Fashions change and so do rules

What's an acceptable appearance is defined by the workplace. Pic Getty

With the recent 30th anniversary celebrations for Gloss, one New Zealand's most popular home-grown series, nostalgic TV flashbacks have made modern dress codes for work in general suddenly look very relaxed by comparison to the big hair, power suits, enormous shoulder pads, and heavy makeup, as worn by Ilona Rogers who starred as Gloss magazine editor and media maven Maxine Redfern back in the late 1980s.

Her co-stars, who included Miranda Harcourt, Geeling Ng and the late Kerry Smith wore get-ups that were similarly over the top but, really, a sign of the times.

Nowadays, the fashions themselves may be different, but there are still varied, sometimes complex attitudes in terms of workplace dressing etiquette. If you're in the 23 per cent or so of Kiwi employees in industries such as retail, hospitality and healthcare and wear a uniform, you might think it's a non-issue for you but actually, it's not.

There are still matters of general grooming, haircare and the display of increasingly popular body decorations, which come into play when defining what's acceptable at a particular workplace.

Very few industries or organisations operate without basic standards - requiring all employees to be clean and tidy in order to make a good impression on customers and clients, while hopefully enhancing workplace morale.

If you do have a uniform, stylist Angela Stone suggests adding your own subtle touches.

"Have fun with accessories. Use scarves, bags, watches and jewellery to show who you are."

It has to be said though that in many workplaces, especially in fast-growing media and social media industries, casual is now very much the order of the day as it's seen to be encouraging creativity and many companies have no specific rules or advice. Yet, a survey of 4000 workers undertaken in 2016 for the recruitment website Seek, showed that the majority of New Zealand workers (57 per cent) do like to be given at least some guidelines, in the form of a code.

Significantly, about a third of those surveyed also felt that what you wear to work can have a bearing on the level of respect you command - and on your future career opportunities.

Just to demonstrate the ongoing parallels in attitude however, roughly the same number again said that they felt their current employer's dress protocol didn't allow them to truly express themselves.

The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand says standards and guidelines for workplace attire should be contained in your staff handbook or be discussed with you at your interview and that employees need to have a clear and fair understanding of what's required, so if you're not sure, ask.

In many white-collar areas, such as banking, law and accounting, conservatism remains king: men are expected to wear suits and women wear smart jackets, skirts and heels.

The judicial profession is still conflicted as to whether gowns and wigs should be worn in the courtroom since the rules around them were relaxed about 20 years ago by Sir Thomas Eichelbaum, Chief Justice at the time. Some lawyers say these garments belong in the dressing-up box, whereas others still argue that they are important in terms of portraying an appropriate level of gravitas.

Some employers get around the dress code question to an extent by promoting workplace casual Fridays, where staff can dress down a little - or even a lot, giving them a chance to show off their personal style, but this can be a vexed process because everybody interprets casual in a different way. This means it's important to take cues from your employer as to what's expected. Men might go business casual, with khaki chinos or dark, tidy jeans and a relaxed, collared shirt, while women wear pants and a smart top or jumper. Stylist Angela Stone says that on casual Friday the key is to find something that's not quite the professional clothes you usually wear, although not as relaxed as you'd wear at home.