Dominating media over the past week is Debrahlee Lornzana’s wrongful-dismissal suit against Citibank. It has sparked much debate over policy regarding appropriate office attire, workplace sexual harassment and double-standards. If you’ve somehow missed this story, the basics are: Debrahlee Lornzana, a New York City business banker, believes she was fired for distracting her male colleagues with her looks while Citibank claims she was dismissed due to her performance.
There was a good online discussion about this on the Globe and Mail’s website earlier today.
As a young female professional, I can understand that it’s not as standard of a process when shopping for work clothing compared to that of males (collared shirt, dress pants and tie). I can also relate to the fact that much of the trendier female fashions out there are shorter, are more form fitting and may not be suitable in a corporate environment. I have seen other females wearing clothing to work that made me think, ‘Really’?
In the end, I think it all boils down to good old common sense. If you work in a corporate environment such as a bank, you are expected to dress in-line with the corporate culture. This ties into branding, respect and an overall sense of professionalism. You can express your fashion personality further outside of the workplace. If total freedom of dress is really important to you, then I would look into more flexible work environments.
I pride myself on incorporating a bit of flare into my everyday wardrobe, but it can still be done subtly.
One of the suggestions in a Globe and Mail article yesterday was for employers to offer coaching about dress code to incoming staff, not after a problems arise. This could be a beneficial, proactive approach. If this option is not available, I would suggest looking at what types of clothing fellow coworkers are wearing.
