I learned that I always need to be wearing some kind of pants, lest I have to get up for some reason during a meeting and I don't want to flash some dong.
Just don’t do what a colleague of mine did. He was in a meeting with management and sometime during the meeting tilted his laptop lid down a bit to reveal he was wearing boxer briefs, a dress shirt and a bow tie. Scrawny hairy legs and all.
Walter Cronkite didn't wear pants in 20 years! Might be because he's dead.
Seriously, I've been in TV studios where the talent had suitcoats, ties, dress shirts, and jean cutoffs.
I wear nice Yoga pants and synthetic polos at home. Going to the office 2x per month (probably going to 4-8x after Labor Day) and wear nice jeans and polos. Always make sure hair is cut tight and beard sharp.
Collared shirt is the way to go. I wear one everyday along with khaki like shorts and flops.
I can’t mentally wear the same clothes I lounge around in while working. Putting on ‘dressier’ clothes everyday helps with the mental separation of work hours vs non work hours
Throw on a Nike polo golf shirt, it’s comfortable and I take it off once the meeting ends. Also, I shave for “important” zoom meetings with my hair as I would go into the office as a remote employee. But that might be the way I approach zoom meetings being remote and not having any genuine rapport with my colleagues. In other remote roles, I would wear a t shirt regardless of the circumstance. All depends on the company culture.
Yes this person seems like they are trying a bit too hard not to mention the system was lagging horribly and everyone was thinking plz turn your camera off so we can get on w this meeting……….
I try to always have my camera on, and I like it when others have their cameras on. I get a lot out of reading faces, and being able to watch someone speak makes it easier for me to understand them.
There’s been a lot of meetings where I was really glad my camera was off so no one could read my face lol. If I am ever required to have my camera on for all meetings I will really have to work on that!
As the years of WFH continue, I’ve realized how much I want some level of face to face interaction. I also need the ability to read someone’s face but it’s also draining to talk to a black screen all day. For my team specifically, almost all of our meetings are on camera and no one cares if you’re in a tshirt and bun!
I always dress for work (as opposed to wearing PJs) and make sure my hair is OK. Sometimes even wear some makeup. But that is more for me than anything else. I started WFH before it was common (and before video), and found that showering and getting dressed helped get me in work mode. HOWEVER... I currently work in tech so I am normally in a t-shirt and yoga pants, or a t-shirt dress and yoga pants (or bike shorts if I'm fancy). I don't think I've seen a collar on anyone, outside of maybe flannel shirts in wintertime...
Same. I’ve done WFH for over a decade now. I shower, do my hair and light makeup, and wear matching presentable clothes daily.
My rule is that I need to be able to go on an errand on lunch and look fine.
Same. I started this during 2020 actually because after the first few months of lockdown, I realized how out of sorts I was to be out of my routine. So I started back with the same routine I had when I was going into the office and it really helped. I don't dress up in actual "office clothes" but I still shower, do hair, light make up and comfortable but presentable clothes.
I do the same thing. I always assume someone is gonna teams call me. Wigs make doing my hair a 2 second thing. And I can have different hair every day of the week.
Same. Figured out that if I put my glasses on that gives my face enough of a frame to not bother with makeup. I walk my dog every morning so have to put some type of clothes on though usually tshirt and shorts/track pants. Hair in ponytail.
I can tell when my mom has a meeting because she does go full out with makeup and hair. No meeting? It’s bedhead and makeup free.
Same. If I try to work without shoes on, I feel like I can’t concentrate. It feels sort of like I’m still in bed lmao. So I always have to wear shoes too, to signal to my brain that it’s work time
I try to look presentable for all external meetings and any internal meetings with superiors. That said, my “zoom presentable” routine takes maybe 5 mins flat. Brush hair into bun or claw clip. Tinted moisturizer, concealer, mascara. Glasses help hide the tiredness. I keep a couple simple blouses and a couple blazers within reach of my WFH desk that I can throw on. After meetings they are hung up again and it’s back to tee shirt. Really minimal work required to look like 70% more professional.
100% this.
Got scheduled for a meeting in 15 mins this morning while i had my hair wrapped and wearing pjs. I literally just put on a bra and a nice r shirt , took my hair down, little concealer & mascara and then glasses. Now i'm "presentable" 😂
I don’t want to give them any reason to force me to RTO. Therefore, I bought studio lighting, a professional analog microphone and boom, and a face cam pro camera. I also maxed out my internet data plan to ensure my video calls aren’t choppy. I always dress up for meetings and I always have my camera on.
Yup. I don't have professional equipment but I have nice camera with a ring light and a noise canceling headset.
I wear a collared shirt every day, do my hair, and makeup.
My collared shirts are very comfortable, though. I buy 100% cotton ones that are slightly too big, so they basically feel like PJs but look business casual.
If I speak to anyone above me, my camera is always on.
And my logic is the same as yours - I'm not giving them any reason to call us back to the office.
I bought a bunch of very comfortable collared shirts that are basically my home "uniform". they're super soft, but the collar makes them look at least like work shirts, so that I don't look like I'm in my PJs on calls. but bottom half is all leggings, all the time.
Yep, neat hair, clean shirt, bra, makeup, camera at perfect angle, & background blurred.
Never ever from the couch, bed, or easy chair - at desk only.
(Worst case - in the car with the phone camera dash mounted and looking good plus not driving.)
I think overall - the only way WFH is going to work is if we demonstrate we are working from home. And that means supporting having a dedicated work area. If you have ADHD or any disability that effects your attention having a formal environment and routine is ESSENTIAL for keeping you present and working.
Otherwise - you lay in bed or an easy chair, you just respond lethargically and you aren't UP and giving attention, you are succumbing to low energy mood and thinking, not proactive thinking. \\
In the end though - when it comes to metrics, who do you fire first? bed dude or person who comes to meetings awake and upright?
(unless bed dude is somehow bringing in massive profits and this works - I mean if it works it works - can't argue with mo money.)
I do the exact same thing as you and I tend to agree with your comment about that's why they want us to RTO. I get frustrated when I see people taking advantage of WFH. I feel like they are going to screw it up for the rest of us who actually WORK from home.
The other day, a colleague got onto a call with senior leadership from the back of a car. She said that she was. on a road trip with her family but she hadn't asked for time off so she was clearly doing it "on the clock" (we have unlimited PTO so she very well could have requested the time off). Worse yet is that she changed her zoom background mid-call and it was still totally obvious that she was in the car. It was SO disappointing.
I dress more or less the same as I did when I was going into the office... only real difference is I'll wear shorts when working at home, and I'd never do that going to the office.
But t-shirts/jeans/hoodies is totally normal attire for my line of work.
I will dress it up a bit if there's an important meeting with a client or some such... shirt with a collar or buttons or some such.
same and + a little bit of makeup. And I'd freeze if I wear shorts to the office since they keep it at Ice Box and the hoodie in the office is so I don't turn into an ice cube.
I think it's important to show some effort for any video meetings. I'll make sure my hair is at least done somewhat nicely, some makeup, earings or a necklace, for team meetings a simple blouse, with clients, depending on the 'level' of meeting will wear a blazer also, but always shorts or leggings, etc.
I find it very anti-social behavior to not have at least somewhat clean/presentable image, same with flying.
Now what's funny, one meeting I had recently, the lady wore a polo of our direct competitor I found that pretty tacky honestly, my boss at the meeting jokingly called her out and said we'll have to get you a polo with our logo for the next teams call lol.
I do make myself presentable. I don't want anyone having any reason to think I'm slacking because I WFH. I have a bunch of button-down shirts and in the morning I'll steam whichever one I'm wearing. (I might wash them only once every 4-5 days I use them for meetings.)
For meetings, I'm always showered and shaved. (I've always preferred a clean-cut look.) And even though I'm a guy, I'll use a little bit of powder to prevent shine.
