Should Gen Z be cancelled for their ‘inappropriate’ office wear?

Young employees are getting in trouble at their workplaces for their outfits. Gen Z has adopted a more relaxed workplace attire, ditching business formals. They are expressing themselves through their dressing style.

But not everyone is happy with Gen Z workers chasing a more casual workplace outfit. Some young workers are even bearing the brunt for their fashion choices.

Let’s take a closer look.

Gen Z opt for casual office wear

Young workers are getting inspired by TikTok workwear influencers to decide how to dress at work.

Fashion trends like “office siren”, wearing tailored blazers and statement glasses paired with sensual makeup and tight skirts; “corpcore”, modernising the usual 9-to-5 attire with unique tailoring and quirky accessories; “corporate goth”, an all-black attire, are going viral in young corporate America, as per Fortune magazine.

According to a Gallup survey published in September 2023, about 41 per cent of American workers said they wear business-casual clothes to work, 31 per cent wear street clothes and 23 per cent wear uniforms. Only 3 per cent said they wear a suit regularly to work.

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Many Gen Z brands have noticed this trend among young workers and have launched clothing catering to them. ASOS, Urban Outfitters, Boohoo, and Cider offer “office siren” look.

Aritzia has an office campaign ad on the “office siren” trend featuring a tight-fitting, off-the-shoulder dress, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Everlane and PrettyLittleThing also have a shopping tab for “corpore” clothes.

It is not just America, Gen Z and millennial employees in Singapore are also opting for more comfortable or casual outfits than formal suits, reported The Straits Times.

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Why is this happening?

The shift towards casual business attire has been gradual as young workers navigate modern office dress codes. Many office traditions went for a toss during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As work from home became the norm, the boundaries of office attire were further pushed.

Speaking to The Straits Times, country manager Linda Teo of recruitment firm ManpowerGroup said, “During the pandemic, many employees had to work remotely for extended periods, leading to a shift towards a greater emphasis on comfort and practicality in daily attire.

“As employees return to the office, we’re seeing organisations adopt more relaxed dress codes to accommodate these new preferences.”

A survey of American workers by Clarify Capital last year found that 75 per cent of those surveyed believed that the workplace has become “less formal” in recent years.

They attributed the shift towards a less formal workplace to several reasons. As many as 66 per cent of respondents said casual dress was becoming more common, about 59 per cent reported changes in societal norms and values, and 54 per cent said it was due to the influence of younger generations on the workplace.

For Gen Z, their office attire is a way to reflect their individuality.

Teo from recruitment firm ManpowerGroup told The Straits Times that young workers have a “distinct” style sense that shows their individuality. “This generation tends to incorporate personal touches into their professional look, blending contemporary fashion trends with professional standards to express their unique style within the boundaries of acceptable workplace attire of their organisations.”

Gen Z gets flak for casual office wear

Some believe Gen Z is taking inspiration for office wear from the wrong places like TikTok. And they are facing the consequences for it.

A video shared by one Abby on TikTok last August said some Gen Z workers are landing in a soup at work because of their “inappropriate” attire.

“The reason that all of these kids are getting in trouble for the clothing that they’re wearing to the office is because they’re getting their inspiration from content creators, not from actual nine-to-five workers,” she said in the clip.

“There are so many fashion creators that are creating like ’nine to five working inspo’ that have never touched an office in their lives.”

A young employee took to TikTok to share how she got in trouble for her office wear. Kiera Bohan posted an “outfit of the day” (OOTD) video on the social media platform from her office in which she was seen wearing a white cropped sweater, green canvas pants, and chunky sneakers. She captioned the clip, “recorded this ootd at work and then got in trouble for having my [midriff] showing.” Bohan added, “now looking back my outfit was not cute enough to risk it #ootd #9to5.”

Experts told Fortune that crop tops, running sneakers and athletic clothes are a few common mistakes that employees make in their workwear outfits.

“Athleisure is probably the most common [Gen Z styling issue] that I see, because it’s turned into some people’s day-to-day wear. There’s a fine-line between athleisure and athletic wear,” Myka Meier, a modern etiquette coach, said to the magazine. “I have a law firm I work for and the workers are all in suits. They have sneakers on, but really nice leather sneakers, not athletic running shoes. That’s the difference.”

Some even question the hyper-sexual version of work outfits that trends like “office siren” promote.

Camille Bradbury, Director of HR Communication at Matchr.com, told Newsweek it was important to let employees express their individuality at work— with taste.

“Taste, meaning modesty and business professional attire,” she said. “This means avoiding showing too much skin at work, like low-cut shirts that expose lots of cleavage or chest hair, or short skirts. I think there’s a way to express our individuality without being sexual.”

Some say wearing professional clothes helps them distinguish between their personal and private lives.

Dress for the job you want, they say.

As Meier told Fortune, “The main advice I give Gen Z is that you have to dress for the brand and industry you’re working for. If you work for a trendy marketing firm in New York City, then you probably can wear leggings and have navy blue nail polish. But if you work for a corporate bank, then that doesn’t work.”

With inputs from agencies