Dress Code Anarchy and the Right to Bare Arms

Today's fashion for anything but a suit, hose and heels reflects a generational divide, too. "In my opinion, it's all too sloppy," law firm administrator Toni LaMonica said of the midriff tops, capri pants, bare legs and short skirts she sees in many professional offices around her Century City office. Her law firm, Cox, Castle, Nicholson, only six months ago allowed the entire staff to dress casually every day. "I'm a baby boomer, so I grew up with dress codes in school," she said. "Kids now aren't learning about the right time and right place for their clothes."

The impact of casual clothing in the workplace has never been studied, said Timothy Franz, an assistant psychology professor at Indiana University South Bend who is beginning a research project on it. "There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that says . . . this is the best thing we've ever done and the worst thing we've ever done. I'm trying to find out if there are any relationships between dress, productivity and morale."

To stay abreast of changes in corporate culture, the national employment law firm Jackson Lewis has surveyed human resource managers for several years. The latest poll found that 40% of the managers linked relaxed attire to a laxity in workplace behavior; 44% noticed an increase in tardiness and absenteeism; and 30% noted a rise in flirtatious behavior. Accountemps, a temporary staffing service based in Menlo Park, Calif., polled executives who reported that only 55% of workers dressed appropriately on casual dress days, and 39% dressed inappropriately.

Another poll by the Society for Human Resource Management, in Alexandria, Va., showed that companies may be poised for a crackdown. For the first time, the total number of companies that allow casual dress either once a week or every day dropped: In 2000, the number fell to 87% from last year's 95%, with once-a-week casual rules taking 10% of the hit, while daily casual policies increased only 2%. The decline was noteworthy because it reversed a trend of large yearly increases, according to the society's spokeswoman, Kristin Accipiter.

Companies have often gauged the success of the casual dress codes from inside of the office, where workers often praise the policies for freeing them from boring, uncomfortable and sometimes expensive clothes. Employers embraced them as a no-cost benefit.