Survey reveals the dos and don’ts of what you wear to the office

NEW RESEARCH has revealed the biggest no-nos when it comes to work clothes. And ladies and gents, we’re sorry to say the news is not all good.

Are you dressing appropriately for the office?

AHHH, the murky, murky world of office fashion politics.

The difference between right and wrong largely depends on the field and role, of course, but dressing the part is crucial in any industry.

Otherwise, you end up with bitchy, well-dressed Olivia over at Vogue making crushing remarks about Frumpy Shirlene in Accounts’ ripped $3 K-Mart cardigan — and no one wants to waste their productive caffeine-spiked energy consoling Frumpy Shirlene in Accounts.

Don’t dismiss the argument that clothes play a key part in your performance. Numerous studies have found that dressing in an unprofessional manner can damage a worker’s chance of snagging that sweet, sweet pay rise.

Not to mention, the last thing you’d want is to be abruptly called into your office by your boss when you’re rocking thongs and that musty old Bonds shirt you slept in.

To avoid such dire catastrophes, a YouGov survey asked almost 1700 adults to evaluate a list of clothing items in terms of whether they were appropriate to wear to work.

They then categorised the answers by age, gender and region.

Here are the results:

SORRY GENTS, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR SHORTS

This is a hotly-debated issue in summer, but the consensus is clear: shorts in the office are not acceptable. While the older demographic was more likely to take a hardline stance on this, 56 per cent of voters overall said shorts are not appropriate officewear for men, while only 37 per cent were in support. (I am proudly among the latter.)

This is a tricky topic, but most of the respondents said shorts in the office are not acceptable.

MEN DON’T NEED TO WEAR A TIE

The vast majority of respondents, 87 per cent, said men should not have to wear a tie to work. Good riddance, they’re darn uncomfortable anyway.

All good matey. You can lose the tie.

SHORT SKIRTS ARE FINE

Silence, prudes! 74 per cent respondents said it’s acceptable for women to wear skirts above the knee. Male respondents were actually more likely to approve of this than women, with 13 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women thinking it was inappropriate.

Most respondents said a skirt that goes above the knee is acceptable.

LEAVE THE HOODIE AT HOME

Sorry, but they look sloppy and unprofessional — and potentially downright sinister. 72 per cent of respondents said it’s unacceptable to wear hoodies in the office. That said, 18-49 year olds were less likely to find this offensive than those above 50, so maybe it’s just an age thing.

Don’t wear a hoodie into the office. You’ll look like a cybercrime-committing stock model.

SANDALS ARE FINE, BUT DITCH THE THONGS

There was a notable discrepancy between sandals and thongs, which is kind of surprising considering sandals are basically just fancy flip-flops. 61 per cent of respondents said it was acceptable to wear sandals in the office, while only 19 per cent said the same for thongs. Older people were more likely to approve of sandals than younger people (possibly because it’s scientific fact sandals will make you look at least 33 years older than you actually are).

On second thought? Ignore the survey results. Don’t wear these in the office. Or outside the office. Or anywhere.

BASEBALL CAPS ARE NOT OKAY

One could argue that no one over the age of 14 should wear a baseball cap as a fashion statement, but hey. In terms of the office, everyone was pretty united on this — only 11 per cent of respondents said it was acceptable to wear one to work. 82 per cent were opposed.

Nope, nope, nope, nope.

SINGLET TOPS SCREAM UNPROFESSIONAL

This one is a bit of an age thing too. While 73 per cent of respondents opposed singlet tops at work, the younger demographic was far more likely to approve of it. Just over half of 18-24 year olds voted that it was unacceptable to rock a vest in the office, while 88 per cent of respondents over 65 said the same. Either way, you probably need the guns to back that choice up.

Do not take fashion advice from Tony Abbott.

DITCH THE CROCS

Alright fine, this doesn’t even have anything to do with the survey. But it’s still a point you can never drive home too many times. Remove your crocs. Burn them. Toss the ashy remains into your bin. Then burn your bin. Trust me on this.

There is no justification for this abomination. Case closed.