Columnist Susan Snyder: Changing attire can be confusing

Tuesday, July 8, 2003 | 8:22 a.m.

At my last newspaper, in Utah, the giggling started when the company dress code was updated to ban thongs.

To make sure they were being perfectly clear, human resources personnel had written "sandals" in parentheses.

Ever since casual Fridays expanded to casual every days in the 1990s, some corporations have found all hope of a professionally presentable work staff has disappeared in the pockets of suits donated to Salvation Army.

But with the youth-oriented dot-com companies on the skids and big corporations trying to regain people's confidence, some say the tide is turning back toward business attire for, well, business.

"Everything I hear suggests we are," said David Hames, professor of business management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Nobody ever defined 'business casual' very well. People started showing up in shorts and T-shirts and flip-flops."

(You know, "thongs.")

As summer heats up, business casual becomes even more difficult to define.

One Las Vegas-based corporation (name withheld to protect the slovenly) circulated a memorandum in June reminding employees of what was intended by the company's "business casual" policy.

High on the hit list of cannot-wears: capri pants. These are defined as any pants that taper from the knee and rest anywhere from knee-length to one inch above the ankle.

Fine, except that capri pants have invaded women's clothing sections like aphids at a rose festival. Best to just avoid buying anything new until the trend subsides, which means we'll all save a lot of money until 2006, when the fashion gurus will introduce something else we aren't allowed to wear.

Still, you have to wonder what adult needs to be told that he or she shouldn't wear sneakers, cutoffs, midriff blouses or jogging suits to work.

Honestly. Do people still buy "jogging suits"?

Creepy.

"People have come back to dress codes because it's just easier to manage," Hames said. "People understand 'business attire.' People don't understand 'business casual.' "

And many grown-ups have decided they don't like "business attire." Most of us just want to retire. A fair number have managed to find ways to telecommute, which can mean cowboy jammies until 3 p.m., if they so desire.

In Las Vegas' service-based economy, many workers don't face any dilemma because they wear uniforms. But if they switch to office work, these folks might find it difficult to figure out what's acceptable work attire unless a company's policies spell it out based on the image it wants to present, Hames said.

Looking to co-workers for guidance seems an unlikely option if a company needs to spell out a ban on such items as "spaghetti strap dresses or tops, spandex pants, jeans, skirts more than 6 inches above the knee," or "clothing with slogans containing profanity" and "lack of proper undergarments."

It's probably a good idea that we impose dress codes on some of our schoolchildren.

Maybe their parents can ask them, "Does this look OK for work?"