Business Etiquette This book teaches individuals how to represent their

Casual
Day Has Gone Too Far
? The scene, of course, is a modern
office on “business casual day.” In addition to various
strangely dressed employees, a nude cartoon character—
presumably an envelope-pushing employee—walks calmly
among the maze of cubicles. You may not have to deal with
problems like that on a regular basis on casual day. How-
ever, it’s entirely possible that you will have to contend with
outfits that leave far too little to the imagination, excessive
jewelry, T-shirts that display offensive messages, or any
number of other “creative” attire choices that draw not just
second glances, but gasps of disbelief.
In other words, today’s managers will have to contend
with fashion statements that send the wrong message—
loudly—to colleagues, visiting clients, and last but not least,
The Big Boss. In cases where you’re looking at major provo-
cations, rather than minor misunderstandings of the com-
pany dress code, your best bet is to pull the person aside,
find a place for a private discussion, and explain the nature
of the problem sensitively yet directly. Your cause will be
considerably easier if you have a written dress code that
outlines your organization’s definition of business casual
dress. Begin by telling the person that he or she is a valued

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40
Business Etiquette
employee. Then explain—without making accusations or
casting aspersions on the other person’s style—that busi-
ness casual dress is a tricky thing and that the way the com-
pany has attempted to avoid confusion is by stating what it
considers appropriate in its handouts and printed materi-
als. Let the offender know that the company needs his or
her assistance now—that it’s time to go home to change
into “appropriate” 
business
casual attire, rather than the
“casual” and inappropriate garment(s) he or she is currently
wearing. Specify exactly what’s “over the line”: a halter top,
a see-through blouse, Bermuda shorts, a miniskirt. Be spe-
cific, rather than assuming that the person can read your
mind. Whether the person lives 10 minutes from work or
an hour, you should take this action. Why? It will set the
necessary precedent, relaying to other employees that rules
are meant to be followed and if they are not, changes will
have to be made.
Tip #16
Tip #16
Tip #16
Tip #16
Tip #16
Make sur
Make sur
Make sur
Make sur
Make sure your business casual dr
e your business casual dr
e your business casual dr
e your business casual dr
e your business casual dress
ess
ess
ess
ess
says that 
says that 
says that 
says that 
says that 
you
you
you
you
you mean business.
mean business.
mean business.
mean business.
mean business.
Is there a bigger workplace 
faux pas
than showing up
seriously underdressed for work because you had a differ-
ent idea of what “business casual dress” meant than every-
one else did? Well, yes, there probably is, however that
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t concern yourself with staying
on the right side of this potentially tricky issue if you’re not
in a position to formulate clear written guidelines yourself.
How casual is your organization’s business casual
policy? The answer varies from company to company, of
course, and, alas, not all companies develop formal written
guidelines for the benefit of employees. One thing is for
TE
AM
FL
Y
Team-Fly
®

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41
Business Dress 101
certain, though. You will never get in trouble for being too
underdressed in a business casual arena if you follow this
simple rule: Change your regular professional attire by only
a single garment.
For example, men, if your organization’s culture re-
quires that you wear a suit on “business professional days,”
wear a sport coat when dressing business casual. And for
women, swap that conservative blouse you wear on most
days with a knit top that is compatible with your blazer.
By following this simple (and, yes, conservative) rule
when dressing business casual, you’ll still be able to go to a
last-minute client meeting on a moment’s notice—without
having to apologize for how you look. I’ve been asked many
times whether it’s acceptable for women to wear slack suits
on dress-down days in professional environments where this
would otherwise be considered inappropriate. The (frus-
trating) answer is: It depends on the culture of the organi-
zation for which you work. The safest standard is probably
to keep an eye on what the highest-ranking woman in your
organization does and follow her example.
Do you dr
Do you dr
Do you dr
Do you dr
Do you dress in
ess in
ess in
ess in
ess in
“business r
“business r
“business r
“business r
“business ready” attir
eady” attir
eady” attir
eady” attir
eady” attire?
e?
e?
e?
e?
How does your organization recommend that you dress
for work? Are you encouraged to dress “up one notch” from
business casual, so that you look like you are