INTHEBLACK February 2023 - Magazine - Page 37
KEEPING
WORKWEAR
INCLUSIVE
As more workplaces relax their
dress codes, Lisa Annese, CEO of
Diversity Council Australia, says it is
also important to ensure that they
remain inclusive.
of their company – both in the office and
when working remotely.
“Provided you follow your organisation’s
guidelines, your attire will not impact your
promotional prospects,” he says.
“Show you understand your workplace’s
culture by being in tune to what’s acceptable
and not acceptable in your office. For
instance, sportswear, T-shirts with political
or unprofessional statements and UGG
boots are generally not acceptable.”
First impressions matter, says Cawley. “You
can modify your look over time, so start more
conservatively if you aren’t sure of expectations.
Use your first few weeks in the role to
understand the accepted norms, including
attire, then adapt your clothing choices based
on what you know to be acceptable.
“Wearing a suit won’t help your ambitions
if it doesn’t fit with the culture of the office,
and wearing a shirt won’t help if you don’t
iron it,” adds Cawley.
With professionals such as accountants
classified as “knowledge workers”, Houghton
questions whether a dress code should apply
at all.
“I don’t think that clothes make your brain
work differently,” she says. “Most of the
people who wear suits are knowledge workers,
but it’s really their brain that matters.”
READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on
professional
dress codes
“If you’re going to change expectations of
what people wear, how can you make sure
that everybody is included in that, and that
you’re not alienating some people by
putting new expectations on work attire?
“The best way to be inclusive is to do
proper consultation, but also to work out
what looking ‘professional’ and ‘casual’
actually mean,” Annese says. Modelling
“appropriate” workplace attire on one
demographic can be problematic as it
excludes many people, she explains.
“For women, for example, there used
to be rules around wearing heels in some
organisations, but I think they’ve generally
recognised that you can still look
professional and wear flat shoes.”
Annese adds that the notion of casual
clothes may also be culturally influenced.
“To get a consistent and equitable
approach across your organisation,
the best thing to do is some proper
consultation with people who require
flexibility in their dress or who have
religious or cultural dress that is important
to them,” she says.
“What it means to dress casually is quite
subjective, so extend the consultation
across socio-economic groups, gender
and generational groups as well.”
Annese also recommends considering the
type of work employers are required to do.
“If you’re a law firm and you’ve got people
who are making representations at court
where there might be rules around dress,
that’s one thing. If you’re a creative start-up,
expectations may be quite different.”
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 37