# What is your dress code at the office?



## guitarjamman

We do not have a written dress code other than "appropriate for work and shows a sense of professionalism" in the employee handbook. I tend to wear neat/clean jeans, tucked in button down shirt with no tie, and boots (nicer LL Bean engineer boots). I have slacks and a few nice dress shirt and shoes for when I have a meeting to attend, but a lot of my work requires various field visits that can get messy.

I asked the boss a few years back what he expects employees to wear and he didn't give a straight forward answer but mentioned that he never feels like he needs to address it with me.


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## snickerd3

jeans gym shoes and a nice shirt....which is ok per the code. There are those that were flip flops and tshirts which are not per code but they don't get talked to about it.

until the boss man continually wears somethign other than jeans and crocs, jeans will be my dress code.


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## Supe

Business casual - dress shoes, slacks, and collared shirt. You can get by with less - people just assume you have a flight or are making a site visit, but you don't want to make a habit of it.


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## Ble_PE

Supe said:


> Business casual - dress shoes, slacks, and collared shirt. You can get by with less - people just assume you have a flight or are making a site visit, but you don't want to make a habit of it.




The same here. The Friday's that we work are considered "casual" which means you can wear nice jeans.


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## roadwreck

We are business casual too, although a year or so ago the company policy relaxed a little more and we are technically allowed to wear jeans. Our Director doesn't really like us wearing jeans, so for our department we are still unofficially on the business casual dress code.


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## Capt Worley PE

Ble_PE said:


> Supe said:
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> Business casual - dress shoes, slacks, and collared shirt. You can get by with less - people just assume you have a flight or are making a site visit, but you don't want to make a habit of it.
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> The same here. The Friday's that we work are considered "casual" which means you can wear nice jeans.
Click to expand...



This is my office, too.


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## Flyer_PE

My normal attire for cold weather is jeans and a t-shirt. Warm weather is shorts and a t-shirt. When I visit a client, it's whatever is considered normal at the site.


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## envirotex

Jeans or business casual. Depend on whether or not you're meeting with clients...


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## Freon

We are flexible. If you are in the office, casual pants and company logo golf shirts are the norm. (with cowboy boots of course) Jeans are fine as long as you are not going to a client's office. Fridays here get very casual.


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## blybrook PE

Pretty flexible. Business casual is the norm for those that don't get into the field much.

I'm usually wearing slacks or jeans and a plain carhartt tee shirt or sometimes a collared tee. When it gets cooler, or I know I have a client meeting, I'll wear a buttoned long sleeve dress shirt or a vest with the company logo. Shorts are not permitted.

I've been known to wear a tie on two separate events each year, but that's it. Boss wears a tie daily and gives me flak for not doing that, but it's not required.

Fridays also get pretty casual with just about any kind of tee shirt permitted.


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## Capt Worley PE

Last time I wore a tie was to Grandma's funeral in '07.

I don't even wear ties to interviews anymore.


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## Master slacker

Long pants, long-sleeve shirt, and steel toe boots.

You can wear your own personal clothes OR you can wear the company-provided jeans / shirts with your ID tagged on them like I do. Even have an annual allowance for boots. Not the most comfortable, but it cuts down a TON on home laundry.


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## knight1fox3

Capt Worley PE said:


> I don't even wear ties to interviews anymore.




Any candidates I interview don't even get a 2nd thought from me if they aren't wearing a suit and tie. You have to dress like you want the job. Not like you "sorta" want it.


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## Capt Worley PE

knight1fox3 said:


> Capt Worley PE said:
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> I don't even wear ties to interviews anymore.
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> Any candidates I interview don't even get a 2nd thought from me if they aren't wearing a suit and tie. You have to dress like you want the job. Not like you "sorta" want it.
Click to expand...



I actually DON'T want the job if it entails wearing a tie.


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## knight1fox3

Capt Worley PE said:


> knight1fox3 said:
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> Capt Worley PE said:
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> I don't even wear ties to interviews anymore.
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> Any candidates I interview don't even get a 2nd thought from me if they aren't wearing a suit and tie. You have to dress like you want the job. Not like you "sorta" want it.
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> Click to expand...
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> I actually DON'T want the job if it entails wearing a tie.
Click to expand...



It's not the job that requires it. It's making a first impression with a professional appearance. That's what gets you the first nod typically. Once you're in, then dress codes are pretty lax. Just sayin'.


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## Capt Worley PE

knight1fox3 said:


> Capt Worley PE said:
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> knight1fox3 said:
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> Capt Worley PE said:
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> I don't even wear ties to interviews anymore.
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> Any candidates I interview don't even get a 2nd thought from me if they aren't wearing a suit and tie. You have to dress like you want the job. Not like you "sorta" want it.
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> Click to expand...
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> I actually DON'T want the job if it entails wearing a tie.
> 
> Click to expand...
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> It's not the job that requires it. It's making a first impression with a professional appearance. That's what gets you the first nod typically. Once you're in, then dress codes are pretty lax. Just sayin'.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. I hear, ya, too.