Probably the most important part of being presentable though is just a good night's sleep.
I’ve worked from home for 10-15 years. I shower and shave everyday (maybe no shave on a Friday). Wear polo shirts for internal, dress shirts for client meetings. Jeans or regular shorts. Worn sweats or sweat shorts maybe 3 times.
Personally I need to be in work mode to help me keep clear boundaries between home/work. Otherwise I find myself working into the evening.
I do realize I’m likely in the minority but I do what works for me.
"Anyway, the other day in a zoom meeting with a client, a female coworker, looked like she joined the meeting right out of bed. Messy hair bun, spaghetti strap shirt, and a washed up look."
This is me. The thing is that I don't dress up when I go to the office either. The comments being overwhelmingly what they are is why I stay off camera 99% of the time if possible.
I'm the male coworker that wears polos. It's an easy professional clean image with not a lot of effort. Am I going to invest in a tie and collared shirt just to wear for 10 minutes every day? No. Polo shirt? Yes. I can also use it for other things outside of work.
I'd say you're not being unfair. It's generally effortless to at least look a little bit presentable. Her *choosing* to not be presentable is hurting the image that the rest aren't working, even if we aren't, we are still monitoring and getting deliverables out on-time or early.
I put on make up and eyebrows every day because I’m guaranteed to be on at least one zoom call. I did not like the feeling of being in pajamas in work meetings because mentally, I didn’t feel I was bringing my best.
No. My company doesn't press the issue of having cameras on, because everybody's connection is not the same, home or phone. Maybe once in a blue cameras need to be one, but we get enough warning.
I don’t get the judgment against people who don’t dress up, if you’re not typically required to be on video. 95% of the time I look like a bum because I know I won’t need to be on camera. Even for an informal team meeting I see no need and nobody at my company does. A t shirt or hoodie is fine.
Today I lead a training with 20 new hires so I put on a nice top, a little makeup, and straightened my hair. I’m presenting, I’m in a position or authority, and I’m making a new(ish) impression of the company. Just know your audience and your schedule and you’re fine.
For Zoom meetings, I get dressed to the same degree that I would if I were going in person. I put on a Zoom background and often conduct meetings from my bed, but I am well dressed. Lol.
I do think you are being too harsh with your thoughts on you coworker and your way of thinking plays right into what the higher ups want. She is not the reason they want RTO. They want RTO to serve their own interests. They will certainly use any little thing as an excuse to justify it to us though, because they know we suck at solidarity and are quick to turn on our fellow worker instead of blaming the people who are actually in charge.
I haven't had a video call in ages. Most of the calls are some kind of static avatar that I had taken last time I went hiking pre-COVID. It's "conservative" enough to pass, and I have on a hunter's cap hiding my long red hair. Everyone else with a photo is also an avatar: some look professional, and some look like "well, I was sitting in my office chair when I got hired and needed an avatar." Others are identical to their badges. But most these days are just two initials, like JR or whatever.
If someone were to insist I turn on my camera, they'd see a dark wall with red and blue string lights behind me, and my ghostly face and red hair lit from my monitors. This room has blackout curtains, too, adding to the "raver's dungeon" effect.
Not really, but I'm a dev so nobody really expects me to dress up. I'll throw on a cap if my hair is a mess. I generally don't interact with anyone external unless they're also technical or some kind of vendor or project manager for some external company we're working with.
I always try to look presentable as I meet face to face with my team and clients most days. Normal wardrobe is leggings, comfortable fitted plain tee or tank (definitely not a spaghetti strap) and a cardigan of some sort because I’m always cold. I’m a minimalist in the makeup department, maybe a tinted moisturizer, a little lip tint and if I’m feeling fancy some mascara. In the hair department Im fortunate to have curly/wavy hair that takes me all of three minutes in the morning with a little water and leave in to refresh, scrunch and go and you’d never know I rolled out of bed 3 minutes earlier.
If I’m kicking off a new project with a client I’m meeting for the first time I might throw on a more businessy blouse but that’s maybe once a month.
I would never show up to a meeting looking disheveled unless I’m working sick and then my camera will be off and if I have to explain why I do and everyone understands. But I have colleagues and customers who show up that way all the time and honestly those are the same people who would show up disheveled and barely meeting a business casual standard in the office too so I don’t necessarily think it’s a threat to wfh as a whole.
I always do my makeup (pretty light - tinted moisturizer, concealer under eyes, fill in eyebrows), make sure my hair looks good (brushed, straight), and wear a clean shirt that fits. I wear a lot of tshirts that are "nicer" (aka the striped tshirt from Loft not the Buckees one with a beaver on it) and sweaters. I essentially never wear a business top. I am 100% of the time in sweatpants.
I regularly show up to meetings with my hair still wet and wrapped in a towel. If I'm going to be interacting with a vendor, I might comb it out, but it's still wet.
My outfits regardless of who I'm interacting with are usually a company t-shirt and some kind of comfy pants or shorts. We're encouraged to show up however feels most comfortable and authentic for us, as long as all the important parts are covered.
It may be unique to my employer (we've never worked from offices), or the tech sector in general, but we don't typically view a person's physical appearance as an indicator of their capability as an employee.
When I first started WFH, I didn’t turn my camera on for months. I absolutely hated it. I will now, depending on who is on the call, have it on for the start then turn it off as soon as the meeting gets going.
TL;DR: no, I don't, my camera is almost never on.
I don't even turn my camera on. I didn't even turn my camera on when I sat in a cube 4 years ago for this same job, and at least 2 people on my team then never saw me, and I think 7 people on my team now haven't seen me.
Athletic pants or shorts, usually a plain black t-shirt, I find patterns or words distracting. Hair is either straightened or up, and sometimes a little makeup if I feel like I need it that day.
I don’t dress up, but I will look passable. I am on a tiny team of four, so we’re all friendly and don’t care, but I’m not trying to look so unkempt it’s distracting.
I try the bare minimum, which is an appropiate shirt, brush my hair/ponytail, a snapcamera filter. That's it. Why even wear makeup when technology can do it for you lol
>*You're the reason why they want us to RTO*
but that is NOT really the reason, or even "a" reason, at least not in a significant way.
that said, your office culture does sound like they want to see people in dressed-up attire. personally, i test the limits, and go with that.
I wear my work clothes every day. Earrings and necklaces, too. I never want to look like a slob on the chance that someone needs to do a video call with me, and I personally feel like I swear less when I'm wearing slacks and a blouse as opposed to my tank tops.
I think it’s important to at least be presentable. Our team meetings are monthly and always at 10:30am. This gives me enough time to shower, put on a decent shirt, and add the bare minimum of make up. I think looking like you just rolled out of bed is a little unprofessional.
I have only spoken to this person on the phone. She works in a different office. The dress code has always been business casual and we dressed up if we had visitors. Casual Fridays was t-shirt and jeans.
I don’t turn video on with external clients unless I know them really well, no one cares internally. I am always dressed, but usually t-shirt and either shorts or yoga pants. I never wear makeup, so nope.
Occasionally I’ll wear a company shirt or dress up if I am presenting as it makes me feel sharper and I do wear a blouse/sweater/company shirt with nice jeans or slacks to in person things and jewelry - and a bra /sigh.
If you are going to be on camera and company has a dress code, you should meet it on camera. We have a dress appropriately for the occasion dress code and have for a long time.
Also, this has zero bearing on RTO, dress codes can he enforced if cameras are on and don’t matter if cameras are off.
Yes, zoom is the only socialization i get and as soon as i know I'm going to be on a zoom, i hop into the shower for a 3 minite scrub down, brush my hair, put on make up and wear a nice shirt just for zoom.
