How to Make Business Casual Work for You

By Jill Bremer, Certified Image Consultant

Today's business environment is anything but traditional. For most Americans, work settings have become more relaxed. Flex-time, job-sharing and home offices have spurred employees to ask for more comfortable dress codes. And corporate America has responded. In fact, "casual Friday" has become "casual every day" for many companies.

The expectation that productivity would increase as a result of this more comfortable work environment cannot be proven. But we do know that employees are happier. We can assume that business casual is here to stay. The problem is that workers have wide-ranging definitions of business casual and few companies have developed adequate dress code policies. The result is mass confusion and mixed messages.