Answer

Memo

TO: The Executive Leadership Team

FROM: Leon Cassin

DATE: 6^th February, 2019

RE: A Proposed Change on Dress Code

The nature of a company’s dress code has a direct impact on firm performance and employee satisfaction. It is well known that our company advocates for an office dress code. It is a business attire that has been embraced for several years now. The concern covered in the memo is critical because as it calls for revision of the current dressing policy. It is their wish that their proposal is considered on the advocacy for a business casual dress code. The content is of importance as the proposed policy comes with several pros that positively impact on the company culture. They feel that business casual will put them in a better position to explore their interests and feel good about themselves even in the event of work.

Composition of the Casual Dress Code

A number of benefits can be realized from the implementation of a company dress code. These include employee productivity, satisfaction level, as well as enforcement. Business casual dress refers to a specific business attire style for the workplace. Adopting business casual will make employees feel much more comfortable putting on clothing that is less formal than the dominant traditional workplace clothing. For men, a business casual clothing means a shirt with a collar, a polo shirt, a casual shirt, or a golf shirt accompanied with either Dockers or Khaki pants, or similarly good looking brands. For the case of ladies, it means casual dresses, blouses, skirts, or pants. Both men and women can wear casual jackets, sweaters, vests, and accessories.

The Benefits Implementing a Business Casual Dress Code Policy

A business casual dress code provides a company employees with high flexibility and better opportunity to express their personal sense of style. Possibly, it can boost work morale by enhancing creativity and productivity in performance (Chermack et al., 2015). Of importance, business casual attire makes a clear distinction between upper management and rank-and-file employees less obvious. According to research, most employees do not appreciate such divisions. In contrast to a nonexistent or casual dress code, a business casual provides more structure while still offering leeway for company employees to be comfortable in a less restrictive clothing style. It enhances flexibility at work. This can have positive effects on employee motivation and morale to work smarter.

For the employees whose work environment is casual, the comfort at work, the creativity of expression, and less stratification across the levels of employees, business causal dress code becomes a powerful recruiting tool towards an appreciated benefit (Nayak, Padhye, & Wang, 2015). There will be need to introduce policies to ensure all employees are fairly and equally treated with respect to their work attire. An organization that that allows workers to dress in a more casual way emphasizes on the human component exhibited (Chermack et al., 2015). It can make potential collaborators, clients, and suppliers to become easy when working with a firm. It creates room for personal expression by allowing employees discover a unique thing about themselves and put it out there.

Facts and Data

Basing on a study established by Toyota Company on employee satisfaction, the staff admitted that doing business casual look enables them to effortlessly get ready for work in the morning and easily make the transition from work to handle a variety of other activities without considering to change their clothes. It creates swiftness in the work operations (Nayak, Padhye, & Wang, 2015). On the same study, 80% of women also confirmed that business casual clothing can cost much less than a formal attire. In addition to the basic cost, maintaining a casual dress code can be less costly with fewer trips to the dry cleaners. It opens avenues where employees can express their creativity and personalities through the attire they select for work (Chermack et al., 2015). Of importance, business casual tends to lower status barriers at the workplace, particularly between levels in an organization’s hierarchy. Particular employees confessed that casual looks reduced the issue of class difference as it was hard to know the ‘who’s’ in the organization. It seals the gap between the well-paid executives and the rest of the employees and makes everybody feel of the same caliber.

The Ask

The proposal asks for more. Implementing the new dress code change will work in favor of the desires and needs of employees. Employee satisfaction is a crucial aspect for any firm that yearns to improve work objectives and achieve maximum productivity. Introducing the business casual dress code will require a clearly written policy addressing the manner the dress code should be enforced and the types of attire considered appropriate in the company. The policy must put into consideration the culture of the industry and the standards of performance when making a decision about the dress code.

In conclusion, introducing business casual dress code will impact employees’ level of satisfaction. The concern on changing employee dress code from formal to business casual is a cry that has hit the walls for quite a while. The company’s employees feel that by allowing them to dress casually, they will become more capable of increasing swiftness at work and wear a clothing that they feel comfortable and more sensible in. Since employees are the backbone of any company, granting their wishes makes them feel engaged, appreciated and valued at work. Restricting them to the office dress code may make some of them want to quit or reduce work efficiency through decreased motivation. Buying-in the recommendation to consider the business casual dress code will be of significance because employees will become more satisfied and much willing to improve business performance. It will create unity and a standard level that eliminates issues of inferiority complex. It is therefore important to assess the advantages of introducing this policy on employee performance.