80% of managers say clothing choices affect promotion prospects.
It was an investment in our own self. An investment we never should think for a nano–second.
The right message: This old but true story was on my mind as I was reading over some new research from Office Team on clothing and promotability, "What you wear to work may be preventing you from getting a promotion."
A key finding from the survey: 86% of workers and 80% of managers believe "clothing choices affect a person's chances of being promoted."
My own opinion about this? Just seven words: Yep. Yes. Absolutely. No doubt about it.
That's not to say of course that everyone should wear white shirts and dark suits. Far from it. Every business has its own norms and styles. But given those differences, if you want to optimize your chances of advancing in your career, be conscious of those norms and styles.
Dressing well can't get you promoted, but not dressing well will work against you. Do you want to send the right message or the wrong one?
Let's look at a few more findings from this recent survey.
Amount of time spent: "Professionals spend an average of 11 minutes a day choosing their office attire." Interestingly, the data showed men spent more time on this activity than did women — 12 minutes a day versus 9 minutes. My own experience: Once I got into the pressed-shirt mode, I'd estimate my daily time spent was about 13 seconds. I'd grab without thinking a white shirt or blue shirt (usually white) to go with a dark suit and the only choice I had was what tie to select, which was actually enjoyable, as I built up a collection of colorful arty ties to brighten the basic conservatism of my wardrobe.
Sartorial trends: The survey showed that, compared to five years ago, jeans, tennis shoes and leggings are now "more acceptable" to wear to work. And tank tops, "cold shoulder tops" and shorts are "less acceptable." And I know for sure that suits and ties are way less ubiquitous than they were 26 years ago.
Candid clothing conversations: So how do managers feel about having candid clothing conversations? Not surprisingly, there's a wide range of comfort levels. 44% of have spoken to an employee about "inappropriate attire" and 32% have sent employees home based on what they were wearing. Of this group of managers who had such conversations, half were comfortable with them, 35% felt awkward about it, and 15% didn't want to have the conversation at all.
All I can say is that back in the day I'm grateful my own manager was straight with me.