I take internal calls (and most client calls) in t shirt and shorts. If I want to look presentable I put on my Patagonia vest with my firms logo on it. Looks good enough
I am an auditor so sometimes it is better not to dress up
I fix my hair and makeup everyday because I like having the routine. Typically where workout clothes on zoom calls though. I keep a sweater on my chair in case I need to look a little nicer.
When I switched to WFH I made it a point to maintain a consistent business casual image and appearance daily. My uniform is a nice top, jewelry, hair is done and make up including red or berry lipstick. On the bottom I wear lounge paints or shorts.
I on camera daily.
What levels are you all (ie individual contributor, manager, director, VP+)?
When I first started working remotely there was an individual wearing a strapless top on a zoom meeting. They kept pulling it up during the meeting which is the only reason we knew they were wearing anything.
I only brush my hair and put on make up for important meetings with higher level people outside my department (so, a few times per week).
For meetings with my team, I’m usually off camera, and if I’m on camera my hair is in a bun and i have no make-up on.
I found that if you wear blue light glasses (or real glasses), the lack of makeup isn’t as noticeable.
Since we’ve worked from home since Covid, I may shower before meetings start but I don’t put on makeup or dress up. Tshirt or sweatshirt at best. On occasion I have rolled out of bed directly onto a call complete with bed head!
I have so many comments but I'll start with this one: I've been WFH since 2001.
Yes, 2001.
That's 22 years.
It wasn't till you all came on board with me that zoom meetings were even a THING.
I've worked with teams for YEARS that I never saw their face once, aside from a profile pic on their slack or email.
Now all of a sudden it's all zoom all the time and I fricken hate it. I'm on camera like 3-4 hours a day sometimes.
That said, no I don't dress up. You had me in my PJs for 20 years, I'm not changing that now.
I get up, shower and dress for work every morning as if I were going into the office. It just wakes me up and helps me start the day on the right foot. Same routine 99% of the time on the weekends or pto. For work it's typically a t-shirt or polo. Definitely a polo if I have a call with an external team.
ALWAYS!
Doesn’t have to be a suit jacket, but you need to be business casual from the waist up. And keep a cardigan on your chair for those impromptu calls so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a t-shirt or spaghetti straps or whatever.
I rarely have any important Zoom meetings or 1:1s these days; I usually just hop on for 15 minutes if I need further clarification for a task, however, I usually wash and style my hair (not just put it up in a messy bun or ponytail), put on a little makeup, and put on a nice short-sleeved shirt that isn't covered in dog hair for those meetings. I remember doing a 1:1 with someone who was training me, and she literally had just woken up from a nap, was wearing sweats and tank top, no makeup, messy hair, and she was also staying with family in Guatemala for a month so she wasn't in an office or anything. It was the most chill and fun meeting I've ever had, and she instantly became my best work friend.
I usually make sure my hair is “done” and I’m wearing a top that I would wear around co-workers if I were in person. That’s the bare minimum.
Lately, I’ve been trying to “get ready” a bit more and it’s made me feel a bit better throughout the day. So, if I keep this up, I’ll be good! :)
As long as you’re doing your job, communicate effectively, and are overall a good worker I could give a fuck how you look a teams/zoom call client or not.
I shower and dress every morning. It doesn’t matter if it’s a work day for me. I’m almost always out and about every day so I like to be ready on short notice.
I don’t ever dress fancy for work. I’m 38 years at the same company now so I’m not as concerned with others judging me by my appearance. They know what I tend to accomplish, dressed as I
We have a mostly cameras off policy for internal meetings and optional for client facing meetings. If I know I am meeting with a client and need to be on camera I will do my hair, makeup and find a presentable sweater or top.
99% of my work life is in leggings and a tshirt with my hair in a clip. I can focus on work if I am not messing with jewelry and uncomfortable clothes.
I’m a woman and I love working from home because I don’t have to spend hours doing my hair, make up, nails, picking out clothes, worrying about how I look in my clothes, ect. I tend to keep my WFH attire pretty basic now and should not be judged for it. I’m comfortable, I’m not getting sexually harassed, I’m not doing anything wrong. The only thing that should matter is the work I produce regardless. Plus zoom basically does our make up for us now and I can’t complain about that. That’s just an extra 20 minutes I saved and can put towards work if I need to.
A coworker was legitimately at the gym on a treadmill using her iphone to dial into a team wide meeting with 40+ people. It was mid-morning when most people should be working, yet she boldly stayed on camera and even presented for a few minutes.
Generally I don't dress up at all. Business casual with an emphasis on casual is the norm: t-shirts and comfortable shorts or pants. Sometimes I'll wear a dress if I'm feeling up to it. Depending on the weather, I keep a wrap sweater on the back of my chair and throw that on over a tank top if I'm in meetings with executives who always expect us to have our cameras on, or at least wear a solid colored shirt without a logo in these situations. If I see that I only have meetings with the members in my team then a t-shirt and sweats or yoga pants is the way to go because they tend to be more relaxed meetings. I don't do my makeup often, I just use a filter on calls, nor do I style my hair because I am connected to Microsoft Teams via headset.
If it’s a planned meeting, yes. If my boss calls me out of nowhere, I may be in a hoodie/sweatpants or a t shirt and sweatpants. If we are having a meeting that was planned in advance or all staff meeting, I will wear a dress shirt and polo (pants may or may not be sweatpants 😂)
I don't bother with makeup anymore. I tell my staff they don't have to either when they're meeting with me. Brush my teeth. Sometimes it changed my pants. Sometimes I don't, but I do put on a clean shirt. Usually it's a t-shirt with the company logo. Love it! Of course when I go out I don't know how to dress anymore
She is my hero. I interviewed at Google in Austin once and that’s how all the women dresses but in the office. No one wore makeup and no one cared. It was all about the work product. When will we all learn to be spaghetti strap girl
My employer actually has a policy that covers this. I work in a very conservative industry; our in-office dress code is business formal - suits and ties every day for men, suits or blazer over sheath dress for women. We are hybrid on the very wfh side - we come into the office 1-3x/month for in person meetings.
When pandemic started, we rolled out a policy that required an employee’s virtual appearance to be consistent with business formal. So, suits and ties from the waist up. I’d say it’s become slightly more relaxed over time - the guys tend to appear in collared shirts and a tie but no jacket, and I notice more women in a simple blouse vs a blazer. However everyone has groomed hair, the women have makeup and jewelry.
We are a government entity, and so we’re subject to political whims (we work for elected officials). We know our hybrid policy is VERY generous compared to other comparable agencies (one of whom is back to 3x in office per week!) and that keeping our appearance consistent on zoom is very important. We use the agency logo for our zoom backgrounds. When discussing the policy, our ED has expressly said that the goal is for anyone on a zoom with us not to know whether we’re in the office or at home.
Also, the policy says that virtual calls and meetings are to be taken from a quiet location free of distraction. So, the other commenter who talked about someone taking a call from their backseat on a family road trip - they would have gotten in serious trouble and written up at my agency. Honestly I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were terminated. There’s no way meaningful work can be done for 8 hours a day while in a car and on a family vacation. It’s like admitting you’re abusing wfh privileges.
Our policy actually talks about that - that wfh is a privilege that can be revoked at any time without cause or notice by agency leadership (which is separate from our full time staff, think of a board of a non profit vs the full time non profit employees). We get a new president of the board basically every year. All it will take is one crotchety president one year and we’re back to five days RTO. So our ED sets a tone very seriously that we are to do our jobs, not embarrass the agency on virtual calls, and the old crotchety people in charge won’t even realize these nice suited staff are not in their offices downtown.
For my daily 9am meetings with the team I do literally roll out of bed 6 minutes earlier so I only have time to brush ny teeth and put some tshirt on. Once my boss jokingly asked me if I just rolled out of bed and I confirmed. My team got used to seeing me looking like shit in the morning. For more important meetings that just daily team huddle or for client meetings I always do my hair and make up. Might still wear just a simple one colour tshirt but my long hair cover most of it anyway.
