Casual Friday. There was a time when casual Friday was just that. Forty something men would come to work in chino’s and a polo shirt. To be unwittingly scorned and laughed at behind their backs by their younger colleagues. Or twenty something girls were sent home and advised that they were not working in a night club.
However it seems that the casualness of Friday has seeped into the rest of the week. Well partly anyhow. You see, a new dogma has been unearthed. You can blame boy bands or whoever but have you noticed that men are now wearing suits...and no ties? The open neck collar is now the norm or so it appears. Navy suits are worn with bright pink open necked shirts showing a cleft of chest hair or a gold chain that were never sported before. Gone are the days of the Windsor knot or the fixing of a tie in the mirror before going into the bosses office. Because now the boss is sitting there as if it’s five o’ clock already. I don’t know but if I am wearing jeans or a t shirt I don’t feel as professional as I would if I am suited and booted. I feel lazy. I feel like it’s Friday already and the work doesn’t matter. I will sit there or slump and have a laissez faire attitude.
This usually happens when the boss starts to do it. Then you will see the eager salesmen trying to impress . Off go the ties quicker than a stripper will remove her brassiere. And this goes to the very top. Take a look at the next G8 meeting. Once Barak Obama decides to take off his tie and roll his shirt up to the elbows, they are all at it. As if they are sitting around at an Irish wake waiting for the next bottle of whiskey to be opened.
On an economic side, it is interesting to note that the sale of ties actually increased since the recession began. One would think that with so many people losing their jobs that sales would have fallen. However the interesting part was that these people were going for interviews where you actually would wear a tie. So there was an increase in sales.
Last year I had reason to meet a supplier who came to sell me his wares. I was actually shocked to see him in an open neck shirt and an anorak! Fair enough if you are going for a job as a manual labourer or perhaps a chef you don’t need to adorn your going away outfit but a business meeting should require at least a tie! Prudish you may suggest, but I don’t think so. We need to have limits and borders. Not between power and minnows but between work and play.