By Zoya Gervis // SWNS
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
It’s official, offices are going casual. Seventy-eight percent of employed Americans say their offices are getting more relaxed, according to new research.
A poll of 2,000 full- and part-time employed Americans discovered over half (54 percent) have seen a shift in the dress code at their jobs toward a more casual style.
In fact, 57 percent work at offices that incorporate casual Fridays into their business – and of those, the majority participate frequently (51 percent).
The study, conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Samuel Hubbard, examined respondents' workplace attire and overall attitude around the office.
It uncovered that 82 percent are in agreement: Feeling comfortable in their clothes allows them to be more productive at the office.
It turns out a whopping 71 percent of those studied say being in casual clothes allows them to feel more accomplished throughout the day, because they can focus on the work at hand instead of thinking about how uncomfortable they are in an outfit.
But that’s not all that Americans enjoy when it comes to how they dress at the office. Sixty-five percent of those studied say being uncomfortable in their clothes at work hinders their productivity.
In fact, 56 percent of those studied reveal feeling comfortable in their clothes is a major contributor to their confidence at the office.
And that’s not all that adds to an employee’s confidence on the job. Fifty-four percent reveal having comfortable shoes helps them maintain their confidence at the office while a further one in nine reveal wearing a suit or dressing for success allows them to generate the confidence necessary to get their jobs done efficiently and effectively.
It’s no surprise then that 59 percent say dressing for success really works – with 43 percent revealing that they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs effectively if they had to wear more conservative clothes.
“Comfort is paramount in today’s ever increasingly busy world and it’s not surprising to hear that some even value comfort over compensation," said a spokesperson for Samuel Hubbard. "But the days of lugging around a 'work' shoe while wearing a 'commute' shoe are behind us (we’ll save those moments for our favorite 80’s movies).”
As the average American is likely to dress casually four days out of the week – 57 percent of the average Americans weekly wardrobe is casual.
One in eight reveal they’d rather have a casual dress code at the office than get an extra $5,000 toward their salary.
That being said, when it comes to a job interview, casual dress still isn’t the norm. In fact, 73 percent of those studied still think it’s important to wear a suit or something professional to a job interview – no matter the dress code of the business.
And 67 percent consider dress code an overall important factor when looking for a new job.
“Wanting comfort doesn’t mean you should be forced to wear sweatpants and sneakers and our customers thank us for giving them an option where they can have the best of both worlds," said a spokesperson for Samuel Hubbard. "We’ve created stylish work shoes that feel just like a sneakers."
TOP 5 CONTRIBUTORS TO WORK CONFIDENCE
1. Being on top of my work/projects 67%
2. Feeling comfortable in my clothes 56%
3. Having shoes that are comfortable 54%
4. Coming in early 33%
5. Wearing a suit/dressing for success 11%
