Can you wear shorts to work? WSJ survey says yes. But put those sandals away! Most say they're 'never OK.'

Fri, 07/21/2023 - 12:39

Is it OK to wear shorts to work? How about ball caps? The WSJ did a big survey to find out.
They survey focused on what's considered acceptable for men to wear to the office.
Nearly 60% of respondents said shorts were OK, but Baby Boomers were firmly against it.

The pandemic rewrote the rules of when, where, and how we work by shifting us from five days in the office to remote work in vacation rentals, "hush trips," and building houses with "Zoom rooms."

So how have our attitudes to workwear — especially men's fashion — changed as a result?

The Wall Street Journal decided to ask people across generations: The publication commissioned a survey on attitudes towards men's workwear. What's acceptable, and what's not, in today's office? Here are some of the results:

Shorts are acceptable in the office, nearly 60% of respondents said.

The verdict on shorts?

Almost 60% of the survey's respondents overall thought they were acceptable for work. Millennials were overwhelmingly in favor of shorts, with 75% of respondents voting them office appropriate.

However, 57% of those over age 58, (i.e. Baby Boomers) thought shorts were "unacceptable" at all times.

But sandals in the office exposed more of a generational divide.

Sandals seem to be a more controversial, or at least debatable, sartorial choice across generations. OK for the beach, but OK for the office?

While a little over half of Gen Zers were in favor of sandals, and 56% of millennials were in support of open-toed shoes, 64% of Baby Boomers and those in the Silent Generation (now between their late seventies and mid nineties) were opposed to them, the WSJ survey said.

And that graphic tee you've been wearing since high school? It just barely made the cut.

Band tees and shirts with your favorite cartoon characters were narrowly voted acceptable by respondents, the Journal said.

Just 52% of respondents overall thought graphic T-shirts constituted workwear.

Millennials were again the most in favor of them, with 73% giving them a thumbs up, while only 60% of Gen Zers said they were acceptable.

Two thirds of Baby boomers, i.e. those over age 58, voted them a no-go.

Still, baseball caps make the cut — good news if you're having a bad hair day.

Baseball caps were a close call, but 55% of respondents overall approved of branded caps, while 56% gave the OK to unbranded ones, the Journal's survey said.

Maybe surprisingly, men's earrings were pretty controversial.

The WSJ survey said 23% of the respondents said earrings shouldn't be worn in an office.

Still, jewelry in general received an overwhelming "yes" from survey respondents, with 92% saying jeweled adornments were just fine for work.

Rings were the least-offensive jewelry item, the survey said. But a greater fraction of Gen Zers thought rings (not including wedding and signet rings) were never acceptable — at 12% — while only 7% of older respondents felt similarly.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos, and queried 1,020 adults in the US, the Journal said, between June 30 and July 2.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Careers, Work Fashion, RTO, Menswear, sandals, shorts, Business Visual Features, Workplace, return to office

Source

Can you wear shorts to work? WSJ survey says yes. But put those sandals away! M…