Etiquette Today: Classic Business Attire Questions
We've got some classic attire questions—hats, sunglasses, and jeans at the office.
Classic Attire Questions - Business Edition
Some attire traditions are worth knowing—or debunking, as the case may be. Here are some classic attire questions we get at the Emily Post Institute.
Must you remove your hat indoors?
Today, hat etiquette is still about allowing eye contact, letting your face be seen, and showing respect. Anyone going indoors should remove their hat once they have reached their destination. If you’re in a large building, the lobby and elevators often count as outdoor spaces where hats are acceptable to leave on, but hallways, dining areas, rooms, and offices are considered indoors, so hats are to be taken off.
Always remove brimmed hats, such as cowboy hats and ball caps, for dining. Eating with others with your face shielded is not polite. Cowboy hats are sometimes worn in professional dining situations—especially outdoor events, but again, try to make sure your face is visible. At formal meals, you can give your hat to the coat check, or as a last resort hang it on the back of your chair. At an ill-planned event where you have no options but your lap or the floor, choose your lap—this isn’t your fault.
Brims or no brims, hats are removed for the national anthem if they are not pinned to your head. Chemo caps, hats, or scarves worn for temporary hair loss due to a treatment or condition never have to be removed, nor do head coverings worn for religious purposes.
What is the etiquette for sunglasses?
Sunglasses can be a fashion statement, a favorite accessory, a health precaution, and a security blanket. Unfortunately, when interacting with others, they also cover our eyes. During conversation, and especially when being introduced, take your sunglasses off if you are able. Once you’re inside, or when they are no longer needed to shield your eyes from the sun, remove them so they don’t shield you from others. Whenever we can, we want people to be able to see our whole face, and make eye contact if possible.
Are blue jeans office attire?
Jeans were long forbidden in formal situations and were not considered possible office attire until the early aughts. Today, they are still discouraged or considered casual wear in many business settings—even though fashion jeans have been a staple of wardrobes since the 1960s and 1970s. Your best bet is not to wear jeans to an interview and to wait until you’ve been at a job for a while and are familiar enough with the dress code to know if jeans are appropriate and which styles would qualify.
If no one’s around, does dressing for work matter?
We think so. (And we bet all the people who went viral for no-pants zoom calls think so, too!) While it’s true that many of us work jobs where we go days without interacting directly with others, we think that it can make a difference to dress up for work. Not because more rigid clothing makes us pay attention or focus more, but because of the readiness it affords you.
By cultivating and executing a professional appearance you are proud of, you prepare yourself for any situation your workday could throw at you. At Emily Post, our bacon has been saved more than once by simply being showered and in clean office attire for the day—even though we both work from home most days and are usually in control of whether or not we are on camera for calls. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What’s your current work dress code? Do you work in an office, from home, or in a hybrid situation? Please tell us in the comments if you can’t post here, head over to the Monday Podcast Post where the comments are open to all.
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Could you also mention that these rules do not always apply to military, and that veterans may leave their hat on during the anthem if saluting. While most sporting events make this clear, an educated society lends itself to a polite society 😀🇺🇸