Looks count in the workplace

By JANINE OGIER

When a team leader at the Inland Revenue Department can wear a fairy costume to work, it makes you wonder if style can get you ahead on the job.

The IRD call centre manager was "expressing her dress sense" according to the spin put on her fairy wings when they became public knowledge this year.

Taking care with your appearance can boost your confidence, and wearing something special can lift your spirits.

But not having to iron a shirt in the morning and dressing in the same clothes for work and play can also be a bonus.

How you are regarded at work has a lot to do with presentation, says Paul Barrett, adjunct professor of psychometrics and performance management at the Auckland University faculty of business.

So the pay rise you seek, the promotion you covet, and any dealings with management can be smoothed by your appearance.

Just like any other environment, workplaces are governed by group conformity, dynamics and stereotypes.

The best way to determine how to get ahead from a presentation perspective is to reflect what the boss is wearing, whether it's a suit or jeans, and to be aware of what is the group norm, Barrett says.

People who wear something different stand out. That is a good tactic if you are being deliberate, but it is a negative thing if you are doing it inadvertently.

Psychological evidence suggests a departure from the dress code will be measured against mitigating factors such as job performance and physical attractiveness, he says.

Customer perceptions also centre on presentation and appearance. In a streetwear retailer people expect the sales staff to be casually attired, but in Smith and Caughey's, a pristine and sophisticated appearance is anticipated.

Auckland image consultant Susan Axford says people have seven seconds to make an impression at a first meeting and half of that impression is made up of what you are wearing.

"You want to be noticed for how you do your job but because we are such a visual society, people do take into account how you look," she says.

And it's not just the clothes that count. Grooming, such as clean shoes and fingernails, and eye contact and a good handshake are also crucial.

"If you look as if you have put some effort into yourself, if you look as if you care for yourself, it gives you an air of professionalism," says Axford, whose company Your Style advises people on a wardrobe to suit their needs.

"If you look good, you have more confidence, you feel better, you perform better and people relate to you better - there's a whole chain reaction."

A glance around any Vodafone office won't help differentiate between the managers and the workers. The company has a casual dress policy, officially called "dress for purpose".

"Yes we're very casual but it makes it a more friendly environment to work in as talking to people in suits can be a little off-putting sometimes," says Emily Paterson, a product analyst.

Chaz Savage, another Vodafone staff member, thinks the dress code is fantastic.

"It lets me bring out my metro-sexual side. Individuals can be individuals and you get a real sense of who people are."

People have to be aware of customer expectations when they decide what to wear, but the policy is not prescriptive, says Jan Mottram, the company's human resources director for New Zealand.

"We thought, if people can work out how to dress themselves on the weekend then the chances are they can dress themselves appropriately during the week as well.

"Apart from the fact it is more comfortable, people say they can really be themselves in this organisation.

"It is also very levelling in terms of not being overly hierarchical."

Presentation is so important for a job interview that not-for-profit organisation Dress For Success provides free business attire for long-term unemployed or low-income women who are going for an interview, to work-based experience or to start a job.

A quarter of what the volunteers do is help women to choose an outfit, while three-quarters of the personal dresser's work is to help boost the client's self-esteem and confidence, says Laura Rogerson, Dress for Success Auckland's executive manager.

"They walk in the door with their head down and you put them in a suit with some heels and they are 10 feet tall," she says.