From Dress Codes to Culture Codes: Casual and Positive Work Environments Seem Fundamental for Success

Employers Increasingly Lenient on Attire, Cell Phones and Communication—Latest Results from The Harris Poll 

A casual work environment, coupled with an emphasis on strong positive company culture, appears to play a major role in ensuring company success and even providing a competitive edge.  

This is according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.  

As times change, the rules and etiquette of the workplace have evolved to align more closely with the needs and desires of society.  

U.S. hiring managers report arriving on time for work/meetings (60%) and keeping a clean workspace (52%) were not only important five years ago but remain important today (66% and 59%, respectively).  

However, some rules appear less vital to the workplace today with 7 in 10 hiring managers (70%) feeling workplace etiquette that was not acceptable three years ago is now acceptable.  

When it comes to work attire, 49% say that having dress code guidelines and adhering to the indicated dress code (46%) were important five years ago — however, much fewer report the same is true today (31% each). Regarding communication, silencing mobile devices at work (37%), refraining from taking/making personal calls during work (33%) and even utilizing formal business communication (32%) appear to be less important today than they were five years ago.   

But as companies adjust to keep up with the times, it may be difficult for employees to keep up, as well. About half of hiring managers (51%) say it is confusing for employees to know what is and is not acceptable etiquette in the workplace now because it has changed so much. 

Job Seeker Perspective 

For most U.S. job seekers, etiquette rules like arriving on time for work/meetings (72%), keeping your workspace clean (62%) or greeting coworkers (54%) were not only important five years ago but are still important today (72%, 65%, 54% respectively).   

However, about 3 in 5 feel that both having a dress code (62%) and adhering to the indicated dress code (57%) were important five years ago but only around 1 in 3 feel these rules are important today (34%, 35% respectively).  

Conversely, three-quarters of job seekers (75%) agree that workplace etiquette that was not acceptable three years ago is now.  

In a tight labor market, perks like a more casual dress code are simple to implement and can have a significant impact on recruiting and retention, according to Bill Stoller, Express