Text 1: [Link]
net/future-of-work/office-dress-code-dead
Is the office dress code dead?
Sam Forsdick, 27 May 2025 || [Link]
With many companies retiring formal office dress codes, employees are mostly free to wear
what they want to work. The clothes we chose to don, however, still carry meaning
Tracing the history of office workwear, it’s clear there has been a general trend towards
wearing more casual clothing to work. This perhaps reached its zenith during the pandemic –
when one-third of people swapped their usual work clothes for pyjamas.
Despite the post-pandemic return to the office, formal workwear is no longer required at most
organisations. There has been an 80% decline in formal dress codes, according to the HR
insights provider Brightmine, with only 4.3% of employers still enforcing strict requirements.
Bar Huberman, HR strategy and practice lead at Brightmine, says the change is part of a wider
societal shift, which was accelerated by the pandemic. She adds: “People who are working
from home are now used to dressing a bit more casually and companies have realised that
allowing people to feel comfortable can help them to perform at their best.”
This change to the way we work has helped to normalise more casual dress standards. “Seeing
senior individuals and clients wearing hoodies on Teams and Zoom calls in their homes
certainly played a part in this transformation, making casual clothes more acceptable in what
are otherwise professional settings,” says Gearalt Fahy, partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, a
law firm. “In that sense, the genie was out of the bottle and it seems there was no going back
for many.”
The trend also has benefits for inclusion, according to Huberman, and companies are
recognising that people who are going through the menopause, for instance, may be more
comfortable in certain types of clothing. “Clothing may seem like a small aspect of DEI but
what you choose to wear is a big part of who you are,” Huberman adds.
But despite many companies repealing their office dress codes, what we choose to wear still
carries a lot of meaning. “That symbolism is intuitive,” says Richard Thompson Ford, author of
Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. “It’s immediately conveyed through our
clothing. That matters a lot when you’re meeting a client or trying to impress someone at an
interview.”
The return of formal workwear?
With some companies now encouraging a full-time return to the office, formal workplace attire
could become more popular once again, according to Ford. However, any return to the suit
and tie or blouse and jacket is likely to be short-lived.
“I think we’re going to have a slight pendulum swing back to the formal but I’m not convinced
that this will be a permanent swing,” he says. “I suspect that the general historical trend toward
more casual will continue.”
Lucy Newton, professor in business history at Henley Business School, also agrees that the
shift to hybrid ways of working mean it’s unlikely we’ll return to pre-pandemic office dress
codes. She says: “Banks are closing down their offices in Canary Wharf and in the City of
London. You don’t need as much corporate wear if you’re not going into the office.”
In her view, this change is positive. Newton adds: “We’ve come a long way in terms of
corporate dress becoming less important. Ultimately, does it matter the way you look if you do
a good job?”
With the world of work becoming more informal, the inverse is now true in our social lives,
according to Ford. “To some extent, the more dressed-up clothing is now reserved not for work
but for leisure time,” he notes. “Rather than dressing down when you leave the office, people
dress up to go out.”
While workplaces and HR departments are seemingly less concerned with what employees
wear, social norms will continue to have an influence, whether we’re in the office or out of it.
EXERCISE 1 - ANSWER QUESTIONS .
1. What is the main argument of the article?
a. Office dress codes have disappeared completely
b. Casual clothing reduces productivity
c. Workplace dress norms are becoming more flexible and ambiguous
d. Formal dress is returning after the pandemic
2. Which factor most strongly accelerated changes in office dress culture?
a. Globalisation
b. Social media
c. Remote and hybrid work
d. Fashion industry trends
3. What historical event is credited with accelerating the shift toward casual
office wear?
a. The Great Recession
b. The COVID-19 pandemic
c. The invention of the internet
d. New HR laws
4. According to the author of Dress Codes, why does clothing matter in
professional settings?
a. It reflects current fashion trends.
b. It symbolically communicates messages immediately.
c. It helps companies enforce workplace discipline.
d. It replaces the need for formal qualifications.
