Could Your Clothes Affect Your Work Performance?

More Confidence

We’ve undoubtedly heard plenty about how your appearance affects the perception others have of you. But could it affect the perception you have of yourself? The simple answer is yes. Not only does dressing well for your work improve how others perceive you, but it increases your own confidence as well. You can use your clothing as a tool to help you take ownership of your job and do it with confidence.

More Authoritative

You have probably noticed how people are more likely to trust someone that is dressed appropriately for the work that they do. Whether that means they are wearing a uniform, or otherwise dressed to match the profession they are in, they are more likely to be respected. Simply wearing the right clothing can empower someone to be more authoritative in their position and take ownership.

More Motivation and Productivity

I don’t know about you, but I think I would have a hard time being as motivated to do my work well if I came to work every day in my pajamas. The way you dress for your job can affect how motivated you are to work and therefore also affect how productive you are. If you look the part, you’re more likely to feel the part and will have a greater drive to do what you are supposed to do.

More Professionalism

Again, if you look the part, it’s going behave accordingly. When you dress professionally (in alignment with your profession), you will more than likely act more like a professional in your industry. You may notice that because you look more capable and qualified, you feel that way as well. Also, the way you dress for your work can raise the standard of how you choose to behave in different scenarios. You may be more conscious of the fact that you are representing a company and will want to represent them well.

More Focus

Being appropriately dressed for the job could actually increase your focus. If you are wearing something that makes you feel like you should be lounging in your home, it may be more challenging to put your full focus into your work.

What Is Appropriate Depends on Your Workplace

Obviously, what you wear to work is going to depend on your job. While professional business attire is appropriate and even expected for some workplaces, it wouldn’t make sense at all in another profession, such as construction.

When a company determines what their employees can and should wear to the workplace, here are a few things they should consider:

• Could this help our employees feel more confident and professional in what they do?
• Will what they wear help our employees feel proud of representing our company?
• What kind of atmosphere are we trying to set?
• What kind of interaction do we have with customers and how do we want them to perceive us?
• Can the work attire expectations we set help boost overall employee moral or will it feel like a discouraging aspect of the job?
• Can our employees comfortably and effectively do their work while wearing what we’ve asked them to wear?

Just like wearing nice gym clothing can help people feel more sporty and motivated to exercise, the clothing people wear for the workplace will affect how they perform. If you are concerned that too casual attire could result in a lazy work attitude, you may want to change your requirements. For others, such as the hospitality industry, a casual and friendly atmosphere is exactly what they want to set so more casual attire is appropriate.

Taking This to Another Level

I think we’ve said what we’ve wanted to say: yes, in many cases, clothes affect your work performance.

Are uniforms part of your company’s clothing requirements? One way you can help increase confidence for your employees is to provide quality, custom uniforms that they will be proud to wear. Having your logo embroidered or screen printed on quality materials is a great way to provide your employees with uniforms they can appreciate while at the same time promote your brand.