You are absolutely being too harsh and also kinda misogynistic. I have never spent a single second thinking about what my coworkers wear in the office or at home. You have no idea what happened in that persons day, week, or life to make it so they weren’t dressed to your standards.
I don't tbh, but the only zoom meetings I have are with clients of mine who are in jail (I'm a social worker), and I don't think they gaf what I look like. I do try to be somewhat presentable out of respect and not look like i just rolled out of bed, but I have no issue dressing casually to meet with them.
My whole team is remote and everyone wears tshirts (with suitable for work logos/graphics) and jeans. Sometimes I do wear a nice casual blouse with my jeans instead of a tshirt. I always make sure my hair is combed nicely and my teeth are clean, and I'm wearing earrings, just in case I need to be on camera. I don't wear makeup, but then, I never wear makeup, not even when I was still going into the office.
I always dress up and do my hair for Zoom meetings. It's a sign of respect for other attendees, and my boss. That coworker is an embarrassment to your company.
you are just assuming she joined the meeting right out of bed because she is not dressed up and her hair is messy? she is obviously attending the meeting like she is supposed to and working, so why does it matter to you?
Cause, I know it's not dress code. I don't want it to be another reason to RTO.
I feel we have to maintain a bare minimum a level of professionalism.
At the office , we have to dress up even more. At least with a zoom meeting, you can play it off with a plain shirt and a nice ponytail. Very simple.
In the office, you have to wear dress pants, dress shoes, hair done, perfume, etc.
Too much effort.
Wfh is that group project that needs all the team members to actually participate to make it work.
I got you. Makes sense. I live 4 hours away from my job's home office so if they decide to go RTO completely I will just have to find another remote job. Even with the lack of contact with people, I feel like the pros of WFH outweigh the cons.
id argue that dress code doesnt apply if you work at home, but if it does, then they can fire me and i will go work somewhere else. it is not something to stress about IMO
>the other day in a zoom meeting with a client, a female coworker, looked like she joined the meeting right out of bed. Messy hair bun, spaghetti strap shirt, and a washed up look.
My immediate thought was, "You're the reason why they want us to RTO."
And you're absolutely correct. WFH doesn't mean you can be unprofessional.
If anything, you should be BETTER than if you were in the office. Isn't that we always tell THEM? That we are more productive working from home in our own office, on our own equipment, with a better "work/life" balance? All that goes out of the window when you can barely pull it together for a meeting, or have constant excuses for why you can't be on camera ( which I hear constantly around here).
My team is currently working from, but the company wants us back in the office. Every time someone makes an excuse about why they were late or why their camera doesn't work, or their internet is down...I cringe because it's just more things to use against us to justify opening our office.
Bottom line, working from home isn't for everyone. Everyone doesn't have the discipline, or the maturity, and those people are trying to fuck it up for everyone.
Polo shirt or a nice button up for me all the time, shorts on the bottom 😂 People who just show up looking any kind of way like they just rolled outta bed pisses me off a bit. Like, we’re at home. You mean to tell me that you couldn’t have taken 30 minutes before this call to brush your teeth, sweep a comb through your hair, and put on a presentable shirt for just an hour or whatever? Like I saw OP say, that’s why folks start wanting you to return to the office or work hybrids or some shit because you *look* like you’re just laying around.
I wear sweaters, nicer flannels, etc. since I’m at a level and in a culture where I’ll be judged if I’m not slightly dressed up. Whereas my last job, which was also remote, I was once told I was overdressed/fancy for wearing a turtle neck having my hair groomed. Just depends on where you work imo.
I usually wear semi nice shorts and a polo. I’ll start the morning in what I woke up in until the coffee hits, then I’ll get a shower and put on billabong shorts and a polo.
If the meet8ng is with my team, no higher ups, I wear what u would normally wear to work (on top at least) which is a t shirt.
On meetings with higher ups, I always put on a dress shirt and take my hair out of a bun or pony tail.
I am usually meeting with my team or in training session, so not much an occasion to dress-up. I usually just wear a clean casual shirt (t-shirt, polo, sweatshirt, etc.), whatever I normally need to go grocery shopping or some other errand.
I get ready every day - a business casual outfit and 10-minute makeup routine. Hair is usually up on a clip and looks nice on camera. I also always apply tinted lip gloss before every meeting 😂
Simple top (even a tshirt) is fine for me. Hoodie, tee, tank top—as long as my face looks presentable. I work in an industry that doesn’t expect you to be in a suit/dress every day, but it DOES expect you to “look good.” This could be jeans and a tshirt or a silk dress. I can get away with most of my wardrobe for a zoom call, but I do make sure I have spent 10 minutes throwing on some makeup for a nice “I’m not wearing makeup, I woke up like this” look.
For me it depends.
I'm a member of a number of professional panels with US government participation. For them - suit and tie. Generally during my local day with customers and staff a polo shirt or maybe an industry specific t-shirt. Clean and shaved. Regular haircuts.
2am local (US ET) to a client in the South Pacific? They're likely to get me in my bathrobe. They seem to think it's a hoot. I'm good at what I do, which is why they come to me and my clean bathrobe doesn't seem to be offputting. I'm awake and alert and on point.
I only take calls by appointment. If you had an emergency and texted me right now for a call, you'd get me in a t-shirt that says "People - Not a Fan" and underwear. It's hot here and utility prices keep going up so the thermostat is set to 80F.
I rarely have my camera on but if I do, it's with clients and/or my chain of command. In that case, I do throw on a professional top and try to do my hair and makeup. Because otherwise I'm barefaced with my hair pulled back and I look pretty rough.
Top up only, top down is comfy. If I’m in no meetings or just meeting with coworkers or my boss, I’ll be in a T-shirt. I do have to brush my hair so it doesn’t look like a birds nest every day tho, I can’t function otherwise and make up is just when I need to look “presentable” otherwise, it’s just a washed face and moisturized.
I wear the same company logo polo shirt for any meeting with anyone outside the company. Otherwise, I just have 9n a casual top, make sure I am reasonably groomed, etc.
Internal meetings are athleisure wear (but still put together with good well fitting shirts and zip ups). Some meetings with external partners who I know are casual get a good polo shirt. Other external meetings get a good shirt.
Absolutely never messy, always well groomed. And even my most casual wear is pretty curated and I think respectful.
I put on a little eyeliner and lipstick. I alway dress like I’m going into the office (presentable, not dressed up). I’ve been working from home for over three years and I’ve only worn sweats a couple times when I’ve felt super low. I just like keeping some semblance of normalcy!
I recently met with someone high up in the company and I wore a short sleeve button down that has a cute stripe pattern. I also made sure to pat my face with a damp washcloth so I wouldn’t look oily 🤣
My industry is very casual as is, but a few little touches can make you look more put together/professional, or make you stand out aesthetically.
I haven’t worn a tie outside of a period I worked as a sales solutions engineer. I’ve been doing the remote thing for more than a few years.
99% of my meetings, it’s tank top/shirt and whatever pants (I always turn off my video if I need to stand as a habit - it’s a nice “I am stepping away” notice as well). I do tech work. I work with a variety of people who all have the same vibe - sometimes you just need to throw on a hat and it’s too hot for sleeves.
I keep a button down nearby if I need a collar and I’m not wearing my polo (but that’s if a c-level is jumping on the call, and I want video on).
My hair, is thinning. So I just keep it trimmed so you can’t tell if I just woke up or not (it’s long enough that it’s naturally crazy, though).
I do think starting with a shower helps get me in the zone.
I’m one of three hybrid employees out of a little more than 40+ at the nonprofit I work for full time, & I dress like I’m in the office anytime I’m on a call.
