Bermuda shorts at Desjardins, jeans at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), as well as sandals and other summer clothing at Ubisoft: the dress code is becoming more flexible at the office, which is timely at the heart of ‘a heatwave. The challenge: remaining credible when necessary.
The current heatwave may give some employees the idea of testing, voluntarily or not, the limits of good taste in the office.
Difficult to lighten outfits in sectors where wearing protective equipment is compulsory. Elsewhere, we feel that habits are changing.
In the video games industry, where creativity is in the spotlight, we don’t rack our brains. For Ubisoft’s approximately 5,000 Quebec employees, we recommend the “come as you are” approach, summarizes the spokesperson for the French giant, Magali Valence.
“Pink hair”, “slippers” and “sandals” are part of Ubisoft’s philosophy of not imposing policies on its employees, she adds.
“No one arrives in a swimsuit,” says M.me Valence. There is very little intervention. People self-regulate well. The only downside is for security reasons. If you work in logistics, wearing closed shoes is mandatory. »
Question of credibility
In organizations where no formal rules prevail, where camisoles rub shoulders with flip-flops, etiquette specialist Julie Blais Comeau suggests starting by questioning the issue of credibility and trust.
Do I want to see the big boss’s big toe? And if I’m a big boss, do I want my subordinates to see my big toe?
Julie Blais Comeau, etiquette specialist
Julie Blais Comeau explains that in addition to being a visual experience, flip flops can be a sensory experience because of the sound the sandal produces when moving from one colleague to another and from one meeting to another . Without forgetting the odorous experience, she emphasizes.
The specialist also advises workers to ask themselves if they will be able to carry out all their day’s activities while exuding confidence and credibility by wearing shorts or a short skirt.
“We dress for our client, who has an image of who we are, a conception of our person with a title, a signature block. You have to remember that through dress, you communicate something,” relates the specialist, who suggests always checking the clothing policy of your company or organization.
When the etiquette specialist gives workshops in financial institutions, law firms, accountants or even for university graduates, she invites professionals to think about the image they want to project. “Can people trust me? Am I credible? Will it be friendly to do business together? This communication is visual and it involves my clothing,” says Julie Blais Comeau.
Relief in finance
In the rather conservative world of financial services, wearing Bermuda shorts is now tolerated at Desjardins Group – as long as you are not dealing with customers.
There is no “official dress code” within the cooperative group.
“So-called business or casual city attire is therefore appropriate for employees in direct contact with external customers,” explains Desjardins spokesperson Chantal Corbeil.
This is the same type of recommendation that we find at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), which has some 1,650 employees. Ties and other items associated with classic work attire are losing ground, as long as interactions are limited to colleagues.
“Casual dress is accepted at all times for internal collaborative work,” indicates the institution’s spokesperson, Kate Monfette. For example, wearing jeans is permitted. »
There is, however, a boundary that should not be crossed: when meetings with “external partners” are on the agenda, underlines Mme Monfette, without going into details. We can assume that it was during these meetings that the jacket regained popularity.
When an employee must meet customers, “the t-shirt” is not recommended, adds the Bank of Montreal.
Julie Blais Comeau suggests adaptations that can be made while the employee is transitioning back to the workplace. A worker can dress lightly when traveling by public transport and change once they arrive in their air-conditioned office.
When it comes to videoconference meetings, the rule is the same, according to the specialist: we make sure to remain credible.
A clear policy: the best option, everywhere
An employer always benefits from having a clothing policy and communicating it well, believes Julie Lajoie, organizational development consultant and trainer at Joieconseils. No matter the workplace.
Even today, in 2024, it is a right of management, specifies this specialist, and it is also a tool which will make life easier for managers who will then have to take action if an employee comes to the office as if he was going to the beach and that’s not part of the company culture.
“We must, at the start, agree on what the parameters are,” explains Julie Lajoie. What we consider appropriate and what is not. » Depending on the different professional environments, this may be for reasons of health and safety at work or a dress code linked to representation activities.
A company can have an informal dress code, but that makes discussions more complex in the event of disagreements. “If we have to intervene, people need to understand the reasons for the dress code,” says Julie Lajoie, who confides that the heatwave favors, more often than we think, these delicate situations.
Even if the reasons are more subjective, the employer’s expectations must be clear and known.
“It’s good practice,” she said. As soon as we start work, we share the guide or the code. »
It can be done in a more fun way, in drawings for example, but it will provide guidelines for everyone. And before the heat of summer, reminding people of politics is an excellent thing, also specifies Julie Lajoie.