It is inevitable that our clothing have an impact on our communication and they play a major role in achieving success. Even though what we wear doesn’t define who we are, in the end people will always judge us by how we look and how we dress. This will mainly occur at the workplace where your attire affects how others perceive you and how quickly they respond to you.

What is a dress code?

There is a set of rules or standards set by companies with the aim of guiding employees on what is appropriate to wear while at the workplace. There are many kinds of dress codes; formal, business, professional, and casual.

The dress code will always be determined by how much interaction exists between the employees and the clients or customers. For example, if there is too much employee to customer interaction, a formal dress code is appropriate. However, if there is no interaction between employees and customers, a casual dress code may be adopted.

How can dress codes affect our business progress?

It has been proven that what you wear will not only show who you are but will tell your level in career advancement. This means that it will influence how other people perceive your financial success, authority, trustworthiness, intelligence and if whether or not you deserve that promotion or job position.

The dress code is not the only factor required to achieve success. It is always important to combine your dress code with your communication skills. This will influence how people behave towards you.

To ensure that your clothing has a positive impact on your success:

  • Avoid showing too much skin. This is directed to the ladies. A good business code doesn’t have any short skirts, strapless tops or shoes, which barely cover the feet.
  • Always wear clean clothes. They say, cleanliness is next to godliness and this also applies at our workplace.
  • Wrinkled clothing? Always iron your clothes before going to work. You will look more presentable.
  • Ensure that the clothes you are wearing fit you well – never too tight or too baggy.
  • Always follow the dress code or do better than it.
  • To the ladies, avoid putting on too much make up or jewelry. You are just beautiful and presentable the way you are.
  • Even if employees are allowed to wear shorts at the workplace, you will always portray yourself as a professional by sticking with the formal dress code.

Factors which determine the appropriate dress code for your workplace.

It is not always a smart move to come up just with a dress code. There are some few things we have to consider:

  • First, you should know your customers and the frequency of interaction. Will you only be interacting with them at business level or will the interactions be informal at times?
  • Secondly, you should consider how the dress code guidelines will influence employees. Not everyone will be comfortable with the decisions you come up with, but if you wish to maximize productivity, your staff should always be comfortable.