BT broadband office

1. At May 29, 2008 9:27 AM, J G Dawson wrote:

Well, I'm not surprised - I think Gordon Brown wears a suit and look at the mess he's made of things...

2. At May 29, 2008 10:08 AM, John@123-reg wrote:

What am I going to work better in - jeans and t-shirt (which I feel comfy in), or restrictive trousers, shirt or (worst of all) a suit?

There's no contest. You want your employees to be more productive? Let them wear whatever makes them most comfortable.

(It's a different story if you're out and about, meeting clients and things though.)

3. At May 29, 2008 10:23 AM, Chris Sabin wrote:

Suits only work when in the correct enviroment.
If MP's didnt wear suits then you wouldn't take them as serious (well maybe).

However someone who is a joiner wouldn't be expected to wear a suit.

Get over it. Giving the amount of crap sold on the high street no wonder people dont want to wear suits as the crap they buy costs far less than a nice suit!

4. At May 29, 2008 12:54 PM, Dennis Smith wrote:

You must wear a suit that suits you, if the suit does not suit you it will not suit your suitors

5. At May 29, 2008 1:54 PM, 'Razor' Ramone wrote:

"You must wear a suit that suits you, if the suit does not suit you it will not suit your suitors"

Presumably we're talking about a fitted woman's suit here, then? Pretty sure men can't have suitors.
Although... I'd think the short skirt, above, would be a preferable alternative for most suitors. Certainly for me!

6. At May 29, 2008 2:07 PM, D Brickwood wrote:

"It makes everyone look smart"? So what. Wear whatever is comfortable as long as it's not smelly or offensive. Let's abolish the dress codes and while we're at it, use our ties to strangle anyone who ever uses the most evil phrase in the English language, "smart casual". And then burn the ties.

7. At May 29, 2008 2:19 PM, Me wrote:

our business was "comfy dress" for years then they put in place business dress and only our own clothes on a friday, the weekend or bank holidays.

i dont mind wearing business dress, but as for a suit, if your comfy in it then why not

business dress is business dress

8. At May 29, 2008 5:08 PM, Trevor While (AB Multimask Ltd) wrote:

I think a dress code should be applied to any working environment, firstly it reduces the risk of accident and or injury and also promotes a companies image.

Whether you are working on a building site or visiting clients, you are promoting or selling your companies image. Clients can be assured that they are working with a professional outfit which also includes health & safety working practices.

It can also make you feel like part of a team, think of it like putting on a football kit before a cup final, you want your team to win, your fans are watching in anticipation, you are ready for action and you expect to win.

My suit is my football kit.

9. At May 30, 2008 9:16 AM, James Lyon wrote:

Please, please do not give up on the smart suit - If you want respect, you need to look smart in business and wear a suit or smart uniform. (All employees)

If I was going to go to a business for advice, help, finance, insurance, a new vehicle etc. and the staff were not dressed properly in a smart suit, I would just turn around and walk out.

10. At May 30, 2008 10:32 AM, Chris Sabin wrote:

I actually kind of agree with James for once, and no im not ill!

I still think that some professions dress code isn't important and other things do the talking (e.g Games programmers. If i was to sit and code all day i'd want to be comfy). However i'd expect an accountant to be looking smart.

Why do the yakuza etc want to wear suits? Because it does look smart, and it does give you respect.

I dont like wearing shirts + tie etc but when it has to be done it has to be done.

11. At May 30, 2008 12:05 PM, D Brickwood wrote:

Hmm. Health and Safety (or "I Don't Want to be Sued").....Doesn't really go hand in hand with ties, does it? The most useles piece of clothing ever invented AND an accident waiting to happen.
Yes, suits are a necessary evil in some environments, because some people are still far too hung up on appearances rather than results. But not in a non-customer facing role.
Good point about the yakuza, though....the best criminals wear the best suits

12. At May 30, 2008 4:35 PM, A Horse wrote:

I nay think it good to wear clothes. I only wear shoes because they make me.

13. At May 30, 2008 5:22 PM, Ian Betteridge wrote:

Fact of the day: The men's tie was invented in Croatia, in the form of the Cravat - which gets its name from Hrvat, a corrupted version of "Hrvatska", which is "Croatia" in Croatian.

And on that bombshell, I'm off for the evening!

14. At May 30, 2008 10:40 PM, Julie wrote:

I wore my football kit to work...and they sent me home!!
(just kidding...will I end up in jail??)

15. At May 31, 2008 10:08 PM, annonymous hard worker wrote:

Hi all,
Nice one. The place where i work ; girls show off to the hilt- hipsqueaks with short tops ,equally short skin tight stuff gain the best advantage .. Put it this way - I agree with James. professionally dressed men and woman are very much essential for business. working from home is a different story.

Causal dress down should not literally mean ' dress - down '

People who dress provocatively and work for friday booze money have no place in a professional environment. period.

16. At June 2, 2008 11:33 AM, mr anonymous wrote:

i work for a low paying call centre , we have to come to work in business dress. For what reason? To make us feel as if our jobs are some how important? Our clients walk in in jeans and t-shirts and most of the women can wear what they want, but all males have to wear a shirt with a collar and get sent home if they dont

17. At June 2, 2008 11:36 AM, 'Razor' Ramone wrote:

"People who dress provocatively and work for friday booze money have no place in a professional environment. period."

