Corporates' wearabouts: they go casual

BANGALORE: Freedom-craving employees at Bangalore''s steel and glass offices are no longer chanting ''thank God it''s Friday''. For them every day is a Friday as far as dressing goes.
They are trendy, smart and very efficient, just like their ergonomically sculpted workplaces, designed for style and functional efficiency, in a world where all the frills and folds have fallen into sharp, slim lines.
According to them, their corporate bosses are OK with anything they wear, just so long as they don''t cross the limits of decency — a different limit for each company.
The age-old managerial belief that for a ''good company'' image employees must adhere to traditional dress codes is now passe.
Managements too are more employee-focused, conscious of their comfort needs. Dress codes are now a part of a broader design paradigm, encompassing the texturing of interiors, teams and work patterns.
Blues have replaced whites; Euro checks have toed out plains. Reasons Karthik G.N., deputy manager, HDFC Bank: "The ''Friday'' concept no longer holds good where you could wear casuals only on one day. Today, we can come dressed in semi-formals all week. The focus is on smart dressing. Managements are just following the changes that industry professionals across India are experiencing."
Smart casuals, semi-formals, dark half sleeve shirts and slacks have replaced light and plain colours and stiff dressing. Ties, in some workplaces, continue to be the norm.
With the average age of women employees starting at 21, sarees and salwars are no longer as much in vogue as western formal trousers or skirts and shirts.
Kajiri K, an employee with HSBC''s call centre, confirms that their ''dress down'' days are Fridays, Saturdays and the third Wednesdays — days when employees sashay into office wearing capris, skirts and jeans.
"The trend is seen more in service industries where managements are making a statement saying both men and women employees are equal," she says.
Across industries — travel, call centres, BPO, marketing, research, advertising, retailing and banking — dress codes have changed out of sight.
"Our graphics team wears shorts and sleeveless T-shirts on casual days and jeans during the rest of the week. Casual dressing helps employees relax especially in high-stress work conditions," Career India''s Business Development Assistant Manager Karunakaran M. believes.
The RPG Group''s HR official Sri Ganesh agrees: "Dress codes have evolved especially in the IT and ITES industry where stress levels are very high. Managements introduce casual dressing to create fun."
Francis Lobo, who heads a telecom company, says the dress code for business meetings is still formal. But in creative and relaxed workspaces, casuals are the done thing.
Even within the formals category, long-sleeved shirts and trousers have replaced the suited-booted attire. And short-sleeved shirts and khakhee trousers have given way to the more casual collared T-shirts and trousers.
The Taj Group which has recently introduced more stylish, contemporary looks and western attire for its staff symbolizes the change.
"Evolution of workplace dress codes just goes to show that corporate managements are getting more ''with it'', more stylish," says Taj Group, director Sales for Karnataka, Rakhee Lalwani.