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In the exceedingly diverse working culture that has developed in this country, there are two camps in the debate over worker attire. I am of the opinion that the utmost in professionalism should always be maintained, which includes formal business attire. Many in the other camp are now out of work, as they were part of the young, fresh, inspired internet boom and bust. We have a department of conceptual analysts in a separate office, away from headquarters, whose entire job is to dream up innovative solutions. Moreover, our intention is to allow them the freedom to see our business from different perspectives and solve emerging problems before they are even apparent to the management staff. Because of the necessity for these employees to "think outside the box," we generally try to let them set their own paths. However, recently we decided, against the advice of a valued consultant, Geoff Mackay, to augment their path. We, that is, the management team, decided to implement new, more professional work attire standards to bring our think tank in line with the rest of the company. The mistake was immediately apparent, as productivity dropped drastically in just the first month. Surveying the management staff at the field office revealed a vastly disrupted working environment, resulting in low staff morale. The mission for our company should be to improve the quality of life for its stake holders, first and foremost. By decreasing their perceived quality of life, they were less eager to work through the night to solve the problems they had once been passionate about. As I was the major player to push this program through, from the beginning, I took it upon myself to offer a formal apology to the staff of the affected office. They were also reimbursed for the expenses incurred in attaining a new wardrobe. The bottom line is we finally have a high level of morale and productivity again from this department, despite our poor judgment call. |