Rubbish! That's an excessive generalisation (well, agreed on the dressing provocatively, actually).

I think what you meant to say was people who cannot act professionally, regardless of their financial motives, have no place in a professional environment. I have no problem with people earning so they can enjoy their weekends drinking, so long as that doesn't impact their ability to do their jobs. Frankly, if they earn money so they can dress as hamsters and run in a giant wheel at the weekends that's really entirely their own business, just so long as they're professional when they're actually at work.

18. At June 2, 2008 4:34 PM, Kev smith wrote:

Business dress can be comfortable, its your own choice to buy and wear uncomfortable clothing. I wear a shirt and proper trousers and leather shoes and am just as comfortable as when wearing jeans and tshirt. Plus if your wearing jeans and tshirt at work you know you will just end up wearing it when you finish work, you wouldnt wear your shirt and trousers to the pub now would you.

19. At June 3, 2008 9:20 AM, annoymous hardworker wrote:

hey Razor 'duh ' Ramone ,
being professional starts with showing some sincerity to your job and company. If you are living for weekends you should not be working - go on dole.
Enjoyment on hard earned money is a wonderful thing - but people i work with esp the females , have no concern for the job at hand or the customer. They live for fridays and love to dress skimply . does it mean they are more professional ?what next ? bikini interviews ?
Your point of dressing up as hamsters is nonsense. People dress for a living in disney land - not in a office .
or are you suggesting you dont care as long you get your eyballs worth of people prancing about during 'work' ?

20. At June 3, 2008 10:56 AM, Dennis Smith wrote:

Just for 'Razor'
Suitor: a wooer, one who sues, a petitioner. So no male wooers: seeking to marry, no male petitioners: requesting or entreating. no males suing: beseeching, entreating, prosecuting. Great world you have there.

21. At June 3, 2008 11:45 AM, Chris Sabin wrote:

"People dress for a living in disney land - not in a office."

Thats missing the point Razor. That is their "suit" becauuse they are paid to do that and entertain the guest at disneyland. It is all part of the experience.
If i went and saw Mikey Mouse in a suit i would be dissapointed!

22. At June 3, 2008 1:50 PM, 'Razor' Ramone wrote:

"Enjoyment on hard earned money is a wonderful thing - but people i work with esp the females , have no concern for the job at hand or the customer."

Well, perhaps your opinion is tainted by your own circumstances. All I said was that if someone is professional at work, then their reasons for working are irrelevant. I don't see how anyone can disagree with that. You yourself even said essentially the same thing ("being professional starts with showing some sincerity to your job and company.").
Professionalism is the ONLY criteria required. If you are one of these unfortunate people who lives to work, as opposed to the other way round, then I feel for you, but I'll still be spending MY hard-earned cash on things I enjoy (and that doesn't involve drinking by the way, since I rarely do).

"or are you suggesting you dont care as long you get your eyballs worth of people prancing about during 'work' ?"
Well, seeing as how I agreed with you on that originally, I'm going to go with, 'No I'm not suggesting that'.

Anything else you'd like to troll me with?

23. At June 4, 2008 11:31 AM, Dr McSquirrell (not medical) wrote:

"but people i work with esp the females, have no concern for the job at hand or the customer."

That's a rather sexist comment isn't it?
You're implication is that woman are uncaring, lazy, layabouts who spend their days flirting and waiting for the next night out.

Personally, when I am at work, I am at work... i.e. I work. The task at hand gets my full attention and I do my utmost to answer the customers queries. Yes I chat with my colleagues but that is this thing called 'socialising' and is done in a spare moment between customers. Oh, and spare moments are allowed, slave labour was abolished 200 years ago.

When I am not at work, I relax and enjoy myself, spending the money I've earned on the things I like. That could be a night out with my friends, a trip to the cinema, a new dress or, yesterday, a change in hair colour.

I personally don't see the point of doing the job just for a jobs sake... it is not just a cash source.
If you do not enjoy your job, it will end up being a chore and then there is a good chance that you will only be working for the weekend.

However, I must agree with Razor, I do not need to be smart to give my customers my full attention and the care they require.

Saying that, customers also have expectations that should be met (dependent on the expectation) in order to keep them.

Therefore, on topic, I would have to agree with Chris Sabin and say that the dress code should be dependent on the job. If someone worked in sewage (that's actually down the drains) they definitely shouldn't wear a suit. On the other hand, when I visit my GP I expect him to be smart but not suit standards, i don't expect him to even wear a tie. In fact, I don't really see the need to wear a full suit in any line of work... I see suits as more for events (weddings, graduations, job interviews) than everyday wear.

24. At June 6, 2008 5:22 PM, Paul Brown wrote:

There's a wider issue involved. I'm running a petition. "In this day and age, surely it's inappropriate for employers to require men to wear ties at work in jobs where women don't have to wear ties. This is connected with the attitude "men are completely different from women and here's the proof!" (i.e. a tie). I think this should have been included in the original version of the Sex Discrimination Act. Apart from this, employees are often selected on their ability to wear a tie rather than their ability to do the job, which results in poor service to the public. At the moment enforced tie wearing for men is decided on the basis of legal precedent set by Judges. Surely this is wrong".

Visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Tie-wearing/ to sign this petition.