Firms find it pays to relax dress code

Dress down Fridays are fast becoming a thing of the past, as employers increasingly allow staff to dispense with their formal business wear every day of the week. Employees in some companies, especially during the present heat wave, are being allowed to turn up to work in shorts and sandals.

Four out of five companies found that the more relaxed attitude increased productivity. In a survey of 560 organisations, the employment law firm Peninsula found nine out of 10 firms had a "no tie" policy as part of a more informal dress code. Dylan Jones, editor of the men's lifestyle magazine GQ, said that ties were achieving a "new level of importance" because they were worn less often.

Related articles

• The Third Leader: Dress to impress
• Search the news archive for more stories

"Wearing a tie now is more a symptom of power dressing than it has been for a while. When you wear one now, it really shows that you mean business."

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said it was good to see that during the heat wave employers were taking heed of the TUC's "cool work campaign". He said that it was tough working in sweltering offices, shops and factories, but it was made worse if bosses insisted that their staff remained "suited and booted" as the temperatures soared.

He added: "A little summer dressing down and a temporary relaxing of workplace dress codes will reap huge benefits to those employers who realise that cool, comfortable workplaces are good for productivity and for their employees."

Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, said long-standing conventions were being challenged. "The popularity of 'dress down days' and relaxed attitudes to dress codes soared in recent years. The traditional standards of attire for work are ever-diminishing and this has become apparent during the recent heat wave.

"Traditional conventions within which business is conducted are being challenged and are constantly changing to meet the demands of the growing global environment."