Casual Friday, or dress-down Friday, is a time of the week in which employees of a firm are given the opportunity to dress less formally than other days. It originally began in British and American firms during the mid 1990’s, mostly in the IT field, but spread gradually into other sectors, as well as throughout the world.
The concept of coming into the office dressed casually in a more comfortable outfit sounds nice. It also participates in creating an atmosphere that prepares people for the weekend.
One problem with this is that some employees begin to feel as if it the weekend has already begun and they start to get lazy during work. It may also cause colleagues to act rude towards one another. On the one hand casual Friday allows people to feel less stressed, but on the other hand, they sometimes forget their professionalism. In order to put an end to inappropriate behavior observed in the office, some managers are demanding that employees return to previous arrangements.*
Furthermore, the dress code expected on casual Friday’s is very difficult to perceive in a new work environment. What is worse is that it varies from one firm to another. Some firms accept sneakers and jeans, while others will only allow employees to dress in a casual business way. But what kind of outfit can be considered as both casual and formal?
It is really hard to adapt to this concept if you never experienced it before. What should you do if, during your first day in a job, your boss tells you, “every Friday is casual Friday, employees can leave their suits and ties at home on Fridays”, well, good to know. However, coming overdressed when colleagues are wearing sandals, or visa versa, can be both really annoying and embarrassing, especially when you don’t know your colleagues that well.
Maybe casual Friday is only possible in some sectors, or maybe it should be made clearer if every firm has its own version of the concept. Is it worth it, if setting these rules reduces the freedom of the concept or if one feels pressured to find a good ‘casual’ outfit? The concept of Casual Friday, which aims to create a special and nice atmosphere in the work place before leaving for the weekend, appears to have some underlying negative factors.
Raphaëlle PERIE
* http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2001/apr/22/features.review17
I had never heard of this concept before but I'm pleased to know that I have the opportunity not to wear heeled shoes at work at least once a week! Do you know if France or other countries have adopted this concept?
ReplyDeleteI quite agree with Casual Friday, as long as the employees don't exaggerate and wear clothes that do not 'shock' the clients. I mean you can wear a pair of jeans and a shirt or a casual t-shirt instead of wearing a suit. Maybe the boss should specify a bit more the rules...
Delphine Cormons
“Casual Friday”, what an interesting and wonderful subject! I didn’t know this concept before your article, and I think it could be highly debatable.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, thanks to this concept, an employee can express his personality, be himself as well as more relax and comfortable on the last day of the work week. But on the other hand, I agree with Delphine on the point that a manager should explain to his employees what does he mean by “casual”. Indeed, it’s a very vague and subjective concept. How to be casual and professional at the same time? How to find the perfect balance between looking professional and keeping cool? Such a headache for an employee! These are issues which we need to address as regards this concept.
Priscilla BELLI
To be honest Delphine, I have never experienced the concept of "Casual Friday" in France. I was said that in Germany large firms such as O2 do allow their employees to dress casual on that day. With respect to France, I read that it is more and more common in large firms, mostly American such as Microsoft, but also in medium sized firms. Furthermore with the globalization this concept tend to be observed in more and more countries. Dress code participates in some cases to build corporate spirit, so it is good to be warned in order to facilitate its integration in a firm.
ReplyDeleteMaybe some of us will experience it on internship at the end of the year!
Raphaëlle Périé
Right, let's hope that this concept will be developed in France in the near future!
ReplyDeleteDelphine Cormons
I have never heard this concept but it sounds very interesting since the possibility to wear what you want on one day in the work week instead of sometimes boring uniforms.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I think executives, for example, should keep all the timea classic style for meetings with customers or for public presentations, but why not with a small trendy touch of fashion.
But, we have to be careful: it is not a clothing revolution. The term “casual” means comfortable but still work appropriate. So we have to conform to what is practiced in the company.
So here is a solution: instead of going to work on a Friday wearing trendy clothes, go to work dressed like a successful and professional businessman.
You might be thinking, what is the point of getting dressed up again on a Friday when nobody else does it? Think about this: if you are the only one in your office dressed professionally, you will get more respect, you will get more opportunities, you will get more respect from your boss who maybe will offer you a possible future promotion!
More seriously, be careful to what you wear because unfortunately, people still judge you by your appearance and make non justified prejudices.
Oriane BELABBES
The casual Friday is not a new trend, for example in Latin-American countries, as they are under North American influence, this concept is widely practiced not only in a professional context but also in schools (private and public) as students wear uniforms all school days. I remember when I was at high school, we had one casual Friday per month and it represented a real festive day to us.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this trend contrasts with traditional practices, as we all know each professional environment has its own specific dress code. For example, we have a stereotyped image of geeks or the financial manager, the vendors, the little tradesmen on the corner and so on. If we make up part of one of these environments we have to adapt to its codes even if we are not used to it. Sometimes we have to put aside our personal tastes and adapt to something new in order to fit into the professional atmosphere.
Blanca RAUDA
It sometimes seems that clothes do make the man. Although I have ever heard of the concept of Casual day, I didn't know that we are directly influenced by what we wear or, more seriously, the symbolic forgetting our professional « submission ». I wonder if companies with lax dress codes are really less efficient, overall in the traditional information technology. For example, Steve Jobs promoted the image of the leader of a benevolent, unpretentious but serious and passionate company by wearing very plain jeans and skirts.
ReplyDeleteIs it worthwile imposing a stressful atmosphere in the name of productivity? In my opinion, a firm with social policies and long-term perspectives should give priority to the serenity of its employees, even if some regular Formal Fridays wouldn't do any harm.
Baptiste CHAUVIN