Workers these days may not be taking much time off, but they are taking off their formal clothing in favor of something that's more comfortable, new research findings revealed.
According to a recent survey of senior managers, commissioned and conducted by staffing firm OfficeTeam, 50 percent of employees are less dressy today in the workplace than they were just five years ago. More specifically, nearly one-third of workers dress "somewhat less" formally than they used to, while 18 percent come to the office wearing "significantly" more comfy clothing.
Employee benefits come in a variety of forms, including what workers are and are not allowed to wear. In the past, "Casual Fridays" were all the rage, allowing staff members to unbutton their top collars or opt for slacks instead of knee-length skirts or dress pants. However, many business owners have relaxed their attire standards so that they're a daily job perk.
Showing too much skin common violation
There are limits to what's allowed, though, and business owners indicate that they've had to reprove their employees for taking "dress down" a bit too literally. For example, the poll found that 32 percent of managers have had to speak to their workers for wearing clothing that was too revealing. And nearly 50 percent said dressing too casually – wearing sweatpants or pajama bottoms, for example – was the most common dress code no-no.
"A casual dress code doesn't mean that anything goes," noted Brandi Britton, OfficeTeam district president. "Staff should always look professional and project an image that reflects positively on the business."
Many workers like that there are some ground rules. Among employees who responded to the survey, 31 percent said they most preferred a business casual dress code, OfficeTeam reported from its poll. Slightly less than 20 percent said formal attire was what they most desired.
Workers leaving vacation time on the table
Though workers are indeed trading in their ties for Polos, the same can't be said for vacation time. In a separate poll, over 40 percent of employees indicated they have left personal time-off on the table because they didn't want to deal with the massive amount of work yet to be completed upon their return.
This may explain why so many workers appreciate the ability to negotiate perks with their employers. Approximately one-third of employees like having the ability to discuss terms as it pertains to taking time off, a poll performed last year by recruitment firm Robert Half revealed. Four in 10 chief financial officers in the same survey indicated that negotiating non-monetary benefits was something they were more willing to do, include for health insurance.
Employer-sponsored health insurance is far and away the most common type of health care owned by insured Americans. They like it a lot, too. Over 80 percent of 18- to 64-year-olds rank their employee benefits as "good" or "excellent," according to a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