5. According to Ford, what is the likely future of formal workplace attire?
a. It will permanently replace casual office wear.
b. It will disappear entirely from professional settings.
c. It will briefly regain popularity before casual dress continues to dominate.
d. It will become mandatory in hybrid workplaces.
6. The article suggests that ambiguity in dress codes can be:
a. Entirely negative
b. Entirely positive
c. Empowering for some and stressful for others
d. Legally problematic
7. Why does Lucy Newton believe a full return to pre-pandemic dress codes is
unlikely?
a. Employees prefer expensive designer brands.
b. Companies are introducing stricter fashion policies.
c. Social events now require more formal attire than offices do.
d. Hybrid work and office closures reduce the need for formal corporate clothing.
PART II. Here are some additional materials on that topic. .
Compare them with the article you just read. .
Article #2: [Link]
Why Gen Z Chooses Uniforms to Reduce Decision Fatigue
Workplaces are noticing a subtle shift: Gen Z isn’t waiting for dress codes to tell them what
to wear, they’re choosing uniforms themselves. From TikTok-popularised capsule
wardrobes to Steve Jobs-style repeats, Gen Z uniform trends are all about reducing
mental clutter and freeing up energy for the job.
At Total Image Group (TIG), we’ve witnessed this transformation firsthand. As younger
generations gravitate toward streamlined, purpose-driven workwear, Gen Z uniform trends
reveal something deeper: a collective desire for clarity, consistency, and a more mindful
start to the day.
Article #3: edited from: [Link]
Some Gen Zers are getting in trouble for not knowing how to dress at work
Generation Z is the first generation to grow up fully online, with unlimited information just a
scroll away. That kind of access is powerful—but it also means young professionals are
often learning from content that isn’t always grounded in real workplace norms. Platforms
like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter have become go-to sources for advice on what counts
as “work-appropriate.” The problem? Influencers frequently frame trend-driven outfits as
office-ready, even when those looks wouldn’t fly in many traditional corporate settings.
There’s context behind this. Many Gen Z professionals entered the workforce during the
COVID-19 pandemic, when internships and entry-level roles moved online—or
disappeared entirely. Those early jobs usually act as unofficial crash courses in workplace
culture, including dress codes. In a virtual environment, though, it’s much more difficult to
pick up on subtle expectations or get informal feedback about how you present yourself.
As a result, some young employees walked into physical offices for the first time without
the visual cues and lived experience previous generations absorbed naturally.
Without that lived exposure and the guidance from older colleagues, some young people
turn to social media and television, seeking inspiration. Twenty years ago, workers had a
way easier time getting helpful workwear advice, says one expert. But today,
contemporary TV shows and movies that feature corporate professionals, like Selling
Sunset, have muddied the waters even more. But dresscodes are not “one fits all” and
different contexts have different expectations as to the outfits one is supposed to wear.
EXERCISE 2 — Answer questions in your own words .
1. Explain how office dress standards have evolved since the pandemic.
the dress code is more frequently trend-driven because gen z uses internet for help on what to wear, especially after thier carrier started during the era of online work
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2. Why do some gen Z workers struggle with understanding work dress code?
because they had no experience with previous work and had no one to guide them and show them what it looks like
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3. What are some potential benefits and drawbacks of relaxed dress codes in the
workplace?
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when it comes benefits- it helps with comfort of a person, as stated in the text it helps with a mindful start of a day
as for drawbacks-
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4. Do you think a company should have a formal dress code? Use examples or
comparisons from the article to support your view.
i think companies should allow for a more relaxed dress code, because it helps its employees with feeling better, and if an employee feels better he works better
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as stated in the text the need for more relaxed cothing with gen Z shows a deaper meaning
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EXERCISE 3 — Write2 different topic sentences on the topic “dress code” that would
that consider the following controlling ideas: .
1) Time period
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2) Difference
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