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AFFORDABLE
A quick Google search can tell you that business suits are
expensive. Just type in business suits for men and women and you’ll find a
multitude of links to stores. For the ladies, there’s Macy's
and Ann Taylor. Men,
your options include Nordstorm
and Express.
Regardless of gender, business suits cost a lot more than business casual
apparel. In addition to the high costs of business suits, there are added
expenses of dry cleaning (John, n.d.) . Business suits
cannot be simply thrown in the wash like your favourite pair of jeans. Suits
need to be taken to dry cleaners for care. Besides, if you were spending
hundreds of dollars on a suit, you wouldn’t want to risk throwing it in the
washing machine; you would want to take proper care of it. Purchasing business
suits and taking proper care of them is costly. Casual apparel gets rid of
these costs, making things affordable for everyone and “easing economic strain
on employees” (Walton, 2013) .
SELF-EXPRESSION
While business suits may ensure everyone looks presentable,
it also eliminates individuality (John, n.d.) . If you’ve ever
attended a uniform school, you’ll know the feeling. Attending a uniform school
for most of my school years meant feeling and looking like everyone else. It’s
the same thing with business suits. While business suits suppress
individuality, business casual apparel allows individuals to freely express
themselves (John, n.d.) . It’s an
“appreciation of individuality” (Walton, 2013) where
self-expression is encouraged through outfits. Business casual means something
a little different to everyone. If you give the instructions of a casual
apparel dress code, you’ll have very different versions.
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PRODUCTIVITY
While there is no proven link between clothing and
productivity, there is a correlation. When a casual apparel dress code is
adopted, the focus is not on the dress code. Instead, the focus is on
productivity and getting tasks completed. Stricter dress codes put a heavier
emphasis on an employee’s wardrobe rather than on his or her contributions to the
company (Casual business attire, n.d.) .
FLEXIBILITY
Casual apparel in the workplace allows employees to be a lot
more flexible. Instead of having to worry about a very specific, strict dress
code, individuals have more options. In reality, this is a lot more reasonable
than stressing whether or not your outfit meets the business apparel criteria.
Instead, you can use that time you would have spent worrying over your outfit
to be productive.
Casual apparel is a great option that saves time, encourages
self-expression, focuses on productivity and allows flexibility. Did I miss
anything? If your workplace has a casual apparel dress code, comment some other
great reasons for adopting it. If your workplace doesn’t, do you agree with
these reasons? Do they make a convincing case for adopting a casual dress code?
References
Casual business
attire. (n.d.). Inc. Retrieved from
http://inc.com/encyclopedia/casual-business-attire.html
John, C. (n.d.). The advantages of business casual attire. Houston
Chronicle. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-business-casual-attire-23858.html
Walton, A. S. (2013). What are the benefits of a casual dress code? Livestrong.
Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/1001175-benefits-casual-dress-code/
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