I recently had this dilemma. I was invited to New York City for a few days of listening to some of the top money managers on Wall Street speak. The meetings are business casual as is customary for these types of events. But the dinner is tie and jacket required.This was not popular with me for two reasons. First, I only wear ties to weddings and occasionally funerals. I gave all but a small handful of ties to charity when I left the big brokerage firm world of Merrill Lynch and UBS. Second, bringing a suit and tie would require me to bring two bags on my trip and check one of them. Airlines have a history of misplacing my bags so I try to avoid checking bags whenever possible.
I posed the dilemma to my friend- William Reymond. I met William at Lifetime Fitness in Dallas and we have enjoyed philosophizing on many subjects. Plus, we share a common addiction to the game of basketball. William is an author from France who is living in the US and author of a recent #1 selling book in France- Toxic. The book is about the problems with chemicals being added to foods and how this is contributing to the obesity epidemic. It sounds great. Unfortunately, I don't speak or read French. If you do, you can find out more at http://williamreymond.com.
William thought it was a no brainer. The food would be overpriced. The company boring. Skip the dinner and watch basketball in the hotel room. I agreed and decided to do that. William sent me a blog written by Mark Cuban- owner of the Dallas Mavericks. It is an excellent read about how ridiculous it really is for owners of companies to require their employees to wear dress up clothes to work. You can read it at http://blogmaverick.com. It is titled "Why I don't wear a suit and can't figure out why anyone does!"
One of the reasons I love working from home is that if I don't have appointments that day, I can wear shorts and a t-shirt. On days that I have appointments, I wear business casual. I don't think my clients or prospects care. In fact, many of them have commented positively that the more casual dress elicits confidence in them. There is something to the phrase "empty suit" or belief that someone in a suit screams salesperson. My dry cleaning and clothing budgets have been a freefall since my days at Merrill Lynch and UBS.
I have many friends that wear suits every day because they are required to by the company they work for. I have other friends who own companies and choose to require their employees to wear suits and ties. Although I respect the decision, I concur with Mark Cuban's comments about the whole thing. Does dressing up really add to effectiveness at work? Does it add something to the bottom line? Doesn't it add a financial burden to workers who are already burdened with higher gas prices, daycare costs, etc...?
It seems like it would be better stewardship of resources to allow employees to ditch the ties and suits. Now this can go too far. Obviously, you don't want people showing up in ratty t-shirts and shorts if they are meeting with customers. I am also a big fan of personal hygiene. I don't want the people that I meet with to skip showers and brushing their teeth as they do in some parts of the world for days on end. But the tie around the neck seems ridiculous. It is a conspiracy, man (I have watched Cars too many times with my little boy).
If you have control over this area, use the money that you would spend on suits and ties to pay off debt, save or give more. I haven't even touched on wearing suits and ties to church. This to me is silly. Proponents argue that it shows reverence for God. But when I read the New Testament, I don't get the impression that worship of God was ever about playing dress up. In fact, Jesus pointed out how foolish the Pharisees were for seeking to impress others with their dress- Matthew 23:1-7. Jesus impresses me as a come as you are God.
Towards the Continual Goal of Better Stewardship,
Ashley Hodge
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