Workplace dress codes – is the suit dead?
In a survey of 1,021 UK employers, almost three-quarters (74%) said wearing a suit for an interview was still acceptable, but one in nine (11%) said wearing a suit would count against a candidate.
The news came as the traditional men’s suit has been removed from the basket of goods used to calculate the annual inflation rate. The Office for National Statistics said the change in working patterns meant the suit – present in the basket since its inception in 1947 – was no longer one of the more than 700 representative goods and services selected to measure the UK’s cost of living.
Victoria Short, CEO of Randstad UK, which undertook the research, said:
“The uniform that has served professionals for a century is falling out of favour. While most of us instinctively feel that wearing a full suit for work feels a little too formal now, we were expecting it to last a little longer in the interview setting. But in some industries, the suit is already becoming a relic of a bygone era. Overly smart is now considered fusty. Interviews – even for desk jobs – are merely reflecting reality. The rise of dress down tech entrepreneurs has undermined the suit’s position as a signifier of success. And plenty of interviewers, especially in sectors like tech and engineering, are looking for people with EQ – not people who get off on power suits and shoulder-padded swagger.”
Sales of the suit have fallen from five million annually to fewer than two million a year over the last decade, according to Kantar. Marks & Spencer has removed them from many outlets. Having sold 70m shirts since its foundation in 1898, shirt maker TM Lewin collapsed into administration in March for the second time in two years after the business was devastated by COVID-19 lockdowns and the ongoing shift away from formal wear.
Short continued:
“The pandemic hasn’t killed off formal clothes completely – the suit is still fine for the majority of interviews. But if you’re interviewing with an organisation that’s not a suit sort of a place, I’d go for ‘the broken suit’ – chinos and a shirt. Smart separates are the way forward. And if you’re worried about what to wear to an interview, ask.”
What is appropriate clothing for work depends on its suitability for the task or occasion, and its fit for the person. Factors that may be relevant include:
- Whether the employee has contact with the public.
- Whether the dress code is necessary for performance.
- Health and safety.
- Culture, including religious beliefs.
Last year Randstad revealed almost three in ten (28%) UK workers want to ditch smart casual – let alone a formal office dress code – once they head back to offices. Comparing attitudes to dress codes in the US, a 2019 survey of 1,200 workers found a third (33%) of American employees would turn down a job offer if they were required to wear formal business clothing.
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