WFH and appearance

[Anonymous]

I am an elder millennial - late thirties - and have had a professional career for about five years. (Was a nontraditional student, did blue collar work/SAH before getting my education). I was raised in DC where there's a pretty stringent expectation about professional appearance, which was modeled for me by my parents, friends parents etc on Capitol Hill. I know this "look" is not universal and DC is formal as far as appearances go, but...

I just switched jobs from Chief of Staff to a CEO to a consulting role. I was mostly in office at my last role but am 90% WFH for this new role, and I'm shocked. Consulting is fairly elite/niche so I have been surprised to see my colleagues on work calls (internal) in sweatshirts, looking pretty slovenly. Likewise, on client calls, I've seen people wearing very casual clothes, looking unkempt, wearing baseball caps etc.

I'm not saying I'm decked out for every Teams call, but damn people. Brush your hair? Put on a professional top? It's really not that difficult to look put together. Dare I say I find it unprofessional when people look any which way on camera.

What's the standard for your industry/role? What's your take and how have you seen things evolve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an elder millennial - late thirties - and have had a professional career for about five years. (Was a nontraditional student, did blue collar work/SAH before getting my education). I was raised in DC where there's a pretty stringent expectation about professional appearance, which was modeled for me by my parents, friends parents etc on Capitol Hill. I know this "look" is not universal and DC is formal as far as appearances go, but...

I just switched jobs from Chief of Staff to a CEO to a consulting role. I was mostly in office at my last role but am 90% WFH for this new role, and I'm shocked. Consulting is fairly elite/niche so I have been surprised to see my colleagues on work calls (internal) in sweatshirts, looking pretty slovenly. Likewise, on client calls, I've seen people wearing very casual clothes, looking unkempt, wearing baseball caps etc.

I'm not saying I'm decked out for every Teams call, but damn people. Brush your hair? Put on a professional top? It's really not that difficult to look put together. Dare I say I find it unprofessional when people look any which way on camera.

What's the standard for your industry/role? What's your take and how have you seen things evolve?

Unshaven in Hoodie in Monk Mode.

[Anonymous]

I really don't care but I am thrilled with cameras on if people are in that mood.

[Anonymous]

When I worked in a DC based tech startup we were required to have cameras on but a casual neutral colored sweatshirt, blue light glasses, and baseball cap were pretty standard. Management was as casual or even more so. Our only requirement was we had to have a company mandated Zoom background. We were on camera probably 6 hours a day at least

I was in a client facing role and probably half the time clients looked much more dressed up
But we were fully remote and they were in the office

[Anonymous]

I'm not American and will never understand the slovenliness of Americans. I love America, though, so I forgive them. But I'll probably always be overdressed for the occasion, which is fine by me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I worked in a DC based tech startup we were required to have cameras on but a casual neutral colored sweatshirt, blue light glasses, and baseball cap were pretty standard. Management was as casual or even more so. Our only requirement was we had to have a company mandated Zoom background. We were on camera probably 6 hours a day at least

I was in a client facing role and probably half the time clients looked much more dressed up
But we were fully remote and they were in the office

I think men wearing baseball caps on any professional work call is ridiculous and sexist. No woman would ever wear a baseball cap in this context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not American and will never understand the slovenliness of Americans. I love America, though, so I forgive them. But I'll probably always be overdressed for the occasion, which is fine by me.

Covid really accelerated the race to the bottom

[Anonymous]

I’m with you, OP. It’s not hard to wear a real shirt and brush your hair.

Today a new junior colleague was in a Zoom meeting between people in our office and people in a different department, and he spent the whole meeting chomping away on his lunch. Nobody else was eating but him, and I just couldn’t get over the fact that even if he had the bad judgment to start eating during this meeting, he didn’t notice that nobody else was eating and then stop himself. People are clueless how they come across.

[Anonymous]

People might also look other directions because their zoom screen is not on the screen that has their camera and they may refer to notes on another screen…I don’t judge for that.

[Anonymous]

I agree op. I think places are going to get sick of the laziness and use it as an excuse to call more people back to the office..and these lazy idiots are going to ruin if for the rest of us. The LEAST anyone can do is dress nice and turn their camera on.

[Anonymous]

I’m a lawyer at a tech company (fully remote) and I quickly found I would look completely out of place if I dressed how I used to at a firm for zoom meetings. My hair is always nice but I’m now in any old top or hoody and loving it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m with you, OP. It’s not hard to wear a real shirt and brush your hair.

Today a new junior colleague was in a Zoom meeting between people in our office and people in a different department, and he spent the whole meeting chomping away on his lunch. Nobody else was eating but him, and I just couldn’t get over the fact that even if he had the bad judgment to start eating during this meeting, he didn’t notice that nobody else was eating and then stop himself. People are clueless how they come across.

When I read that, it makes me think your junior colleague was working so much that he didn't have time to each lunch aside from that meeting.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised at my small company how slovenly the directors & owner, the only ones allowed WFH, present themselves in internal meetings. I get your hair may not look great if you don't wash it that day, but pull it back in a ponytail with headband if needed. Put on a decent blouse/sweater. They look like 40-year-old versions of the guy in his basement playing video games and it is not at all in line with the industry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an elder millennial - late thirties - and have had a professional career for about five years. (Was a nontraditional student, did blue collar work/SAH before getting my education). I was raised in DC where there's a pretty stringent expectation about professional appearance, which was modeled for me by my parents, friends parents etc on Capitol Hill. I know this "look" is not universal and DC is formal as far as appearances go, but...

I just switched jobs from Chief of Staff to a CEO to a consulting role. I was mostly in office at my last role but am 90% WFH for this new role, and I'm shocked. Consulting is fairly elite/niche so I have been surprised to see my colleagues on work calls (internal) in sweatshirts, looking pretty slovenly. Likewise, on client calls, I've seen people wearing very casual clothes, looking unkempt, wearing baseball caps etc.

I'm not saying I'm decked out for every Teams call, but damn people. Brush your hair? Put on a professional top? It's really not that difficult to look put together. Dare I say I find it unprofessional when people look any which way on camera.

What's the standard for your industry/role? What's your take and how have you seen things evolve?

I work in tech and spent over a decade in financial services and insurance. I live outside NYC and have spent my entire professional life in NY. I am rarely client facing on calls (most client work is in person). I will always dress professionally for client interactions and wear makeup. For c-level calls I obviously look very polished and wear makeup. For my team zoom calls or one on ones it depends on what else I’m doing during the day with my kids’ schools etc. I’ll always look presentable, but I may wear a high end fleece that I love that looks a bit like a sweater and have my hair in a pony tail. I also don’t wear much of any makeup. I recently developed eczema around my eyes, so I don’t wear makeup when I don’t have to so as to give my skin a break. I wear glasses and have good skin, so I don’t think it’s a huge deal. I’m an elder millennial (37) and will make a touch under $500K if the markets don’t tank this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I worked in a DC based tech startup we were required to have cameras on but a casual neutral colored sweatshirt, blue light glasses, and baseball cap were pretty standard. Management was as casual or even more so. Our only requirement was we had to have a company mandated Zoom background. We were on camera probably 6 hours a day at least

I was in a client facing role and probably half the time clients looked much more dressed up
But we were fully remote and they were in the office

I think men wearing baseball caps on any professional work call is ridiculous and sexist. No woman would ever wear a baseball cap in this context.

PP I forgot to say this, but completely agree. WTF. So disrespectful.