Written by By Stephanie Eubank
Remote work has helped organizational culture evolve and change to fit the natural changes to the business world, such as making remote work more accessible and dynamic. However, there is a small change that has been growing since the early 2000s in business culture, and it actually has helped business leadership bond with their teams. Ironically, this change is the change to business fashion.
In remote and hybrid work, many dress to be zoom-ready. This means wearing a top-up dress that is presentable and comfortable clothing from the waist down. This allows employees and leadership to focus on comfort and getting the job done. This is yet another example of how remote work helps make the actual work stand out. This also allows more inclusivity to those like me who have physical disabilities along with those also like me who are neurodivergent and certain fabrics and cuts are distracting and uncomfortable. This is yet another opportunity for my work and expertise to shine when I can focus on the work instead of the beauty pageant of the office.
Also, having a Zoom-ready/ business casual dress code helps low-income workers feel less obligated to try and spend every penny to follow all the most expensive business wardrobe trends. This practice particularly hurts young women entering the workforce and working single moms. Remote work allows these demographics to stand out for their work and creativity instead of standing out while trying to fit into corporate culture.
This also allows an interesting benefit for those in leadership roles. Traditionally, business leaders will dress up to distinguish themselves from their followers/ employees. However, this practice also creates boundaries within an organization, which helps when using harsher leadership practices linked with Toxic Leadership.
However, dressing business casual psychologically makes a leader more approachable to their employees and the community serving clients. It shows leadership on the same level as the workers as another worker in the trench. This also helps facilitate communication and transparency among teams. Reliability and comfort are great ways to help bond with teams, encouraging better morale and lowering turnover.
Now, dressing down isn’t going to make a toxic leader less toxic, but it is a step in the right direction toward a new normal definition of leadership. It’s about meeting people where they are and learning how to be truly human.
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Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 