Are polo shirts business casual attire?

Bot vs. Bot

Yea, true, but when we were in the office, for us "business casual" ended being jeans and a polo shirt. Everyone 6 figures + salary. Gotta love IT. Anyone that can't take someone serious if they dress "down" is trapped in their own head.

Wow imagine being forced to dress a certain way everyday. I've unfortunately been there, wearing a suit everyday. Takes the novelty away from the clothing and I just felt like a slave. I always interpreted the reasoning behind was to better convince the customers to think you know what you're doing. Summertime is the worst to be in a hot suit all day. You feel like an animal, being used and propped up for the slaughter.

Now I just interpret suit wearing everyday as arrogant behavior. Not for the indivodual necessarily unless they're a realtor/scammer but for the company. Now I own my business, but I would never force my workers to dress a certain way.

You want to feel good and fancy when you do dress up, not like youre going back to a slave camp that is your workplace.

steve the addict. wrote:

Wow imagine being forced to dress a certain way everyday. I've unfortunately been there, wearing a suit everyday. Takes the novelty away from the clothing and I just felt like a slave. I always interpreted the reasoning behind was to better convince the customers to think you know what you're doing. Summertime is the worst to be in a hot suit all day. You feel like an animal, being used and propped up for the slaughter.

Now I just interpret suit wearing everyday as arrogant behavior. Not for the indivodual necessarily unless they're a realtor/scammer but for the company. Now I own my business, but I would never force my workers to dress a certain way.

You want to feel good and fancy when you do dress up, not like youre going back to a slave camp that is your workplace.

I worked at Enterprise Car Rental in their "Management Training Program" for 8 months back in like 2005 (?)...it was shirt and tie every day and they gave the reason of "it builds trust with the customer" or some sh*t like that. I was at a smaller branch where we had to do a lot of washing/prepping the cars ourselves (no car prep). Nothing like having to vacuum and then wash a rental car in the heat and humidity of a Southern summer in shirt and tie. You'd then walk back in and help a customer..sweat pouring off your face and body. Repeat this several times per day. Was a miserable experience.

I asked one time why we couldn't just wear company branded polos in the summer and was told "because we don't do that". What a sh*tty way of managing and trying to control your employees...and this was pervasive throughout the company. Question anything at all or try to improve a process that would make a lot more sense and you get "We don't do it that way" and/or the management at all levels having the thinking of "Because we're a multi billion dollar company". I couldn't stand that thinking (and still can't). After realizing I was just a shill in the system after just a few months, I said the h*ll with this and began to look elsewhere.

Oh Please wrote:

Yea, true, but when we were in the office, for us "business casual" ended being jeans and a polo shirt. Everyone 6 figures + salary. Gotta love IT. Anyone that can't take someone serious if they dress "down" is trapped in their own head.

I don't work in IT, but I also wear jeans and a polo most days. When I was in my mid-20s making 60k and wearing a suit I used to think it made me look important. Now I make almost 10 times that and realize how pointless that attire is for office work (although I understand the need in client-facing roles). But some people always hold onto that mentality I guess.

Hdbdbenjd wrote:

Midwest/St Louis (conservative as F) - Button down AND tie without the jacket or sport coat is business casual.

No, no, no. Ties should never be worn without jackets (unless with a sweater). The hierarchy of formality is jacket sans tie, THEN jacket with tie, then suit with tie. Suit without tie is common in London and some other cities, but even there, some people will judge you for it.

Now, if you're actually at your desk, the jacket can be hanging behind the door. But generally you shouldn't leave your floor without the jacket, and certainly not the building.

800 dude wrote:

Hdbdbenjd wrote:

Midwest/St Louis (conservative as F) - Button down AND tie without the jacket or sport coat is business casual.

No, no, no. Ties should never be worn without jackets (unless with a sweater). The hierarchy of formality is jacket sans tie, THEN jacket with tie, then suit with tie. Suit without tie is common in London and some other cities, but even there, some people will judge you for it.

Now, if you're actually at your desk, the jacket can be hanging behind the door. But generally you shouldn't leave your floor without the jacket, and certainly not the building.

This is a pretty good post.

I have worked in three very different professional environments in my career, and only one felt like polos were okay on a daily basis (lots of places have dressed down Fridays where polos are fine).

