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PROGRAM D-7453
Does it matter what you wear to work each day? Many people think that the clothes we wear should have nothing to do with the quality of our work, and therefore, it should not matter. But the truth is, people judge books by their cover—and they judge us by what we wear. Whether you like it or not, that is the truth.
Furthermore, studies have proven that the way we dress affects our own attitude toward our work, and therefore our work product. So, as we look at workplace etiquette, I thought we should talk about the appropriate way to dress on the job.
Obviously, different jobs have different dress codes or dress etiquette. A nurse is going to dress differently than a truck driver! So, you need to make an assessment of what is proper for your job. Look around you, especially at the people who are successful on your job, who have done well, who are thought of as professional and reliable, hard-working and honest. What do they wear on the job? You can probably take some lessons from seeing how they dress.
I would be skeptical of a lawyer who was not dressed in business attire. I would think it strange if a maintenance person was wearing a business suit. We have certain expectations based on the job, and while you can be a good lawyer without wearing business attire, you would make your job much more difficult by doing so because you’d have to work much harder at gaining credibility. Remember, people do judge books by their cover.
There are certain rules of modesty that apply, no matter where we work. Most of these apply to what women wear, because it’s not often we see a man who is dressed immodestly! Maybe inappropriately or messy, but rarely immodest. But ladies, we must be careful. Outfits that show cleavage are never modest, at work or anywhere else. Tops and pants that are too tight are never modest, even on casual Friday. Spaghetti string tops are not meant for the job. Skirts that are too short are inappropriate on the job and elsewhere.
If you really want to be sure that you dress appropriately and make the right impression, go the extra mile and lean toward being conservative. Wear suits and pant suits. In most environments you are well-advised to avoid wearing jeans. Focus on making a good first impression by dressing appropriately. You will discover that it serves you very well to do so, and it also will present a good testimony as a disciple of Jesus Christ.