Fashion At The Workplace

We have seen so many advertisements on television, especially detergent advertisements. They always showcase how important the whiteness of the clothes is or how new the clothes should look like. They advertise in a way to portray that if the clothes are new and white, only then will your boss take you and your job seriously. This is not true at all. Clothes are clothes, and they do not determine our skills nor do they determine our hard work. Let us understand this in detail. 

Being presentable is important, of course, as the impression counts. But the expense of the clothes, the brand of the clothes, or the fashion choices does not determine how good of an employee we are. Following the dress code is important, for example, if the company has asked you to wear formals, go ahead and wear it. But again, formals do not just mean trousers, a shirt or a skirt. Sarees and suits are also formal. We often judge people who wear Indian clothes at work saying, “She doesn’t know much about fashion” or “How illiterate does she look” or “She looks like a villager”. These comments can often be heard, and let us tell you, this is offensive. Judging someone at the workplace based on his/her fashion choices is not cool.

Every company selects the employee based on his/her skill. They are hired because they are right for the job, not because they wore a certain outfit. As mentioned earlier, looking presentable is highly important and so is following the company’s dress code, but fashion choices are personal. We do not have any right to comment on someone’s clothes if the company allows it. The workplace isn’t a school, where a uniform is worn. Employees wear what they are comfortable in and as far as it comes under the company’s rules, they are free to wear whatever they want. 

Clothes or fashion choices do not affect the work, instead, sincerity and discipline do. We must show more interest in what people are working on than in what people want to wear. We are extremely insecure as people, which is why judging someone comes naturally to us. “Look at her makeup, so loud” or “Look at his shoes, so old school”, are the things that we come around to hear a lot. This is just not right. Putting someone down because of these petty things isn’t fair. The workplace is all about treating everyone equally, be it a boss or a peon. They all are working and providing their service, which means they all deserve equal respect. 

Fashion choices are personal and your own, you have the right to experiment as long as your work isn’t getting affected. You are the only person who gets to decide what you want to wear and how you want to look. So, it doesn’t matter what people say, as they are never going to be satisfied with you. You go to the office to do your job, not to listen to someone’s judgments. So, instead of concentrating on such petty things, concentrate on your job as it will only bear you good fruits in the future.