Never a tie without a sportscoat. That just isn't a thing outside of Catholic grammar school. You lose the tie before the sportscoat.

I did work for a manufacturing company where polos were quite common on a daily basis, but we tried to wear button downs and jackets for customer meetings. I got tired of worrying about getting a day wrong and stopped wearing polos. Honestly, I have always just enjoyed getting about ten oxford shirts in blue, white, and maybe a small gingham and just wearing them like a uniform with slacks. Kept a jacket in my office 24/7.

Now post-COVID, all bets are off. My current job is still 25% capacity at the office, but a lot of people never go in so I go in a few days a week. Everyone dresses extremely casually now - like t-shirts over the summer and fleeces with jeans now - and I am not sure if that will ever change. We'll see...

no longer a suit wrote:

Oh Please wrote:

Yea, true, but when we were in the office, for us "business casual" ended being jeans and a polo shirt. Everyone 6 figures + salary. Gotta love IT. Anyone that can't take someone serious if they dress "down" is trapped in their own head.

I don't work in IT, but I also wear jeans and a polo most days. When I was in my mid-20s making 60k and wearing a suit I used to think it made me look important. Now I make almost 10 times that and realize how pointless that attire is for office work (although I understand the need in client-facing roles). But some people always hold onto that mentality I guess.

It all depends on the industry. If you work in anything technology related for the most part jeans and a polo shirt are all you ever need in any business setting. Same with manufacturing or distribution. If you are a government employee or in finance polo shirts are probably never acceptable even in a business casual setting.

You will take my short sleeved dress shirt and tie over my dead body!

Cargo shorts, polo shirt, and tie.

If you showed up to my office I would refer you to the HR manager for an interview.

It's totally dependent on what is "customary" for where you work. If a polo/golf shirt is what everybody wears, then it's business casual, no need to overthink it.

Women have gotten more casual too.

Used to wear power suits, then skirt suits w/coordinates and jacket. But now, women just wear open flyaway cardigans instead of blazers for some reason. They still look sharp but not like the '90s-'00s power suits. I think it started to get casual around 2013.

And even by 2008 the jackets themselves became more cropped instead of boxy like men's blazers/suit jackets.

I worked for John Mulheren who brought business casual to Wall Street in the late 70s, but that eventually flipped back to business attire. Mulheren never flipped, even in the courtroom. ;-)

SonialleeU wrote:

When I think back on it! I used to go to the office in one suit because my boss didn't like it when employees wore anything other than a black pantsuit. How hot it was in the summer! I was glad when they downsized me because of the crisis - I had wanted to quit my job, but I didn't have the courage. I had some savings, so I calmly gave myself a month off and then looked for a new job. Now I have found a perfect option, this job is creative and bosses open-minded b welcome new ideas. And finally, I wear a stylish uniform to work, which I pick up with taste and my assistant

https://ootdadvisor.com/us/oc/business-outfits-for-women/

.

I love when women dress up and look professional. It says they are confident and proud, and aren't afraid to show their beauty. I love women in business suits with button-ups, for instance. It's not provocative or anything, just classy and cool.

Polo shirts in a business setting are like gym clothes in a casual setting. Also polo shirts are for working out.

SonialleeU wrote:

When I think back on it! I used to go to the office in one suit because my boss didn't like it when employees wore anything other than a black pantsuit. How hot it was in the summer! I was glad when they downsized me because of the crisis - I had wanted to quit my job, but I didn't have the courage. I had some savings, so I calmly gave myself a month off and then looked for a new job. Now I have found a perfect option, this job is creative and bosses open-minded b welcome new ideas. And finally, I wear a stylish uniform to work, which I pick up with taste and my assistant

https://ootdadvisor.com/us/oc/business-outfits-for-women/

.

I'm so proud of you!

Okay!!! wrote:

Yep - banks throw out VP titles with reckless abandon. I know lots of bank VPs that make well under $100k. Watered down, meaningless title.

Banks used to be small and local like your typical corner deli and then they merged and merged again and again and formed huge corporations. However people kept their original titles and they just had to build on top of that with Directors, Members of the Board, etc. I'd say it's not meaningless because everyone actually understands what that means: not much, but still a tier above simple teller.