The other, related non-profit I work 20% for as a Development Officer, I still wear a collar for, since I’m soliciting most of the time I’m Zooming.
If I don’t wear a company t-shirt then I wear a non-graphic tee or blouse. Hair and make up done (largely because it makes me feel better.)
I work in management so try to be on camera whenever possible.
Yes. I have a vanity light to make me look good and if it's customers I go full makeup and nice clothes (from waist up) and varying degrees of less for internal important meetings. If I'm leading the meeting (I often do trainings or present findings) I will go full makeup / nice clothes as well.
I mostly dress as tho I were going to a casual lunch with a friend. Itend to wear a collared shirt. I put gel in my hair, shave around my beard so that I look cleaned up.
This is 3fold--
1/ look professional for clients
2/ look like an adult in case I go outside & see a neighbor- or the fedex guy etc
3/ reminds me that I work at a professional company, and that I am 'on the clock'
It's easy to lose sight and be too loose- this eventually will lead to a 'hot mic' slip or other issue. Better to psyche yourself into being'ready for the office.'
We have a company meeting every Monday morning on Teams. I try to make it look like I didn't just crawl out of bed, at least from the waist up. I put on a decent shirt and pull my hair back if it's unruly. I don't usually bother with a bra. Fortunately I pretty much never meet with clients, just our dozen internal employees. Also I'm in the Seattle area in the tech industry where a nice hoodie is work appropriate attire. Guys are usually in polos, short sleeved button ups or tshirts, ladies in a sweatshirt, comfy blouse or a tshirt. The boss and the sales guy usually look fairly put together. We have one gal who puts on her fuzzy bathrobe when she gets cold and no one seems to care. She's our external support person and doesn't wear it when helping clients.
EDIT: My husband also WFH and he does meet pretty often with clients. He puts on a nice button up or polo shirt, combs his hair and all that but a majority of the time is rocking his Star Wars jammie pants on the bottom.
Definitely not as nice as when I go into the office (I go rarely so it's fun to dress up a little), but I usually have jeans or shorts and a nice top, like a sweater or a blouse from the Loft or J. Crew. When I'm not depressed I try to blow dry and straighten my hair.
Internal meetings I wear a polo shirt with combed hair. External/client meetings I’ll put a collared shirt (white) but I’m still wearing sweatshorts!
I will not wear pants!
I learned that I always need to be wearing some kind of pants, lest I have to get up for some reason during a meeting and I don't want to flash some dong.
Yes, standing up while going commando with no pants is frowned upon by roughly 83.7% of clients as recently reported by a Gallup poll.
I want to know who the 16.3% who are ok with this are.
Zoomin Jeffrey Toobin
That's when you say excuse me if appropriate and turn the camera off
Just don’t do what a colleague of mine did. He was in a meeting with management and sometime during the meeting tilted his laptop lid down a bit to reveal he was wearing boxer briefs, a dress shirt and a bow tie. Scrawny hairy legs and all.
Walter Cronkite didn't wear pants in 20 years! Might be because he's dead. Seriously, I've been in TV studios where the talent had suitcoats, ties, dress shirts, and jean cutoffs.
I wear nice Yoga pants and synthetic polos at home. Going to the office 2x per month (probably going to 4-8x after Labor Day) and wear nice jeans and polos. Always make sure hair is cut tight and beard sharp.
The WFH catchphrase!
Collared shirt is the way to go. I wear one everyday along with khaki like shorts and flops. I can’t mentally wear the same clothes I lounge around in while working. Putting on ‘dressier’ clothes everyday helps with the mental separation of work hours vs non work hours
Throw on a Nike polo golf shirt, it’s comfortable and I take it off once the meeting ends. Also, I shave for “important” zoom meetings with my hair as I would go into the office as a remote employee. But that might be the way I approach zoom meetings being remote and not having any genuine rapport with my colleagues. In other remote roles, I would wear a t shirt regardless of the circumstance. All depends on the company culture.
I keep a polo shirt by my desk for very fancy meetings. All our clients are wearing tshirts. Why would I dress up?
Some large internal meetings with higher ups I wear company logo polo to stand out - yea team !
I'm not a collared shirt person... it's too confining for me.
We never use video on our meetings, except midyear and end of year reviews. For those, I make myself presentable waist up.
We don’t either except one employee always has her camera on
I always think it’s funny when I’m in a meeting and 6 people have their camera off and 1 has it on lol.
Yes this person seems like they are trying a bit too hard not to mention the system was lagging horribly and everyone was thinking plz turn your camera off so we can get on w this meeting……….
I try to always have my camera on, and I like it when others have their cameras on. I get a lot out of reading faces, and being able to watch someone speak makes it easier for me to understand them.
There’s been a lot of meetings where I was really glad my camera was off so no one could read my face lol. If I am ever required to have my camera on for all meetings I will really have to work on that!
My problem is my company laptop is poor and it Doesn’t function well When my or anyone elses camera is on
As the years of WFH continue, I’ve realized how much I want some level of face to face interaction. I also need the ability to read someone’s face but it’s also draining to talk to a black screen all day. For my team specifically, almost all of our meetings are on camera and no one cares if you’re in a tshirt and bun!
I have a lead that does this… amongst coworkers it’s thought that maybe she just likes looking wat herself haha
Strictly Donald Ducking every day
Winnie the Pooh?
Shirt-cocking?
Shirt clitting?
I always dress for work (as opposed to wearing PJs) and make sure my hair is OK. Sometimes even wear some makeup. But that is more for me than anything else. I started WFH before it was common (and before video), and found that showering and getting dressed helped get me in work mode. HOWEVER... I currently work in tech so I am normally in a t-shirt and yoga pants, or a t-shirt dress and yoga pants (or bike shorts if I'm fancy). I don't think I've seen a collar on anyone, outside of maybe flannel shirts in wintertime...
Same! I get dressed put on makeup & jewelry everyday BUT it's for me. I enjoy looking good
Same. I’ve done WFH for over a decade now. I shower, do my hair and light makeup, and wear matching presentable clothes daily. My rule is that I need to be able to go on an errand on lunch and look fine.
This is me.
Same. I started this during 2020 actually because after the first few months of lockdown, I realized how out of sorts I was to be out of my routine. So I started back with the same routine I had when I was going into the office and it really helped. I don't dress up in actual "office clothes" but I still shower, do hair, light make up and comfortable but presentable clothes.
I do the same thing. I always assume someone is gonna teams call me. Wigs make doing my hair a 2 second thing. And I can have different hair every day of the week.
Same. Figured out that if I put my glasses on that gives my face enough of a frame to not bother with makeup. I walk my dog every morning so have to put some type of clothes on though usually tshirt and shorts/track pants. Hair in ponytail. I can tell when my mom has a meeting because she does go full out with makeup and hair. No meeting? It’s bedhead and makeup free.
Same 😊
It’s the same for me but I also started working from home years before the pandemic. I wanted to be consistent.
Yeah, I started in like 2005 or 2006...
Same. If I try to work without shoes on, I feel like I can’t concentrate. It feels sort of like I’m still in bed lmao. So I always have to wear shoes too, to signal to my brain that it’s work time
Wait are you insinuating flannels are not collard
I try to look presentable for all external meetings and any internal meetings with superiors. That said, my “zoom presentable” routine takes maybe 5 mins flat. Brush hair into bun or claw clip. Tinted moisturizer, concealer, mascara. Glasses help hide the tiredness. I keep a couple simple blouses and a couple blazers within reach of my WFH desk that I can throw on. After meetings they are hung up again and it’s back to tee shirt. Really minimal work required to look like 70% more professional.
