With the warm weather approaching we are faced with the dilemma of what to wear to the office. Summer means more relaxed light weight clothing, but how relaxed can we be in the office without appearing totally unprofessional. What is deemed appropriate does depend on our geographic location, the profession we work in, our company’s dress code, and whether we are directly dealing with clients.
Most companies relax their dress codes in the summer, however here are 5 things you should never wear.
Flip Flops
Here come the beachcombers. Hear them coming down the hall flip flopping away. Flip flops are meant to be worn at the pool or beach and have no place in an office environment. According to a survey by Adecco 71% of all employees believe that flip flops should be saved for the weekend. Furthermore, when wearing them by the time you get to work your feet will be dirty and who really wants to look at your dirty feet. Remember to make sure your feet are well groomed and pedicured if you wear open toe shoes or sandals. Check your corporate dress code to see what is acceptable in the area of summer shoes.
Skin baring clothing
Yes, it may be hot outside but with air conditioning in offices cover up and save your reputation. Stay away from revealing clothing such as sun dresses, halter tops, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, tube tops, see through and low cut tops. As a general rule, if your bra straps are showing it’s probably not office appropriate.
Shorts and short skirts
Shorts are shorts, whether they are short, Bermuda’s, or culottes. Simply put, they are recreational wear not business wear.
Maxi dresses and skirts
Those trendy floor length skirts or dresses are wonderful in hot weather, but not wonderful in the office unless you work in a highly creative field. After all, they can be a nuisance as you will end up tripping over them every time you bend over. Save them for the weekend with the flip flops.
Sunglasses as an accessory
Sunglasses are to be worn outside not inside and don’t serve as a headband.