Breaking Corporate Structures

Dress for success has been etched into my mind since first purchasing every high school try-hard’s rite of passage: the business formal suit.

A Vince black blazer with a matching satin skirt, always pressed to perfection. Buying this skirt suit was almost like purchasing my Betsy Johnson, pink fluffy Bat Mitzvah dress: a step into adulthood. It was as if I flew the coop and landed straight into a corporate job meeting. Decked out in this formal-wear while donning my patent pumps, I felt unstoppable as I’d enter every job, college and club interview holding my head high with a resume in hand. Picturing myself five years down the road, this timeless skirt suit continues to accompany me on my daily commute to my desired corporate job.

It’s no doubt that confidence comes from within, but dressing up has proven to give individuals that extra needed boost on the job. According to a Scientific American study from 2016, more formal outfits can influence your thinking and negotiating skills. The relationship between clothing formality and cognitive processing relates to feelings of power. I can attest that my skirt suit makes me feel as though I’ve already clenched the job even when I’m only through the first round of interviews.

There’s a reason why top law firms and the Bulge Bracket investment banks specify business formal, and it’s not because they don’t like socks with sandals. According to the Society for Human Resources Management, 83 percent of organizations offer some form of casual dress. In 2018, 50 percent of managers said that their employees wear less formal clothing than they did 10 years ago.

Even big name businesses notorious for their Don Draper-esque attire are turning toward a more relaxed business casual standard. Beyond accommodating millennials, companies acknowledge that freedom of expression in employees’ attire can boost morale and productivity, which benefits the company at large. The most prevalent argument behind dressing down is that you are at work to get the job done, and if you’re not comfortable in stringent clothes and pantyhose, then you simply won’t be productive.

So – who murdered corporate America formal attire? Introducing the culprit: Silicon Valley. According to The Atlantic, In the 1980s, Silicon Valley gave birth to the rise of business casual (a concept that still leaves Northwestern students at odds), which includes khaki pants, sensible shoes and button-down collared shirts.

Formal business-wear worn for appearances is impractical, and Silicon Valley capitalizes on practicality. While the 1950s workplace is symbolic of cultural conformity and gendered restrictions, Silicon Valley represents the antithesis with its innovative atmosphere and breaking of conservative norms.

Thus, in protest against the stringent formalities of the pre-counterculture era, such as formal workplace attire, Silicon Valley embodies the progressive self-starters that reject older generations’ customs and embrace progress and rule- breaking, which has come to include...flannel shirts.

In essence, life has simply become less formal. Americans used to dress up for work, but they also dressed up for the restaurants, for airports and even for the movies. The millennial generation has become accustomed to this informal lifestyle, and employers accommodate this way of life in order to capture the most talented college graduates. Beyond over-the-top breakfast bars and free workout classes, companies splurge on employee perks to reel in the best millennial talent to ensure a young, bright workforce for the business’s future. Compromising Gucci for Gap and Prada for Patagonia, businesses, specifically tech companies and startups, embrace this casual culture to brand their work environment as comfortable and accepting – what more could progressive youths want?

As this question lingers, I can hear my mother’s words, “dress for success.” Despite the 14 pairs of sweatpants folded in my drawers, jeans and a blouse were my go-to outfit for every exam. My put-together outfit increased my confidence, efficiency and ultimate success in my work. A formal dress code isn’t about impressing clients or encouraging a professional behavior; rather, it’s about maintaining a sense of structure in the workplace.

This structure is not referring to elitism nor its dictatorial culture, which millennial employment and workplace reforms begin to address; this is about creating a workplace environment that feels different from a night binging Netflix on the couch. Millennials are the future of the professional world, and while they have proven their ability to be productive in pink Adidas joggers, this mentality may not translate to future generations. Instead, future generations may take casual attire as a reflection of their work environment and go about their jobs in a lax manner. To ensure future productivity, we should continue to evaluate the outcomes of more laidback workplace environments.