Casual Friday - Who benefits?

Successful companies want their employees to dress well to complement their corporate image for good business reasons.

There are unwritten rules and guidelines set by certain companies on this aspect. Some pay dress allowances, some provide uniforms free to their employees to avoid being perceived as sloppy, lazy, careless or a casual organisation which has its own ramifications.

While businesses typically want their employees to look professional, some have adopted the practice of having casual Fridays, where instead of wearing business attire, employees are allowed to dress down a bit.

This more relaxed, business casual dress code usually entertains various forms of casual wear; some have defined and some haven't.

However, the competitive business environment demands that, ideally employers add another working day to the five day week and not make Friday a day to relax.

My own recent "casual confusion" Last Friday, three managers representing a large conglomerate walked into my office and two were clad in office wear and one was in casual (Polo T-shirt) while I was not at all concerned about it, the most senior manager in the team was quick to remark "Sorry, my colleague didn't know about this appointment, hence came to office in casual wear in keeping with the company practice".

This bears ample testimony to the fact that the preferred choice by the company was to be in office attire for such meetings with the conviction that casual does not project the right image.

Is this their first such experience? Has this Casual Friday practice been a frequent limitation for them?If "Casual Friday" works why not "everyday casual" I have followed this trend in Sri Lanka very closely and I have asked people who believe in casual Fridays as to what the rationale behind was, and the answers have been; "people like it and it motivates them, casual is a more practical dress, it creates a more exciting work environment, it promotes creativity - so it's a win-win".

My return question to them is "why don't you then make all five days casual?" Theoretically, it should improve business results. Don't you agree? So why hasn't that been done?

"Casual" communicates - probably not what you like If you are dressing too casual, you may be perceived as clumsy, lazy, not serious or sloppy.

These are not positive images. When you dress, take a moment and consider how others will perceive you. Think about people you have met over the years who did not dress appropriately.

They stood out (and not in a good way). Ask yourself if casual Friday extends the weekend by taking away the usual focus on the job. It's no wonder that the meaning of casual has been lost on employees.

Compromising professionalism for comfort The definition of appropriate casual business attire has a lot to do with your work environment and the type of work you do.

Media, advertising, public relations, graphic artists and the like tend to dress more casually than corporate employees every day of the week. But by and large, executives, middle managers and other leaders in almost every profession are expected to project the image of the company even when the day calls for less dressy styles.

Even if the organisation's practice is to allow employees to relax a bit on casual Fridays, employees should still be well dressed and serve as good representatives for the company they work for. This means clothing should not be too loose. Whatever clothing is worn, it should be smart professional and presentable for optimum individual performance and consistent image. One would argue, casual is a good way to blend comfort and professionalism but you should not compromise professionalism for comfort.

The hidden cost of a "casual mind set" can be huge, it demands careful analysis.Employers should be very clear on what they would like to achieve out of it. Cost becomes secondary if the objectively set goal is achieved via Casual Friday.

Casual Friday as a fashion does not mean anything.As an individual, remember you are an important part of your employer's image.

The way you dress reflects the type of company you work for and speaks volumes to your customers and clients on how your company sees itself and its people.