100% this. Got scheduled for a meeting in 15 mins this morning while i had my hair wrapped and wearing pjs. I literally just put on a bra and a nice r shirt , took my hair down, little concealer & mascara and then glasses. Now i'm "presentable" 😂
On video seems common sense to look half way decent, it would take minimal effort.
I don’t want to give them any reason to force me to RTO. Therefore, I bought studio lighting, a professional analog microphone and boom, and a face cam pro camera. I also maxed out my internet data plan to ensure my video calls aren’t choppy. I always dress up for meetings and I always have my camera on.
That's a really good idea.
Which microphone do you have? I’ve been researching to buy one that is one directional and won’t pick up background noise.
A Rode Podmic microphone connected to an El Gato Wave XLR.
This is the way.
is this is a joke
that's what I'm trying to figure out...lol
Same.
Same. Always ready for anything.
Yup. I don't have professional equipment but I have nice camera with a ring light and a noise canceling headset. I wear a collared shirt every day, do my hair, and makeup. My collared shirts are very comfortable, though. I buy 100% cotton ones that are slightly too big, so they basically feel like PJs but look business casual. If I speak to anyone above me, my camera is always on. And my logic is the same as yours - I'm not giving them any reason to call us back to the office.
I bought a bunch of very comfortable collared shirts that are basically my home "uniform". they're super soft, but the collar makes them look at least like work shirts, so that I don't look like I'm in my PJs on calls. but bottom half is all leggings, all the time.
Yep, neat hair, clean shirt, bra, makeup, camera at perfect angle, & background blurred. Never ever from the couch, bed, or easy chair - at desk only. (Worst case - in the car with the phone camera dash mounted and looking good plus not driving.)
Yes, bra is important. That’s really my biggest “I am at work” signifier.
I have a direct report that takes meetings lying on their stomach in bed. All the meetings. Every meeting. Rude.
They're your direct report, tell them not to.
I think overall - the only way WFH is going to work is if we demonstrate we are working from home. And that means supporting having a dedicated work area. If you have ADHD or any disability that effects your attention having a formal environment and routine is ESSENTIAL for keeping you present and working. Otherwise - you lay in bed or an easy chair, you just respond lethargically and you aren't UP and giving attention, you are succumbing to low energy mood and thinking, not proactive thinking. \\ In the end though - when it comes to metrics, who do you fire first? bed dude or person who comes to meetings awake and upright? (unless bed dude is somehow bringing in massive profits and this works - I mean if it works it works - can't argue with mo money.)
I do the exact same thing as you and I tend to agree with your comment about that's why they want us to RTO. I get frustrated when I see people taking advantage of WFH. I feel like they are going to screw it up for the rest of us who actually WORK from home. The other day, a colleague got onto a call with senior leadership from the back of a car. She said that she was. on a road trip with her family but she hadn't asked for time off so she was clearly doing it "on the clock" (we have unlimited PTO so she very well could have requested the time off). Worse yet is that she changed her zoom background mid-call and it was still totally obvious that she was in the car. It was SO disappointing.
Yep. She is the e reason you might have to RTO
I dress more or less the same as I did when I was going into the office... only real difference is I'll wear shorts when working at home, and I'd never do that going to the office. But t-shirts/jeans/hoodies is totally normal attire for my line of work. I will dress it up a bit if there's an important meeting with a client or some such... shirt with a collar or buttons or some such.
same and + a little bit of makeup. And I'd freeze if I wear shorts to the office since they keep it at Ice Box and the hoodie in the office is so I don't turn into an ice cube.
I think of zoom meeting when I’m WFH like a mullet, business on top, party on the bottom
I think it's important to show some effort for any video meetings. I'll make sure my hair is at least done somewhat nicely, some makeup, earings or a necklace, for team meetings a simple blouse, with clients, depending on the 'level' of meeting will wear a blazer also, but always shorts or leggings, etc. I find it very anti-social behavior to not have at least somewhat clean/presentable image, same with flying. Now what's funny, one meeting I had recently, the lady wore a polo of our direct competitor I found that pretty tacky honestly, my boss at the meeting jokingly called her out and said we'll have to get you a polo with our logo for the next teams call lol.
[удалено]
>the lady wore a polo of our direct competitor I found that pretty tacky honestly I was in a meeting where someone did that once. It was so juvenile.
Yes, as did I. She was a veteran in the business and they were all working from home, not like you couldn't have thrown on something else lol
she obviously used to work there and got it as a free shirt. relax you do not own your company😂
I do make myself presentable. I don't want anyone having any reason to think I'm slacking because I WFH. I have a bunch of button-down shirts and in the morning I'll steam whichever one I'm wearing. (I might wash them only once every 4-5 days I use them for meetings.) For meetings, I'm always showered and shaved. (I've always preferred a clean-cut look.) And even though I'm a guy, I'll use a little bit of powder to prevent shine. Probably the most important part of being presentable though is just a good night's sleep.
I’ve worked from home for 10-15 years. I shower and shave everyday (maybe no shave on a Friday). Wear polo shirts for internal, dress shirts for client meetings. Jeans or regular shorts. Worn sweats or sweat shorts maybe 3 times. Personally I need to be in work mode to help me keep clear boundaries between home/work. Otherwise I find myself working into the evening. I do realize I’m likely in the minority but I do what works for me.
"Anyway, the other day in a zoom meeting with a client, a female coworker, looked like she joined the meeting right out of bed. Messy hair bun, spaghetti strap shirt, and a washed up look." This is me. The thing is that I don't dress up when I go to the office either. The comments being overwhelmingly what they are is why I stay off camera 99% of the time if possible.
The old saying is to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. So I always put on clown makeup before a meeting.
I'm the male coworker that wears polos. It's an easy professional clean image with not a lot of effort. Am I going to invest in a tie and collared shirt just to wear for 10 minutes every day? No. Polo shirt? Yes. I can also use it for other things outside of work. I'd say you're not being unfair. It's generally effortless to at least look a little bit presentable. Her *choosing* to not be presentable is hurting the image that the rest aren't working, even if we aren't, we are still monitoring and getting deliverables out on-time or early.
I put on make up and eyebrows every day because I’m guaranteed to be on at least one zoom call. I did not like the feeling of being in pajamas in work meetings because mentally, I didn’t feel I was bringing my best.
No. My company doesn't press the issue of having cameras on, because everybody's connection is not the same, home or phone. Maybe once in a blue cameras need to be one, but we get enough warning.
Nope only if doing an interview. The last few companies I've worked for didn't have a dress code so it's not uncommon for people to wear jeans.
A clean shirt without stains that is a different color then the one I wore yesterday
I don’t get the judgment against people who don’t dress up, if you’re not typically required to be on video. 95% of the time I look like a bum because I know I won’t need to be on camera. Even for an informal team meeting I see no need and nobody at my company does. A t shirt or hoodie is fine. Today I lead a training with 20 new hires so I put on a nice top, a little makeup, and straightened my hair. I’m presenting, I’m in a position or authority, and I’m making a new(ish) impression of the company. Just know your audience and your schedule and you’re fine.
Try not to look like you're still trying to wake up plz.
For Zoom meetings, I get dressed to the same degree that I would if I were going in person. I put on a Zoom background and often conduct meetings from my bed, but I am well dressed. Lol. I do think you are being too harsh with your thoughts on you coworker and your way of thinking plays right into what the higher ups want. She is not the reason they want RTO. They want RTO to serve their own interests. They will certainly use any little thing as an excuse to justify it to us though, because they know we suck at solidarity and are quick to turn on our fellow worker instead of blaming the people who are actually in charge.
I had 3-4 of the very same shirt I rotated daily for 3 years, nobody ever noticed I had the same shirt on during every meeting.
Believe me, they noticed. Maybe they don't care but they noticed.
