There's a new normal for office dress codes — and it's showing up in job postings

The Covid-19 pandemic struck a blow against business-casual dress codes, a trend that seems to be sticking.

Job listings and search firm Adzuna analyzed thousands of job postings across the United States in April 2023 to determine how many listed casual, business or formal dress codes, finding a steep drop-off in those mentioning business casual as a requirement.

At the request of The Playbook, Adzuna ran the data again and found, while there's been some recovery, the number of job postings requiring business-casual workwear has largely plateaued. That suggests more casual workwear is likely to be a new normal for office dress codes.

Job postings that referenced a business-casual dress code made up 39.2% of job postings in January 2019, compared to 59.8% that referenced a casual dress code. By January 2022, business-casual mentions dropped to 19.5% of job postings, while casual mentions climbed to 79.7%.

So far in January 2024, 22.2% of job postings referenced business-casual attire, far below pre-pandemic levels, while 77.2% referenced casual dress codes — significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Casual dress codes a compromise in post-pandemic workplace

For many employers, more casual dress codes are seen as a compromise for employees who have to regularly come to an office after working remotely during the pandemic.

“Businesses that are calling employees back to the office are doing everything they can to re-create the work-from-home experience,” said Farhan Siraj, CEO of OSHA Outreach Courses, in an email. “While other remote benefits such as freshly home-cooked meals and the comfort of a living room are hard to deliver in the office environment, a casual dress code is something much more straightforward.”

Josh Herbert, founder of sneaker-based fashion publication Captain Creps, also said in an email the leap to remote work during the pandemic created a rapid shift in workwear style, and workers took that style back to the office.

“Although some things are slipping back into the old methods, many businesses will keep the more casual dress code in a bid to retain employees," Herbert said. "Little things, like being able to wear their own style of clothing, can help entice prospective employees, as it nods to the general progressive culture of the business."

A study of 1,000 U.S.-based hybrid employees by flexible workplace provider IWG released in September 2023 found 79% of those workers dressed differently as part of their flexible work environments.?

“As attitudes towards what’s considered appropriate workwear evolves, fashion trends that normally would be reserved for off-duty hours have found their way into weekday dressing. It doesn’t make sense to have a closet full of drab suits reserved for Monday through Friday and a closet of fun clothes for the weekend,” said New York City-based stylist and creative consultant?Diana Tsui in a press release with the study. “The pandemic made companies realize that workers felt their best when they were able to wear outfits that reflected their personal style. Post-pandemic, we all want to have a little fun with our looks, and hybrid working allows for creativity and flexibility.”

About 85% of men in the study said they had noticed a shift in their professional attire compared to 77% of women, while 53% of hybrid workers were seeking easy-to-wear clothes they could use at home and work.

Majority of workers say they'd work in an office with a relaxed dress code

Meanwhile, remote workers would be more willing to show up to an office if more casual dress were allowed, according to Owl Labs' latest State of Hybrid Work survey, which polled 2,000 full-time employees.

About 72% of employees surveyed said it's important to have a flexible dress code, and 24% said they would be enticed to go to the office if they could wear any clothing or styles they choose.?In fact, about 25% said they would even take a pay cut for a relaxed or eliminated dress code.

A Gallup survey of workers earlier in 2023?found 41% of workers wear business-casual clothes, 31% wear street clothes and 23% wear uniforms. Just 3% reported wearing a suit to work —?the lowest percentage Gallup has recorded, and down from 7% in 2019.

The most recent Adzuna analysis found formal dress codes have cratered since a peak of 1.2% in January 2020, falling to just 0.2% in January 2024.?

But for Joe Camberato, CEO of National Business Capital, the noticeable shift in dress codes may result in an environment that is less than professional or is slipping in standards.

“To be honest, it seems a bit ridiculous to me. There's a noticeable lack of respect and self-respect that, in my opinion, shouldn't be happening or tolerated,” Camberato said in an email. “I was brought up to believe that how you dress reflects who you are. Personally, I think there's a psychological component to dressing well — it makes you feel good and influences your behavior.”

He said it is crucial for business owners to understand the nature of their business and be realistic about what the dress code should be.?Once a dress code is figured out, communicate that clearly to workers, then hold them accountable, he added.

“Even if it's a casual dress code, there's a distinction between being casually put together and wearing gym clothes,” Camberato said. “In our business, we enforce a dress code and emphasize its importance — not only for our clients, whether in person or on Zoom calls, but also for ourselves and our own mindset."