SUITS, TIES AND TRUST ISSUES
Sarah Rutherford
Global Lead Product Marketing for Solutions and Industry Verticals
I was recently browsing the website of a large multi-national company. In their 'About Us' section they provided information about their senior leadership team, complete with photos. The first thing I noticed was the perennial problem - a complete lack of diversity - all male, white and north of 50. The next thing I noticed was their attire. All were dressed in smart dark coloured suits and most had buttoned up shirts and immaculate ties. This seems to be a fairly standard representation of the senior leadership in the corporate world.
Presumably photos are placed on the website to provide a human face to the company - someone to relate to but how do suits and ties help with that? In days past I think a smart suit and tie was shorthand for reliable and responsible. Men in suits = trust! but how the world has changed. Let's face it the financial crisis we can still feel the shockwaves from wasn't created by the guys and girls in jeans and t-shirts - or at least not typically! We've lost our trust in men in suits and ties. Today looking at such images is more likely to elicit a feeling that the subjects are remote, un-approachable and over-privileged, given recent history some might equate them to downright un-trustworthy.
There is plenty of precedent - can you imagine Mark Zuckerberg in formal business attire? Interestingly he has made a virtue out of his rather bland choice of grey T-Shirt claiming that wearing the same thing every day means he has less decisions to make and can concentrate on more important matters. While I'm not sure that occasionally breaking out a more exciting T-shirt would be that distracting, my point is that his outfit doesn't mean we think un-reliable, irresponsible or un-trustworthy.
Suits, shirts and ties are also the uniform of men - of course women can wear them but it's not that common. Many women are glad that we have slightly better options and more choice when it comes to what we wear to work. The problem is that the standard portrayal of business leaders in uniform dark suits with shirts and ties emphasises the 'otherness' of any women who do make it into the leadership photo shoot.
So maybe it's time for some companies to look at how they portray their brand through the attire of their senior executives. By leaving the suits in the wardrobe could they actually portray a better version of the company they represent? A true human face that's approachable and well normal - a group of people that would welcome diversity.
All opinions expressed in this blog are mine alone and are not endorsed by any other person or organisation
Agile Innovation & Discovery Lead | Principal Product Manager | Product Owner | Business Analyst | Lecturer, Author & Editor | Agile Coach | Entrepreneur.
8 年Since I'm one of those "white, male and (almost) 50" people you refer to, Sarah, I'm not sure whether to agree, disagree or be annoyed :-D Personally, I think that every Organisation has the right to set its own dress code. That could be full professional suit & tie, business casual, T-shirts & shorts or even Uniforms. After all, that's what they are: work Uniforms. They're supposed to be representative of the organization, not of the individual. Interestingly, I think the pressure that *some* employees feel under to wear the 'right' clothing at work, especially juniors, is just as prevalent (and pointless) where casual culture reigns. Just look at those 'dress-down Friday' things (I never dress down in work, as a point of principle). Sometimes you see people who are so obviously uncomfortable in their Bermuda shorts and sandals that you want to say "just wear your suit and relax" :-)
Global Lead Product Marketing for Solutions and Industry Verticals
8 年Hi Richard, thank you for contributing to the debate. My aim was to make a suggestion or at least give food for thought, I'm not much of a revolutionary! I absolutely hadn't considered my own photo when I posted and what you say is interesting. I'm quite pleased my outfit can pass as smart but as it's a ￡10 bargain and made out of a kind of denim we can put that down to the photographer's skills. I think that such a get up would look a little out of place in a corporate mugshot. Your comment that it was a female equivalent also intrigued me, it acknowledges that it is different from the male attire, it would look different, however if the men were in say a variety of clothes say a couple of open necked shirts, a few in polo shirts, a couple in t shirts and one in a Hawaiian shirt it wouldn't stand out as much (Hawaiian shirts going too far?). The majority of people in business no longer had their minds moulded in the 50's and 60's -I'll hit 50 this year and I didn't.
I'm a bit confused by this article. Are you issuing a call to action or an abjuration of the traditional values in the corporate world? After all, aren't you wearing the female version of the business suit in your photo? While I agree that it would be nice for a lot of us if we were to be allowed to see the "men behind the curtain". Even if 'he' is a she. In the business world it is still very de rigueur to at least have the dark suit and tie for your intended audience if no other reason. Even if you wear t-shirts and cut-off shorts with sandals to work every day. For the most part it is expectations that drive what companies put on their web sites. They are very much aware of their customer's expectations, potential partner's expectations and don't forget investor's expectations. A large majority of all three of these groups are still the people who grew up and had their minds molded by the 1950-60's. For them the dark suit and tie is a requirement not just a fashion statement. Until the expectations of the various audiences change I don't see the dark suit going away. Thank you for giving me something to think about.