Is this carrying company casual dress policy too far?

We have varying standards depending on if you are going on the trading floor or not (collared shirt, nice jeans, no sandals). And also if you are client facing that day, long sleeved shirt, no jeans, sport coat.

But it’s mostly not a published standard as much of it is just common sense and decorum.

Until the ‘90s I worked in the creative department of ad agencies, so dressing casually wasn’t only permitted, it was encouraged for “The Creatives” by “The “Suits.” Later, when I started working for big tech companies, I had to dress a bit more formally (though never in suits or ties), but I had no problem with that. I always believed that a company’s dress rules are put in place out respect for customers and clients, not to piss off employees, so I dressed the way I was requested to. Over the years the rules loosened up tremendously and in the final years of my full-time career I was dressing a lot like I did in my advertising days.

Nonetheless, I still believe that following company dress code is both the right and smart thing to do, and that while your passive-aggressive approach might make you feel good, it could backfire.

My last job had a very lax dress code, since there were about eight of us in the office, and we didn’t deal directly with the public. You were pretty much good as long as you didn’t smell like weed and have Cheetos in your hair. (There was a beer fridge in the office. Seriously, lax)

So of course, we’d all hear about some investor or something planning on coming in the next day, and word would spread that we have to dress like adults tomorrow.

And then the investor wouldn’t show up, and we’d spend that whole day complaining that we wore socks and shoes and everything for no reason, and why can’t people keep their appointments?

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room , My passive aggressive approach is in complete compliance with the rules. If you can wear a T shirt, certainly you should be allowed to wear one with a tuxedo printed on it.

I actually feel most comfortable wearing business casual. I know I am in the minority on this, but I think that dressing that way helps maintain a more professional and productive environment. I just think it is silly having such finely grained distinctions. Why should wearing sneaker be more casual than wearing jeans?

I’m with @Pachyderm_In_The_Room . If those are the rules and they are paying you for something you are interested in doing for a while then follow them.
Dress code sets the tone for the image the company is trying to show to customers – and yes, even to employees.

There will always be something “wrong” with a dress code. Yes it is a line in the sand. So what?

You might feel good about the silent but legal protest but it will not go unnoticed. It could even backfire down the road when two people are, unknowingly competing for a desirable promotion.

@LostInParadise – while your ‘solution’ makes you feel empowered, and proud of yourself, it’s not really a protest if the people you are protesting to don’t realize what’s going on. Sort of like mental masturbation—you feel good, but no effect on anything or anyone else.

I’m not sure what the reason is to cavil in the first place. You work for them and they have a policy. That’s neither unjust nor onerous. I can’t see why there is such angst about it in your mind.

I guess it teaches one the difference between casual and casual. A pair of dark jeans worn with a jacket and good accessories and shoes comes across as smart casual. Casual with sneakers etc., I feel should not be invited to the work place. (Depending on the type of place of course).

I’m with @LornaLove, I think anything too casual is inappropriate for a business dealing with the public or customers. Today I’m wearing a new long-sleeved company tshirt with nice jeans and black loafers but that’s an anomaly because we’re having an event today so we all were asked to wear these for Black Friday.

Normally I have a button-down long-sleeved company shirt or company polo to wear with dress khaki’s or nice jeans (no frays, holes or anything hip) on Friday’s.

Since my company doesn’t deal with the public, we pretty much wear whatever we want (and can afford!)

Our office isn’t customer-facing at all but we still have a “business-casual” dresscode. It’s relaxed to casual (jeans, t-shirts and sneakers all okay) at weekends, and also one Friday a month provided you donate £1 to the company-chosen charity (which this year is a local cancer hospice). I think that three-tier dresscode is crazy.

When I worked in an office we dressed smartly every day except dress down Friday which was casual. The casual day caused HR the most problems in terms of defining what was acceptable. How revealing could an outfit be? What T shirt slogans were acceptable? What constituted football colours etc. It was quite funny at times. Now I work from home and could sit in my pajamas if I wanted to.