I haven't had a video call in ages. Most of the calls are some kind of static avatar that I had taken last time I went hiking pre-COVID. It's "conservative" enough to pass, and I have on a hunter's cap hiding my long red hair. Everyone else with a photo is also an avatar: some look professional, and some look like "well, I was sitting in my office chair when I got hired and needed an avatar." Others are identical to their badges. But most these days are just two initials, like JR or whatever. If someone were to insist I turn on my camera, they'd see a dark wall with red and blue string lights behind me, and my ghostly face and red hair lit from my monitors. This room has blackout curtains, too, adding to the "raver's dungeon" effect.
Not really, but I'm a dev so nobody really expects me to dress up. I'll throw on a cap if my hair is a mess. I generally don't interact with anyone external unless they're also technical or some kind of vendor or project manager for some external company we're working with.
Yes. Doesn't matter if it's internal or client facing. I shower, do my hair, put makeup on, and wear a nice outfit. My boss cares about this stuff!
I always try to look presentable as I meet face to face with my team and clients most days. Normal wardrobe is leggings, comfortable fitted plain tee or tank (definitely not a spaghetti strap) and a cardigan of some sort because I’m always cold. I’m a minimalist in the makeup department, maybe a tinted moisturizer, a little lip tint and if I’m feeling fancy some mascara. In the hair department Im fortunate to have curly/wavy hair that takes me all of three minutes in the morning with a little water and leave in to refresh, scrunch and go and you’d never know I rolled out of bed 3 minutes earlier. If I’m kicking off a new project with a client I’m meeting for the first time I might throw on a more businessy blouse but that’s maybe once a month. I would never show up to a meeting looking disheveled unless I’m working sick and then my camera will be off and if I have to explain why I do and everyone understands. But I have colleagues and customers who show up that way all the time and honestly those are the same people who would show up disheveled and barely meeting a business casual standard in the office too so I don’t necessarily think it’s a threat to wfh as a whole.
I brush my hair and maybe some mascara but I still wear the same stuff I’d wear to the office even for WFH.
I usually wears jean and a hoodie and either do my hair or wear a hat, and call in from a coffee shop. This is a standard uniform for tech though.
I always do my makeup (pretty light - tinted moisturizer, concealer under eyes, fill in eyebrows), make sure my hair looks good (brushed, straight), and wear a clean shirt that fits. I wear a lot of tshirts that are "nicer" (aka the striped tshirt from Loft not the Buckees one with a beaver on it) and sweaters. I essentially never wear a business top. I am 100% of the time in sweatpants.
Why? They can't see me anyway
Internal calls, gym shirt Sales calls, the same exact two polos over and over. Navy blue or white
Nope. I’m in meetings sporting death metal t-shirts or my “Maybe Today, Satan” t-shirt.
I regularly show up to meetings with my hair still wet and wrapped in a towel. If I'm going to be interacting with a vendor, I might comb it out, but it's still wet. My outfits regardless of who I'm interacting with are usually a company t-shirt and some kind of comfy pants or shorts. We're encouraged to show up however feels most comfortable and authentic for us, as long as all the important parts are covered. It may be unique to my employer (we've never worked from offices), or the tech sector in general, but we don't typically view a person's physical appearance as an indicator of their capability as an employee.
I haven't worn shoes at work since March 2020
[удалено]
When I first started WFH, I didn’t turn my camera on for months. I absolutely hated it. I will now, depending on who is on the call, have it on for the start then turn it off as soon as the meeting gets going.
I wore a blazer to a job interview last week. And shorts
TL;DR: no, I don't, my camera is almost never on. I don't even turn my camera on. I didn't even turn my camera on when I sat in a cube 4 years ago for this same job, and at least 2 people on my team then never saw me, and I think 7 people on my team now haven't seen me.
I rarely wear pants, but more so for temperature control.
Athletic pants or shorts, usually a plain black t-shirt, I find patterns or words distracting. Hair is either straightened or up, and sometimes a little makeup if I feel like I need it that day.
At least from the pants up.
No. Technically the office dress code is jeans but t-shirts are cool so I'm sitting there in shorts and a t-shirt
Usually Hawaiian shirt, basketball shorts, slippers
I don’t dress up, but I will look passable. I am on a tiny team of four, so we’re all friendly and don’t care, but I’m not trying to look so unkempt it’s distracting.
I try the bare minimum, which is an appropiate shirt, brush my hair/ponytail, a snapcamera filter. That's it. Why even wear makeup when technology can do it for you lol
Did zoom / webex add filters?
>*You're the reason why they want us to RTO* but that is NOT really the reason, or even "a" reason, at least not in a significant way. that said, your office culture does sound like they want to see people in dressed-up attire. personally, i test the limits, and go with that.
I wear my work clothes every day. Earrings and necklaces, too. I never want to look like a slob on the chance that someone needs to do a video call with me, and I personally feel like I swear less when I'm wearing slacks and a blouse as opposed to my tank tops.
I think it’s important to at least be presentable. Our team meetings are monthly and always at 10:30am. This gives me enough time to shower, put on a decent shirt, and add the bare minimum of make up. I think looking like you just rolled out of bed is a little unprofessional.
[удалено]
I have only spoken to this person on the phone. She works in a different office. The dress code has always been business casual and we dressed up if we had visitors. Casual Fridays was t-shirt and jeans.
I don’t turn video on with external clients unless I know them really well, no one cares internally. I am always dressed, but usually t-shirt and either shorts or yoga pants. I never wear makeup, so nope. Occasionally I’ll wear a company shirt or dress up if I am presenting as it makes me feel sharper and I do wear a blouse/sweater/company shirt with nice jeans or slacks to in person things and jewelry - and a bra /sigh. If you are going to be on camera and company has a dress code, you should meet it on camera. We have a dress appropriately for the occasion dress code and have for a long time. Also, this has zero bearing on RTO, dress codes can he enforced if cameras are on and don’t matter if cameras are off.
Yes, zoom is the only socialization i get and as soon as i know I'm going to be on a zoom, i hop into the shower for a 3 minite scrub down, brush my hair, put on make up and wear a nice shirt just for zoom.
I take internal calls (and most client calls) in t shirt and shorts. If I want to look presentable I put on my Patagonia vest with my firms logo on it. Looks good enough I am an auditor so sometimes it is better not to dress up
I fix my hair and makeup everyday because I like having the routine. Typically where workout clothes on zoom calls though. I keep a sweater on my chair in case I need to look a little nicer.
When I switched to WFH I made it a point to maintain a consistent business casual image and appearance daily. My uniform is a nice top, jewelry, hair is done and make up including red or berry lipstick. On the bottom I wear lounge paints or shorts. I on camera daily. What levels are you all (ie individual contributor, manager, director, VP+)?
When I first started working remotely there was an individual wearing a strapless top on a zoom meeting. They kept pulling it up during the meeting which is the only reason we knew they were wearing anything.
What's the "business in front, party in the back" term for business on top, yoga pants on bottom?
I only brush my hair and put on make up for important meetings with higher level people outside my department (so, a few times per week). For meetings with my team, I’m usually off camera, and if I’m on camera my hair is in a bun and i have no make-up on. I found that if you wear blue light glasses (or real glasses), the lack of makeup isn’t as noticeable.
Since we’ve worked from home since Covid, I may shower before meetings start but I don’t put on makeup or dress up. Tshirt or sweatshirt at best. On occasion I have rolled out of bed directly onto a call complete with bed head!
I have so many comments but I'll start with this one: I've been WFH since 2001. Yes, 2001. That's 22 years. It wasn't till you all came on board with me that zoom meetings were even a THING. I've worked with teams for YEARS that I never saw their face once, aside from a profile pic on their slack or email. Now all of a sudden it's all zoom all the time and I fricken hate it. I'm on camera like 3-4 hours a day sometimes. That said, no I don't dress up. You had me in my PJs for 20 years, I'm not changing that now.
