The Changing Workplace Culture: Understanding the Shifts in Dress Code and Behavior

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by Dennis De Peiza

In an age of change, the workplace as it was once known has changed in more ways than one. It has moved away from many of the traditional practices.

For a start, the colonial dress code that saw male employees wearing a shirt, tie and jacket, has long become a thing of the past. It is now seemingly a preserve for those who occupy so-called premium jobs, and even many of those persons, are tending to find comfort in what may be described as a more casual mode of dress.

Like men, women have resorted to a more liberal form of dress, as they too have moved away from the traditional long dress and skirts. It seems that it has reached a stage, where almost any manner of dress goes and is acceptable.

It would be a mistake to give the impression that when addressing the workplace culture, that this is limited merely to dress and deportment. For a better understanding, the workplace culture is described as the environment that the employer creates for the employees, which is based on the organisation’s traditions, values, interactions, attitudes and behaviours. This basically is translated to mean that the employer, through the policies as established, identifies with the standards and practices which guide and regulate the employees’ behaviour.

Setting the tone for the organisation means that the employer ought to pay attention to the policies, mission and vision of the organisation, the aims to be satisfied and the goals to be achieved.

It is reasonable to expect that the workplace culture will over time reform itself. This is to be expected considering the change to everyday life will be informed by the demographic changes in the population, as a new wave of thinking which accompanies the arrival of a new generation of people comes to the fore.

Their outlook on customary beliefs, traditions, norms and values tend to differ. This to some extent, can account for what is being experienced in today’s workplace, where actions and behaviours of employees tend not to be consistent with conventions.

Some who may be classified as being from the old school may describe the transformation taking place in the workplace, as basically that of the race to the bottom. Their opinion may be shaped by the decisions of our political leaders to give licence to a change to the dress code for students attending school.

The wearing of outlandish hairstyles, clothing and earrings to school is the new norm. This has become questionable as far as traditional standards are concerned.

For all intents and purposes, the traditional use of language has also been modified. When it comes to communicating in writing or verbally, the language used is neither that of Standard English nor dialect.

The danger here is that there is the apparent acceptance of declining standards by civil society organisations, and sad to say, by employers themselves.

It is difficult to understand how the workplace could be a better place, if such indifference is accepted, under the guise that people have rights.

Where is the line drawn when it comes to discipline, deportment and standard setting? It is conceivable that whereupon these are not addressed, the distinct possibility remains that customer service will be further impacted.

Apart from the phenomenon of workplace indifference, the workplace culture has been further transformed with the introduction of new technologies. Technology has plenty of positives and negatives associated with its use in the workplace.

From a production standpoint and that of staff reductions, employers have every reason to be happy. When it comes to employees working using the digitalisation mode and or working remotely, it may be overlooked that there are confidential and ethical issues which are more likely to arise.

This tends to be more the case, than when the employer held a greater level of supervision and control over employees.

Dennis De Peiza is a veteran labour and employee relations consultant with Regional Management Services Inc.