Nine in 10 employees feel wearing a suit does nothing to make you look smart, and are increasingly turning to a casual dress code, research has found.
A survey by development consultancy The Aziz Corporation found more than half of bosses allow staff to work in smart casual dress for daily office life, with fewer than one in four offices requiring staff to wear suits at all times.
One-third of men felt short skirts were appropriate, compared with 16% of females, and similar numbers on both sides had the same opinion of low-cut tops.
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Less than half of those working in financial services still require suits to be worn, while one in four media workers were allowed to wear casual clothing to work and to business meetings (versus one in 10 survey-wide).
“Enforcing a suits-only dress code is seen as outdated and perhaps a little insular in an increasingly international workplace, an image that savvy modern companies want to steer clear of,” said professor Khalid Aziz, chairman of Aziz. “Suits are best saved for business meetings, where a very formal appearance is desirable.”
