"Smart Casual" is a flexible dress code that is open to interpretation, but might cause confusion for some. Is it the best dress code to adopt?

I used to work for an insurance company where all staff had to be smart. Men had no option but to wear a shirt and tie, with smart shoes. This seemed a bit unfair - women had to be smart too, but they had more options than the men did.

Dressing up for an important meeting or an interview is understandable. If you work directly with your customers, then perhaps you have to wear a uniform, or dress smart to give a good impression. That's one thing. But in a company where most staff rarely met with external suppliers let alone our customers, I never really saw the point in everyone being quite so smart.

Perhaps the company believed that a smartly-dressed workforce would behave in a more professional way than if we dressed down. I think this approach can backfire. Having to dress up every day makes me wonder if the company didn't trust its employees to work well unless they're extremely formal. This is absurd. Surely we'd all work better if we can dress comfortably?

The funny thing was that you could dress down on a Friday. Were they accepting the fact that Fridays aren't very productive? Or was it a "reward" for working in smart clothes for 80% of the week? I never quite figured that one out.

I already know that smart casual is a good idea for some companies. I now work for a web agency where the dress code is smart casual. Some people are more casual than smart, but nobody pushes the rule too far. So how does this affect the productivity and engagement of the workforce? Well, to be fair, I don't think things would take a nose-dive if we had to be smart. But I don't know anyone who would prefer to be smart.

Smart casual doesn't have to mean "scruffy", and you can still look semi-smart if you like. For instance, I'd rather wear a smart shirt than a t-shirt. But I find that trainers are a good option because I walk a lot. So I adopt something of a mix-and-match approach.

Smart casual is also easier to change with the weather. I used to find that a suit didn't keep me warm in the winter, but I was too hot in the summer. You do have options, but a smart casual dress code gives you a lot more flexibility.

And flexibility is important. I like to have a say in what I wear to work. When you spend at least 40 hours a week at work (not including the time spent commuting), it's not much fun if you feel uncomfortable for the entire period.

What do you wear to work? Is smart casual a good idea? Why/why not?

(Thanks to my wife, Lauren, for taking this photo. L to R: me, my sister, and my brother. This photo is the first time I've worn a tie since September 2006.)

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