When the dressed-down workplace gets too relaxed, managers may insist on sharper duds

Saturday, August 25, 2001

By KATHY MULADY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

First there were casual Fridays, when employees could leave their neckties and power suits at home.

The idea went over so well that casual Friday turned into casual everyday.

Pretty soon, the casual-dress workplace became a little too casual. Along with increasingly casual clothes, some employers started noticing a more casual attitude about getting work done.

In some offices, whether it is in reaction to fashion trends, or perhaps an effort to get ahead in a slightly tighter job market, employees are dressing a little sharper lately.

Some call it the casual business-wear backlash.

	Erin Paretich, a personal shopper for Nordstrom, at right, helps customer Barry Barnes try on a "business-casual" leather jacket. Phil H. Webber / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"More employers feel productivity is lower, that employees aren't working as hard when they come to work in jeans," said Carol Steele, the Northwest fashion director for Nordstrom.

This doesn't mean that the navy blue suit, white shirt and conservative tie are returning, but it does mean the company employees, especially managers and sales representatives, are paying more attention to their wardrobes.

Some employees are confused about exactly what "business-casual" means.

In a few offices, casual has given way to sloppy.

Many of the better clothing stores offer professional staff to help the truly confused find the right casual look for the office.

Nordstrom is holding a seminar Saturday, Sept. 8, in its Bellevue Square store to offer suggestions for building a business-casual wardrobe. The seminar will be led by Victor Lieberman, vice president of Linea Naturale, a men's clothing line carried by Nordstrom.

During a recent conference call with analysts, Nordstrom executives announced a plan to rework their men's department in reaction to the business-casual trend.

"We will continue to react to the softening of the men's suit business by enhancing our selection of sports coats and slacks," said Pete Nordstrom, president of the company's full-line stores.

According to research by the makers of Dockers and Slates, top-selling casual slacks for men, casual-dress policies are a favorite workplace incentive, second only to flexible work hours. Their research showed 60 percent of the people polled said they feel more productive when they are comfortable.

But in other polls, including one reported in the March issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, 44 percent of managers noticed an increase in tardiness and absenteeism when casual-dress policies were introduced.

Earlier this summer, Mike MacDonald, president of the North American Solutions Group for Xerox, sent a note to sales representatives reminding them to keep their appearance professional, especially when meeting with customers.

"We were looking at our front-line sales people. We want to make sure they are wearing business attire," said Carl Langsenkamp, a Xerox spokesman in Rochester, N.Y. "I think Mike MacDonald was looking for a more suit-and-tie look."

In the Northwest, where casual dressing is an art form, even bankers are dressing down.

At Washington Mutual headquarters in Seattle, a "flexible personal appearance policy" was started in the late 1990s. Casual business wear is allowed throughout the week, with Fridays set as simply "casual." Managers set the dress code for their departments.

"We consider ourselves and our brand to be fun, informal, warm and personal," said Mary Kelley, a spokeswoman for the company.

Casually dressed employees, many in khaki slacks, skirts and company-issued knit shirts, are part of the formula at Washington Mutual's new customer-centric Occasio branches.

"We aren't your typical bank, we like to think outside the box," said spokeswoman Sheri Pollock. "By having a little more freedom in what you wear, it makes everything a little easier."

For others, the switch to a more casual look wasn't as easy.

Safeco Corp. for years set the standard for a strict dress policy, requiring men to wear business suits, white shirts and a tie.

Women were also required to wear business suits. The white shirt policy was changed in 1998 and the company has slowly transitioned to a "business appropriate" policy.

"It is vague and causes a lot of confusion, especially among people who have been around our company for a while," said Greg Smith, corporate human resources director for Safeco. "The policy is clear that shorts, tank tops and sleeveless shirts, anything you might wear at a resort, won't work at the office.

"Some who have been around a long time embraced the conservative professional dress standard and think there are some here who misinterpret what it means, but others say they feel more productive, and happier coming to work."

Barry Barnes, a sales representative with Xerox who works in Seattle, has enlisted the help of a personal shopper at Nordstrom to help him coordinate a polished look.

"With some of my customers I definitely need to wear a suit, but other offices are so casual, that if you wear a suit, you really stand out," he said.

"I don't want to look too casual. Even casual Friday is too casual when people are wearing jeans or shorts. When you are casual, your attitude is casual, and it comes through in your work."

Lieberman doesn't believe many workers are ever going back to the old days of matching suits and ties, but he said there is still a workplace uniform, it's just the pieces that have changed.

"You can look terrific and feel comfortable at the same time," Lieberman said in a telephone interview this week.

"The tie is the number one thing that freaks everyone," said Lieberman, noting that simply taking off your tie and popping open the top button of a dress shirt doesn't make your look "casual."

Instead, choose a dressy T-shirt, in a dark color, made of cotton or silk. Layer an open-neck dress shirt or woven shirt over the top. Pull on a pair of slacks in one of the new, lightweight dressy blends.

Add a soft jacket or nice sweater, or maybe a leather bomber jacket to finish the look.

When choosing clothes for work, Lieberman suggests you take a clue from your manager, or the person who hired you.

"If your manager is wearing a tie, you probably should wear a tie, too. If you aren't sure, just ask," Lieberman said. "My particular feeling is that the business-casual industry is only going to grow. Guys who are wedded to their suits and ties are entering their 60s, they are getting ready to leave the workplace."

But that's not to say that a good suit will never again be sold.

"When someone wants to dress up, they really want to dress up. They may not be buying five everyday suits, instead they are buying one very good suit," said Lieberman.

SEMINAR THE GOOD AND BAD OF CASUAL DRESS

Nordstrom at Bellevue Square will offer a seminar on building a business-casual wardrobe. The seminar, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 8, will be led by Victor Lieberman of Linea Naturale. Three sessions are scheduled: at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. in the Garden Terrace on the third floor. For reservations or more information, call (425) 455-5800, ext.1510.THE GOOD AND BAD

OF CASUAL DRESS

This is a list of the do's and don'ts of business-casual wear:

DON'T

• Don't just take off the tie and think that you are dressing business-casual.

• Don't mistake casual for sloppy.

• Don't wear your Saturday clothes to work.

• Don't wear miniskirts, halter tops, tank tops, or T-shirts with logos, and be wary about wearing denim.

DO

• Do make sure you look "put together."

• Do wear shirts with collars (for men).

• Do ask your department manager when in doubt about appropriate apparel.

• Do ask for help in the store to coordinate colors, patterns and fabrics.

• Do make sure your clothes fit proper.