{"id":31,"date":"2008-11-23T17:53:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-23T17:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/career-advice\/business-casual-dress-code-understanding-%c2%93business-casual%c2%94-attire\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T02:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T10:26:52","slug":"business-casual-dress-code-understanding-business-casual-attire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/business-casual-dress-code-understanding-business-casual-attire\/","title":{"rendered":"Business casual dress code: understanding “business casual” attire"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Business_casual_dress_code\"Business casual dress code interpretations vary widely. What fits the business casual dress code at one firm may not pass at another. Relaxed business attire<\/a>, one of today\u2019s most popular workplace perks, has made \u201cdressing for success\u201d more of a challenge: Just how casual is too casual?<\/p>\n

The answer could affect your career. You may be a top performer, but if your attire is inappropriate you may not always receive the level of respect your achievements merit. In fact, you may unwittingly be limiting your opportunities for advancement. The good news is there are some general guidelines to help you determine what\u2019s always \u201cin\u201d \u2014 and \u201cout\u201d \u2014 at the office.<\/p>\n

Tips for business attire<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Play it safe.<\/strong> Clothing should never be distracting. Think of it this way: Would a co-worker spend more time focused on what you\u2019re wearing versus what you\u2019re saying? If so, your attire is probably not appropriate for work.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Observe others.<\/strong> The old rule \u2014 dress for the position to which you aspire \u2014 still holds true. What are your managers or other professionals in your firm wearing? This doesn\u2019t mean that if your boss shops at an expensive, high-end boutique you need to do the same. Instead, notice whether your manager or coworkers wear suits each day as opposed to business-casual clothing.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pay attention to details.<\/strong> From head to toe, your appearance should be polished and neat. Your hair should be well-groomed. Jewellery and accessories should be subtle, and your shoes should be in good repair. Avoid excessive jewellery or makeup and use cologne or perfume minimally, if at all, to respect any fragrance sensitivities or allergies among coworkers. (https:\/\/ionizerresearch.com\/<\/a>) <\/p>\n

\u2022 Follow corporate policy.<\/strong> When in doubt, refer to your company\u2019s official standards for relaxed dress. As mentioned above, if your firm doesn\u2019t have a policy about what is appropriate, follow the example of your manager or coworkers. In general, acceptable business-casual attire includes shirts with collars, short or long-sleeved tops, long pants and loafers. Unacceptable clothing typically includes jeans, sweat pants or workout attire, shorts, T-shirts or tank tops, torn or stained clothing, and tennis shoes or sandals. You might consider keeping a jacket or blazer in your office in case you are called into an unexpected meeting. Of course, standards vary depending on the type of job you have and your industry.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ask an expert for help.<\/strong> If you have difficulty selecting your wardrobe, ask a sales representative to assist you. Many stores have personal shopping assistants who can offer up-to-date fashion information and suggest professional styles. You could also bring a well-dressed, candid friend along for a second opinion when you shop.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be a fashion plate or become an avid reader of Vogue and GQ magazine to dress well at work. By following a few simple guidelines, you\u2019ll learn to dress appropriately for the office. Then you\u2019ll be free to get down to the real business of the day \u2014 your job responsibilities!<\/p>\n

OfficeTeam is the world’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. The company has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related to business casual dress code<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Salary raise and promotion tips<\/a>
\n\u2022 Business attire \u2013 how to dress in clothes that say \u201cpay me more\u201d<\/a>
\n\u2022 How to ask for a raise<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Business casual dress code interpretations vary widely. What fits the business casual dress code at one firm may not pass at another. Relaxed business attire, one of today\u0092s most popular workplace perks, has made \u0093dressing for success\u0094 more of a challenge:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[167],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-planning","tag-dress-for-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10015,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions\/10015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}