in a professional role, my other half always dresses meticulously, in smart, corduroy or tweed trousers at this time of year, with a shirt (often with cufflinks), a jacket, and brogues. If it’s very chilly, he will also wear a nice, Aran jumper. Being in the construction industry, though, there are occasions where he does have to wear high visibility gear, which he puts on over top whatever he has chosen to wear for that day. Even when working from home, he makes an effort to look as professional as possible. As for myself, though I work at home and spend the majority of my time alone, I do have my own ‘dress code’, and whilst it is casual, it’s still smart. One must always make an effort if one can – but everyone has a different definition of ‘making an effort’ and what’s appropriate.
“Dressing Up” can also lead to casual attitudes, by people assuming they’re better than others because they were a better suit. Also, in my experience, “Working from Home” (and the inevitable relaxed dress code) leads to greater productivity. At Arm, the first year in lockdown increased productivity and sales by (if memory serves) over 20%. Considering the company had just moved into brand-new offices when the pandemic happened, this was a very important factor. Also, my last few years there involved working for the Texas office, where “Dressing Up” was not even an option, and anyway everything was done remotely.
I suspect all this depends on the industry and/or situation.
Personally, I feel much more comfortable in a suit. However, when working in a lab or with IT hardware, this isn’t appropriate; ties get caught in the machines or experiment, blood invariably results and spatters (you wouldn’t believe how much DNA gets spread when you’re slotting in circuit hoards).
As in most things, one size doesn’t always fit.