I love summer. It is without a doubt the best season with its warm temperatures, beach vacations, great action flicks, and my all-time favorite fashion staple—flip-flops. But it seems that this popular footwear has recently been causing some controversy around the office.
More women are wearing flip-flops to the office as companies adopt a business casual dress code, and they are getting away with it. According to an article in USA Today, Are Flip-flops Damaging Your Career?,” 31 percent of women said that these shoes are a “must-have” for work this summer. Yet, many companies still view this fashion trend as beach wardrobe, and prefer that is where these shoes stay. The reasoning is that footwear, just like the rest of your outfit, conveys a certain atmosphere and personal attitude. I guess you just can’t get away from the idea that appearance is everything. I can see how wearing flip-flops could give the impression that you perceive work as a vacation. But remember, as times change, so do attitudes and styles, leaving the ideal suit and tie of the 90s at home.
While I do agree that flip-flops are not the best accessory to wear to a board meeting or when pitching a sale to a client, I think the decision to wear flip-flops to work should be left up to the discretion of the employee. Personally, from all those agonizing years I spent as one of the few children who attended a school with a dress code, I feel more professional and efficient when I dress less casually, thereby work more diligently. However, if an employee, who mainly functions “behind the scenes” and doesn’t meet with any public clients or CEOs during the day, feels more comfortable while wearing flip-flops and her work doesn’t suffer, I say “Who really cares?” If you can’t beat your co-workers, join ‘em. Although if your boss is continually dressed as though she’s meeting with the president of your company, it may be in your best interest to reflect her style a little more and leave the flip-flops at home.
Think people are taking the flip-flop controversy a little too seriously? You should read how far this executive went to put his best Face Forward and improve his business image on S&MM.
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