Dress Codes Post-Lockdown: Why Your Colleagues Could Push Back

2020: the year of the ‘working from home uniform’ AKA loungewear. Whether pyjama bottoms and a hoodie, exercise leggings and trainers, if your colleagues have been working from home during lockdown then they will have become accustomed to the art of loungewear. 

With chains like M&S blaming job losses on the dramatic plunge in workwear sales whilst ASOS capitalises on the rise of loungewear & sportswear, Covid-19 has changed work patterns, maybe forever. Along with work commutes and set hours, you may find your colleagues will begin to push back on work dress codes as they return to work. 

Let’s explore why this might be the case and how you can ensure your work dress code is both justified and allows your colleagues to maintain focus on their daily performance. 

Dress Codes: Do You Need Them?

Depending on your business, having a dress code will be like marmite to you - you’ll either love it or hate it. While some may argue that dress codes create an air of professionalism within the office, others will argue it creates unnecessary stress for people to conform to the suit or the high heels, detracting from your staff’s ability to perform to their best capacity and simply adding to more costs as they seek often expensive office wear that is acceptable.

It’s obvious that dress codes are a traditional working practice. And while many of your staff were used to it as a normal element to working life pre-coronavirus, many will be returning to the office having lived in loungewear and ‘day’ clothes for 6 months. They will be used to casual dressing, reluctant to wear tight-fitting garments or to listen to their boss tell them what they can or cannot wear.

So, before enforcing a dress code, ask yourself: does your business really need it?

Encouraging Dress Codes Post-Lockdown

Perhaps your business has branded shirts that are needed to identify staff; maybe the customers or clients you work with wear formal work clothing, prompting you to fit their mould.

Whatever the reason for a dress code in your workplace, there are a few things you can do to encourage reluctant staff to continue to conform to your chosen dress code:

1.    Justify

Providing reasoning and an explanation as to why you are adamant on a dress code is important. Whether you are a construction firm with multiple staff working on different sites daily and in need of a branded uniform or a law firm which works with corporate, formally-dressed clients, it is important that you justify the need for a dress code for your staff.

2. Positive Focus

Your colleagues may have practically lived in exercise leggings or pyjamas for 6 months. Encouraging them to ditch the loungewear for a pant suit or a restrictive tie will not be an easy challenge.

Focus on the positive sides to a dress code - the fact that your colleagues can dress down on the weekends, making them feel more relaxed outside of work; if they wear a uniform, encourage the concept of equality for colleagues, where they feel that they are not judged by their choice of clothing.

3. Begin Dress Down Days

While they may already be a staple for some workplaces, introducing designated dress down days will encourage staff to conform to a dress code whilst having the chance to wear what they want on these designated days.

Whether it’s every Friday, once a month, or during the summer period, dress down days can bring an air of relaxation to the team and let them demonstrate their own personalities and interests through their fashion. Just remember - you must let your colleagues wear the clothes that they choose, even if that means tracksuit bottoms. Their day - their clothes!