In a corporate environment, appearance matters a lot. This is especially true when dealing with high-profile clients. Employees in the roles of sales representatives, account managers, and coordinators face big-time clients almost every day. That is why you would want them to look their best to impress the people they meet at all times. You want potential customers to see your brand in a positive light to make them want to do business with you. You might even want them to wear branded lanyards with your company name for a polished and uniform look.
Unfortunately, dress codes vary from one company to another, making it difficult for employees to pin down exactly what to wear. While suits are generally acceptable, there are other ways to appear formal on the office floor without it. Often known as the “corporate casual style”, this lets people dress appropriately without suiting up—which can appear too stiff for some businesses. Here are a few guidelines you can implement in your workplace to achieve this look.
- Make Branded Company Clothes
Nothing shows company support better than custom-made clothes with your corporate brand. Jackets, collared shirts, and button-downs are some of the best suggestions for this as they’re more formal-looking. As with most recommended business casual get-ups, these shirts can be worn tucked in and paired with slacks and leather shoes for a formal look without wearing suits. The other advantage of this is the opportunity to advertise your brand to a large number of people. If your employees are on the way to a meeting outside the office, people will immediately notice the branded apparel and become more aware of your company.
- Specify Appropriate Bottoms and Footwear
To complement the branded apparel, you can also specify matching shoes, pants, and skirts to accompany them. Some suggestions include cotton and wool slacks for men, while women can wear skirts that go below the knees or even stylish capri pants. You can also consider corduroy pants as alternatives if jeans are too informal for you. Shorts and short skirts are not acceptable as they tend to be more suited for a casual look.
Leather shoes are among the acceptable footwear options, since the polished look feels more formal to look at compared to wearing sneakers. Heels can also be worn for women, provided that they aren’t too high that they can cause discomfort.
- Consider Branded Office Lanyards
If you’re looking for an extra touch of uniformity, wearing lanyards customized with your company name is a good way to complement any employee’s outfit. You can even take it a step further and have ID laces specific to each department to cement the team spirit. Try having these made for management staff, HR departments, or even the top executives so that other employees can quickly identify each other from the color alone.
These are some of the most common examples of the clothes you can use to make a formal outfit. While the exact dress code policies differ between companies, dress codes can still be effective in establishing a professional atmosphere within the company.
