Care In How We Dress For Work

How we dress for work varies greatly with the type of work we do. Whatever the appropriate type of dress for your line of work, it pays to take some care in how you look. It's not only beneficial for you, but, in it's own way, can contribute to stability in the workplace - the ongoing theme of our posts this year.

The benefit for you is a simple one. Those who look slovenly or otherwise unattractive will not be thought of as competent or diligent as those who sport a cleaner sharper look. Judging a book by its cover? Sure. But that's how it goes. And making an issue of it isn't worth your time. Just look straight and right in your particular environment.

As for what to wear, the guy on the utility pole repairing an internet connection doesn't wear a stripped suit. Tech folks don't either; but they likely don't look like the guy on the pole.

Whether your occupation calls for more traditional business dress, something more casual, or a pair of worn overalls, you can still put some care into how you dress.

I've had jobs that allowed for a wide range of types of dress, from the pin-stripe to business casual to jeans and a tee. The pin-stripe seemed cool at the time, but these days, the casual gets my vote.

As you might imagine, St. Benedict was very exact about how his monks were to dress: 

"Let clothing be given to the brethren according to the nature of the locality in which they dwell and its climate...in ordinary places the following dress is sufficient for each monk: a tunic, a cowl (thick and woolly in winter, but thin or worn in summer), a belt for work, and for the feet shoes and stockings. And let not the monks complain of the colour or coarseness of any of these things, but be content with what is to be found in the district where they live and can be purchased cheaply.

"Let the abbot see to the size of the garments, that they be not too short for their wearers, but of the proper fit...it is sufficient if a monk have two tunics and two cowls, to allow for a change at night and for the washing of these garments; more than that is superfluity and should be curtailed..."

He follows this up with some comments on bedding that include more specifics on clothes and other possessions:

"For bedding, let this suffice: a mattress, a blanket, a coverlet, and a pillow...let the abbot provide all things that are necessary: this is cowl, tunic, stockings, shoes, belt, knife, pen needle handkerchief, and tablets; so that all pretext of need may be taken away..."

St. Benedict took great care when deciding how his monks should dress. (And that care extended from sleeping arrangements to the specifics of what they should have in their possession.)

We're not monks, but we can certainly exercise care in how we dress. Based on these selections from the Rule, here are some suggestions we might find helpful:

Make sure the basics are appropriate to your type or work and/or your location. While some folks don't like the switch to casual business dress, I must say I don't miss being wrapped in a suit and tie during the hot humid summer season - when part of my job required getting from A to B on foot, or waiting for a subway in a hellishly hot underground station.

Also, consider St. Benedict's remark when specifying what his monks should wear, and when they should wear it: "...more than that is superfluity and should be curtailed."

Apparently, even with the few simple items his monks wore, there might be those who would prefer either more to wear, or something more fancy. I can attest to this being the case in the workplace on the part of some.

For us Catholic men at work, let's keep our dress practical. No need to spend lots of our hard-earned money on what St. Benedict calls "superfluity." And, certainly, no need to wear clothing that's extra-fancy, that calls attention to us. Neat, clean, even stylish can present a solid, professional image. Stylish, without being a dandy. Being a dandy in the workplace can even create some level of disruption of the desirable calm and stable environment a productive successful workplace should foster.

When I took my first corporate job that required a suit, I solicited the advice of a corporate relative. And I bought and studied a book called Dress for Success. It was most helpful to me (I had no real clue what sort of suits to buy) and quite practical. It instilled in me an attitude towards work dress that helped me in future jobs, even when suits weren't required. 

It certainly helped me to have a simple, stable view towards work clothes. As such, I think I've been a decent cog to keep stability in the workplace spinning smoothly.

This book is out of print. But there must be other resources you can check in with if you're not sure how to dress in your workplace. Use them. Solicit advice from appropriate parties.

In the end, don't overdo or under-do when it comes dress. If you take the appropriate care, you'll be more highly regarded. And you'll contribute, in this small way, to stability in your workplace.