According to a recent Gallop Poll only 6% of men wear a tie to work every day.  Sales of men’s ties have dropped to a record low of 677 million as opposed to 1.3 billion in 1995. This and other  facts about ties was the subject of an article in my local paper, The Press Democrat. 

 

To Tie or Not To Tie!

Not many years ago ties were required in most fine restaurants. Now you see men with baseball caps on backwards and even gang attire. The only men who seem to consistently wear a tie are funeral directors, talk show hosts, news anchors and lawyers when they are in court. And why do talk show hosts wear a suit and tie anyway?  I would laugh just as loud at Jay, David and Craig if they were wearing dress casual. Wouldn’t you? 

 

On the other hand those comedians 

who have risen to the nightly spots on the major networks may want to distinguish themselves from the  grungy comics that appear only sporadically on Comedy Central.  

 

And the Geek Squad employees of Best Buy are required to wear a thin tie, to convey a “seriousness of purpose and sense of professionalism” according to a statement released by the company this week in response to queries from the newspaper.  

 

So what does a suit and tie say in this day and age?  

Do you want to buy stocks and bonds from a man in cut offs? How about a golf shirt?   Is there still a place in organizations and industries for formal, business attire? Does a tie correlate to professionalism?  Leave a comment on this blog about your organization’s thinking on this.  And your thinking as well?  Do men really get headaches from their tie?  (For heaven’s sake, loosen it up!) 

 

When I was a career coach I always counseled people to dress like the people who hold the jobs they aspire to. I think that is still the best advise.  If you don’t want to wear a suit and tie select a professional where it isn’t required.   

 

For now here is my bottom line.  

Studies still show that when developing trust and believability people make snap decision based more on visual than any other aspect  of communication. Visual has a 55% impact. Content only has a 7% impact and voice has 38%. Given that, it is worthwhile for organizations to survey their customers, find out what their expectations and preferences are in terms of dress and then try to fulfill those expectations!  That’s what will build trust and believability.   

 

And now let’s talk about pantyhose! 

Do bare legs diminish the professionalism of women?  Is it unprofessional to go barelegged in the summer?  Do you spray on self tanner so it looks like you have on  hose?  

 

Tags: Communication, New News, Performance Expectations //