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Is it OK to dress better than your boss?
By Meg | June 22, 2007
A great question was posed at About.com Women’s Fashion: Is It OK to Dress Better Than Your Boss?. That is a tricky question. The issue, as I see it, is less about fashion and more about whether it is alright to one-up your boss. You (probably) don’t want to make your boss feel inferior by drawing too much attention to yourself. Office politics is a tricky thing and whether you agree with the system, your job might be at stake if you don’t play the game well (as silly as it may be at times).
Now I would never suggest that you try to look bad in order to make your boss feel better. There’s no need to look cheap or frumpy. Do make sure that you still look put together. Looking unkempt will not reflect well on yourself or your boss. However, consider toning things down if you think there might be an issue. In most business settings, you don’t want to be too flashy to begin with because it can be see as unprofessional depending on the environment and the field you work in. Keep things simple, neat, and not too sexy. That goes for makeup, jewelry, hair, nails… everything. Be careful also about flashing brands around. You may be able to afford an expensive big name bag, but if your boss and co-workers can’t then be very careful about rubbing it - or any other signs of your good fortune - in their face. Take time to think about whether the things you wear or do or say at work (or anywhere for that matter) will make others jealous. Then decide whether it is worth it. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not.
What do you think? Is it alright to dress better than your boss? How should one tone things down, if at all?
Tags: Etiquette, Fashion, Work
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June 24th, 2007 at 2:54 am
I think it’s a shame we can’t just be happy for the people around us if they are doing well. If someone has a brandname bag, I just say congratulations, I don’t envy them for it.
June 24th, 2007 at 3:11 am
I agree. It is a shame. Unfortunately, jealousy does exist and there is only so much we can do to about it. Of course, the most powerful thing that we can do is, like you said, to be happy for others instead of jealous. Next to that, though, it’s just a good idea to be conscious about how more sensitive people might react and decide how much we are willing to compromise - or not.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
[…] Our fabulous! organizer/administrator person, Meg, explains Dressing for Job Interviews at Casual Companies. She also delivers solid advice concerning the question Is It OK to Dress Better Than Your Boss?. […]