When we wake up in the morning for work, one of the first things that crosses our mind is picking what to wear to the office – unless you’re trying to live like outfit repeaters Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg who avoid making non-essential decisions at all costs.
Safe to say, the pandemic has dramatically transformed the way we work and also the way we dress at work. With hybrid work becoming more prevalent, companies are embracing flexibility and informality for office attire too. It’s time to reassess traditional office dress codes and find out which ones we’ve said hello and goodbye to.
Smart casual? Business casual? – They’re dying out
The definitions of “smart casual” and “business casual” have always been loosely defined and ambiguous. There’s that perpetual debate on whether jeans or polo shirts are acceptable. So thankfully, we found out that the world had decided to ditch these attires.
Statistically, the proportion of job ads referring to a “smart casual” dress code dropped from 9.1% in February 2020 to 5.2% in 2023. Meanwhile, we’ve noticed the demise of a “business casual” dress code. Precisely, the proportion of job ads referring to a “business casual” dress code nearly halved since the beginning of the pandemic, from 4.6% in February 2020 to its lowest in four years at 2.8% in February 2023.
It’s official: Casual dress codes are big this year
Do you recall that at the beginning of the pandemic, there was that “relatable” hype bubble where many white-collar workers shared their new work-from-home look for Zoom meetings – business up top and sweatpants on the bottom? And then there’s an activewear phase, as well as the defining “slob-chic” pyjama fashion.
As business reopens and many of us are returning to the office, these quarantine fashions don’t stand a chance since they’re hard to pull off anywhere outside of your home. Even though these trends are slowly dying out, they play a massive part in shaping the office dress code into more relaxed and casual. Looking into our stats, casual style rules in the world of workwear, with 80% of the job ads referring to a “casual” dress code, up +4% from 75.8% in 2020 and +3.5% year-on-year.
At this point, you’re probably wondering, what exactly is a “casual” dress code? Also known as “no formal dress code” or “non-dress code”, it refers to clothing that is relaxed, comfortable and informal. In the hierarchy of workwear, a casual dress code is the least formal. So generally, your everyday wear like T-shirts, hoodies, jeans, and sneakers are acceptable. That said, overly tight or baggy cuts, loungewear and flip flops are usually not welcome.
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When in doubt, check with your HR to understand what’s appropriate and what’s not. Remember, just because another colleague is wearing sweatpants, doesn’t mean it’s acceptable workwear.
Casual wear devotees, go for these sectors: Engineering, Education, Customer Services, IT, and Accounting & Finance. Over 90% of their job ads are promoting a “casual” dress code.
Many employers have learned during the lockdown era that wearing casual and comfy outfits doesn’t mean sloppy work ethics. In fact, dressing more comfortably and casually can boost employee morale and productivity, since they don’t need to be distracted by the rigid and structured (and sometimes painful – think about heels) outfits.
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Formal dress codes will stick around
While many high-profile corporations like Goldman Sachs and HSBC announced relaxations of their dress codes during the pandemic, sophisticated formal attire is not going out of style anytime soon. The reason is rather simple: Everyone looks sharp and crisp in suits and corporate dresses, and that’s important especially for client-facing roles. Currently, about 12% of job ads refer to a “smart/formal” dress code. It’s not a lot but it’s also not going extinct. Compared to the beginning of the pandemic, the portion has gone up +1.6%.
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Retail workers who usually get uniforms are most likely to “dress for success”, with about 87% of their job ads requiring a smart/formal dress code. The property sector comes second, with more than one in three (36%) ads mandating this aesthetic. Think about the real-estate reality TV show Selling Sunset. Literally, everyone in the Oppenheim Group has gone all out for work and is serving a look. To be honest, they do need to dress the part as they are selling multimillion-dollar houses to high-net-worth clients.
Law firms have long been seen as one of the rigid and conservative professions, and therefore close to one in five of their (18.2%) ads specify a smart/formal dress code.
Where in the UK has the chillest dress code?
While the main office dress code across the UK is casualwear, some regions are more relaxed than others. Scotland is the most casual area of the UK, with 91.9% of job ads with a dress code in the nation deeming casual clothing appropriate. Londoners are also likely to wear relaxed clothing to the office, with 87.4% of job ads with a dress code specifying casual attire.
Comparably, workers in the West are the smartest, with the West Midlands (25.3%), Wales (22.3%) and the South West (20.4%) all boasting high proportions of job ads with dress codes asking for formal or smart attire.
What is your verdict on this whirlwind office fashion? If you are ready for a casual office dress code, put filter keywords like “casual dress code” in your job search journey with Adzuna!
Read more: Everything you need to know about Cleantech