It just seems that those situations show me form is held over substance. If that's the case, so be it.


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## Flyer_PE

^Thing is, on a first impression/interview, form is what the prospective new employer will remember.


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## Capt Worley PE

Depends, I guess.

When I was involved in doing interviews, I really didn't care what the folks were wearing, but when talking about their qualifications after the interviews, I always referred to them by what they wore, only because I can't remember names worth shizzit. Now that I think about it, it was usually shirt or blouse color, unless they wore something or had a feature that was really memorable.

I was more concerned about their qualifications and if they could work well in the environment.

But, yeah, I fully grasp that a goodly part of the world isn't like me.


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## guitarjamman

Capt Worley PE said:


> Depends, I guess.
> 
> When I was involved in doing interviews, I really didn't care what the folks were wearing, but when talking about their qualifications after the interviews, I always referred to them by what they wore, only because I can't remember names worth shizzit. Now that I think about it, it was usually shirt or blouse color, unless they wore something or had a feature that was really memorable.
> 
> I was more concerned about their qualifications and if they could work well in the environment.
> 
> But, yeah, I fully grasp that a goodly part of the world isn't like me.




Funny you mention this - I always wore a suit and tie when I had interviews. The kicker is that I would wear a vibrant tie or use a pocket napkin that stood out in color. I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but almost always got an offer or a follow up interview. Just one more way to stand out I guess.


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## Jaylaw_PE

yeah there are certain rules that society has to follow. if you show up to a job interview without a suit and tie, it better be at mcdonalds, otherwise your just a hobo.

i always wear suit and tie to interviews, and i never wear jeans to work, even though most of my colleagues do. that could be why im 32 and everyone else on my level is mid 50s


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## Boomer01 PE

We wear slacks and either a button down shirt or polo. Fridays it's jeans.


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## willsee

My boss wears farm attire (jeans, boots, flannel shirt)

Couple other people wear farm attire.

Some Jeans/T-shirts

Some slacks/button-downs (myself included)

MEP Consulting firm


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## Dexman PE PMP

Jeans, work boots, and a collared shirt. Some guys bust out the tie &amp; slacks if there's an important stake-holder meeting, but since most of the rest of us are expected to go out into the field we wear jeans and boots.


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## jeb6294

Now that I am at the VA it is business casual M-Th and jeans on Fridays. Previous dress code at USACE was ACU's or DCU's every day, hahaha. When stateside I was usually able to get away with jeans and a collared shirt because our project office was at the job site so we were out on the site every day.


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## Capt Worley PE

When the AC was out a few years ago, after two weeks of 88 degree 80+% humidity days, one guy had the temerity to come in with shorts and flip-flops. He caught some serious shizzit.


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## frazil

Bikini Fridays! Otherwise business casual.


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## knight1fox3

^ pics or it didn't happen.


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## wilheldp_PE

frazil said:


> Bikini Fridays! Otherwise business casual.


While I would appreciate some eye candy, I haven't worked in an office yet where I wanted to see very many of my co-workers in a bikini. Plus, I look terrible in a 2 piece.


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## FLBuff PE

Jeans, dress shoes, collared shirt. I wore a suit and tie to my first interview, and the interview panel gave me sh!t for dressing up (western slope Colorado is different than most other places). After I was let go from my first firm, I wore slacks and a collared shirt to interviews. I keep a set of work boots and winter boots in the work truck.


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## mudpuppy

Capt Worley PE said:


> When the AC was out a few years ago, after two weeks of 88 degree 80+% humidity days, one guy had the temerity to come in with shorts and flip-flops. He caught some serious shizzit.






I actually did this once too. If it's going to be over 80 in the office I'm going to be comfortable. Heck if women can wear a skirt then I'm going to wear shorts dammit.


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## Capt Worley PE

I'm Scottish and considered wearing my family kilt.


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## tim1981

We were required to wear ties in the office until a few years ago. It can make the wrong impression depending on who you're meeting with. For example, wearing a tie while meeting with a contractor can convey a sense of superiority that prevents you from having the open exchange of ideas that leads to the best solution. Therefore, a lot of people would take their ties off when they left the office to go to meetings and site visits, which was kind of backwards when you think about it.

I think that it's wise to wear a tie for any meeting where you expect people to question your work, and expect to present your work to the people who are paying you to do it. This includes client meetings, and it *definitely* includes job interviews.


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## butch81385

Dress code here is a collared shirt and pants/jeans. Most people wear polo shirts and jeans with tennis shoes (sneakers in most of the country). If you have a meeting you dress appropriately for the meeting (client meeting at an office: no jeans. meeting at jobsite: jeans and work boots, etc).


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## ventilator

Ours is pretty slack. Pretty much everybody wears jeans and a shirt with a collar, tucking your shirt in seems to have become optional.


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