Dress for the job you want
MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Dress for Your Day (DFYD) policy outlines the requirements for a professional and high standard of dress at all times.
Staff can “dress slightly less formally at certain times during the working week - depending on meeting requirements – and supports individuals to feel comfortable and “like themselves”, national marketing communications manager Janine Brennan-Lynch told me.
Staff attending court are encouraged to subscribe to court rules: dark suits, white shirts and understated colours, Brennan-Lynch said. The ol’ fun-free beige, oatmeal and funeral black, as it were.
As a long-time activewear enthusiast, one had to ask, how casual is casual? Think “dress for your day within a professional services environment”, Brennan-Lynch said, adding: “We would be surprised if any staff thought gym pants were appropriate for a professional services environment.” Fair point.
Clothing allowances for the win
For newbies navigating fashion outlets like Barkers, Cue, Working Style and Max on a budget, the firm offers a clothing allowance to support summer and law clerks, ranging from $1500 to $2500. Poly-blend suiting be damned, I say!
Buddle Findlay, like many top-tier firms, also offers a clothing allowance for clerks (unspecified). Every penny counts, though, as recent Stats NZ figures suggest the cost of living for the average New Zealand household has increased by 3%. As for the rest of us, we’ll have to settle for Farmers’ “Red Dot” sale, or Karen Walker via Designer Wardrobe.
Like Minters, Buddle Findlay lawyers must also subscribe to “dress for your day” guidelines, which recognise the importance of in-person contact with clients and colleagues, and the need to maintain a professional office environment, national people and culture manager Fiona Tribe said.
“We expect all team members to dress in a manner that is professional, clean, tidy and appropriate for the people they are meeting and the situation.
“If anyone is unsure about what to wear, we encourage them to speak with their supervisor or a member of the People and Culture team.”
The ‘smart casual’ debate
What’s interesting about both of these examples is a move away from “Casual Fridays”. That’s not the case for Duncan Cotterill, which employs a “smart casual” approach to my favourite day of the week, or FriYAY as it’s commonly known.
The dress code policy, which reflects the nature of the firm’s work and values, is “fairly broad and allows for our people discretion to select the appropriate dress for the business of each workday”, chief executive Glen Cornelius said.
But for lovers of statutory interpretation, what does “smart casual” actually mean? As Cornelius thankfully provided details, casual trousers can include jeans, but they must be of “good condition”. Torn jeans favoured by the likes of Britney Spears need not apply.
Suits, of course, are given the thumbs up. Similarly, dress pants, dresses, blouses, sports jackets, blazers and “casual smart jackets” or “smart tops” are also suitable options.
Polo shirts work too, surprisingly, and the “tie-less look” must also fall within the vague concept of “smart dressing”. From what I can gather, wearing t-shirts or collarless garments around the midriff and chest amounts to ‘not smart’.
“For us, smart casual means a standard that still presents a good image for the firm”, Cornelius said.
Where to from here?
Ultimately, all this talk of self-expression and worker-driven decision-making suggests we’ve come a long way. Remember, it was only in 2016 that a woman was sent home without pay from the UK branch of PwC for refusing to wear high heels.
But for the fashion avant-garde among us hoping to test the boundaries, be warned: dressing for success is limited to what’s described in firm policies, and thus, your contract.
Minor deviations from established policies could constitute misconduct under the Employment Relations Act. Sports leggings (or glorified pyjamas) should be best kept to the confines of your home office, or better yet, the sports field.
