Corporate Dressing - Do we understand it?

There is an age –old saying” man is judged by the boots he wear”. But is it only the boots? Well if you ask the corporate, then boots are not enough. The employee has to be “presentable” and should dress “right”.The dressing protocol is not limited to any single industry but has spread its wings all over. Different sectors have different set of rules for their employees to dress. The reasons given for the same may be ranging from culture, atmosphere to ethics. So what is the right dressing code? It is true that the dressing style vary according to the industry to reflect the culture and work ethics of the workplace. Since the atmosphere within certain business communities, for e.g. an ad agency tends to be informal, the attire of the employees reflects this outlook. On the other hand, protocol of corporate dressing in sectors such as hospitality, IT, banking etc, is more conservative as it reflects directly on employee professionalism.

Mind it that the attire of an employee of a particular industry speaks volume about the company’s work ethic, image and culture. It adds an impression of professionalism, intelligence and commitment that enhances the overall credibility of the company. Similarly, non –adherence to a dress code can send out a message of discredit and incompetence.

But now, many organizations have now realized the fact that younger employee of today is more fashion conscious and experiment a lot with style even with his formal wears. The companies are also waking up to this fact and are flooding the market with formal yet fashionable attire.

So, keep in mind that your attire reflects your inner self, and helps you to see confident. So, while you dress according to your corporate dress code, style it up in a way that gives you confidence with embarassing the others around you. Also, dress should be worn depending on the occassion - dressing right for interview is as important as your personal performance. Also, if you are meeting with a Japanese client, its not a good idea to wear balck tie as that represents mouring.

Along with dressing, personal hygiene is also very important. Use after-shave if you are a man, and definitely use a soothing deo. If you are a women, apart from deo, if you are using any perfume, pls keep it mild and subdued.

Shoes needs to be polished and clean. No white color socks for men, use lighter shade if you want to, but brown or black is always the preferred colors. Buy a few pairs of expensive socks, which will not lose its elasticity and will climb down your legs. Fresh socks daily a must.

Please rememeber that you as a representative to the company, is actually a brand ambassador for it. Therefore, how you dress, behave or carry yourself influences your customers / clients impression about you and your company; and am sure you dont want to lose that million dollar order just because you cared less how you dress!