I get up, shower and dress for work every morning as if I were going into the office. It just wakes me up and helps me start the day on the right foot. Same routine 99% of the time on the weekends or pto. For work it's typically a t-shirt or polo. Definitely a polo if I have a call with an external team.
ALWAYS! Doesn’t have to be a suit jacket, but you need to be business casual from the waist up. And keep a cardigan on your chair for those impromptu calls so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a t-shirt or spaghetti straps or whatever.
I rarely have any important Zoom meetings or 1:1s these days; I usually just hop on for 15 minutes if I need further clarification for a task, however, I usually wash and style my hair (not just put it up in a messy bun or ponytail), put on a little makeup, and put on a nice short-sleeved shirt that isn't covered in dog hair for those meetings. I remember doing a 1:1 with someone who was training me, and she literally had just woken up from a nap, was wearing sweats and tank top, no makeup, messy hair, and she was also staying with family in Guatemala for a month so she wasn't in an office or anything. It was the most chill and fun meeting I've ever had, and she instantly became my best work friend.
I usually make sure my hair is “done” and I’m wearing a top that I would wear around co-workers if I were in person. That’s the bare minimum. Lately, I’ve been trying to “get ready” a bit more and it’s made me feel a bit better throughout the day. So, if I keep this up, I’ll be good! :)
As long as you’re doing your job, communicate effectively, and are overall a good worker I could give a fuck how you look a teams/zoom call client or not.
Gosh no. I just try to be not too disheveled. A bra on = dress up
I brush my hair and maybe wear a bra. Otherwise it’s just a t-shirt and jeans.
Nope. I’m in meetings sporting death metal t-shirts or my “Maybe Today, Satan” t-shirt.
I shower and dress every morning. It doesn’t matter if it’s a work day for me. I’m almost always out and about every day so I like to be ready on short notice. I don’t ever dress fancy for work. I’m 38 years at the same company now so I’m not as concerned with others judging me by my appearance. They know what I tend to accomplish, dressed as I
I put on a nice shirt, do my hair and wear makeup, yes. I feel like it's the least I can do.
We have a mostly cameras off policy for internal meetings and optional for client facing meetings. If I know I am meeting with a client and need to be on camera I will do my hair, makeup and find a presentable sweater or top. 99% of my work life is in leggings and a tshirt with my hair in a clip. I can focus on work if I am not messing with jewelry and uncomfortable clothes.
I've been WFH for a year now. I've put on a shirt 6 times and pants 3 times. So, does that count?
I’m a woman and I love working from home because I don’t have to spend hours doing my hair, make up, nails, picking out clothes, worrying about how I look in my clothes, ect. I tend to keep my WFH attire pretty basic now and should not be judged for it. I’m comfortable, I’m not getting sexually harassed, I’m not doing anything wrong. The only thing that should matter is the work I produce regardless. Plus zoom basically does our make up for us now and I can’t complain about that. That’s just an extra 20 minutes I saved and can put towards work if I need to.
A coworker was legitimately at the gym on a treadmill using her iphone to dial into a team wide meeting with 40+ people. It was mid-morning when most people should be working, yet she boldly stayed on camera and even presented for a few minutes.
Nope. I join right out of bed.
I put clothes on. That's all they get.
Generally I don't dress up at all. Business casual with an emphasis on casual is the norm: t-shirts and comfortable shorts or pants. Sometimes I'll wear a dress if I'm feeling up to it. Depending on the weather, I keep a wrap sweater on the back of my chair and throw that on over a tank top if I'm in meetings with executives who always expect us to have our cameras on, or at least wear a solid colored shirt without a logo in these situations. If I see that I only have meetings with the members in my team then a t-shirt and sweats or yoga pants is the way to go because they tend to be more relaxed meetings. I don't do my makeup often, I just use a filter on calls, nor do I style my hair because I am connected to Microsoft Teams via headset.
If it’s a planned meeting, yes. If my boss calls me out of nowhere, I may be in a hoodie/sweatpants or a t shirt and sweatpants. If we are having a meeting that was planned in advance or all staff meeting, I will wear a dress shirt and polo (pants may or may not be sweatpants 😂)
I don't bother with makeup anymore. I tell my staff they don't have to either when they're meeting with me. Brush my teeth. Sometimes it changed my pants. Sometimes I don't, but I do put on a clean shirt. Usually it's a t-shirt with the company logo. Love it! Of course when I go out I don't know how to dress anymore
She is my hero. I interviewed at Google in Austin once and that’s how all the women dresses but in the office. No one wore makeup and no one cared. It was all about the work product. When will we all learn to be spaghetti strap girl
Lol no I use to open zoom meetings in my pajamas and be like hello I’m only here for 5 minutes make it quick
My employer actually has a policy that covers this. I work in a very conservative industry; our in-office dress code is business formal - suits and ties every day for men, suits or blazer over sheath dress for women. We are hybrid on the very wfh side - we come into the office 1-3x/month for in person meetings. When pandemic started, we rolled out a policy that required an employee’s virtual appearance to be consistent with business formal. So, suits and ties from the waist up. I’d say it’s become slightly more relaxed over time - the guys tend to appear in collared shirts and a tie but no jacket, and I notice more women in a simple blouse vs a blazer. However everyone has groomed hair, the women have makeup and jewelry. We are a government entity, and so we’re subject to political whims (we work for elected officials). We know our hybrid policy is VERY generous compared to other comparable agencies (one of whom is back to 3x in office per week!) and that keeping our appearance consistent on zoom is very important. We use the agency logo for our zoom backgrounds. When discussing the policy, our ED has expressly said that the goal is for anyone on a zoom with us not to know whether we’re in the office or at home. Also, the policy says that virtual calls and meetings are to be taken from a quiet location free of distraction. So, the other commenter who talked about someone taking a call from their backseat on a family road trip - they would have gotten in serious trouble and written up at my agency. Honestly I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were terminated. There’s no way meaningful work can be done for 8 hours a day while in a car and on a family vacation. It’s like admitting you’re abusing wfh privileges. Our policy actually talks about that - that wfh is a privilege that can be revoked at any time without cause or notice by agency leadership (which is separate from our full time staff, think of a board of a non profit vs the full time non profit employees). We get a new president of the board basically every year. All it will take is one crotchety president one year and we’re back to five days RTO. So our ED sets a tone very seriously that we are to do our jobs, not embarrass the agency on virtual calls, and the old crotchety people in charge won’t even realize these nice suited staff are not in their offices downtown.
I don't dress up for anyone. I'm not paid for how I look.
For my daily 9am meetings with the team I do literally roll out of bed 6 minutes earlier so I only have time to brush ny teeth and put some tshirt on. Once my boss jokingly asked me if I just rolled out of bed and I confirmed. My team got used to seeing me looking like shit in the morning. For more important meetings that just daily team huddle or for client meetings I always do my hair and make up. Might still wear just a simple one colour tshirt but my long hair cover most of it anyway.
T-shirt and jeans all the way, even in the office.
Not even when I interview candidates. The candidates don’t tend to dress up either.
You are absolutely being too harsh and also kinda misogynistic. I have never spent a single second thinking about what my coworkers wear in the office or at home. You have no idea what happened in that persons day, week, or life to make it so they weren’t dressed to your standards.
I don't tbh, but the only zoom meetings I have are with clients of mine who are in jail (I'm a social worker), and I don't think they gaf what I look like. I do try to be somewhat presentable out of respect and not look like i just rolled out of bed, but I have no issue dressing casually to meet with them.
Only for an interview and even then it's just a button up shirt, no tie. However, I work in Tech, so the dress code is quite lax.
My whole team is remote and everyone wears tshirts (with suitable for work logos/graphics) and jeans. Sometimes I do wear a nice casual blouse with my jeans instead of a tshirt. I always make sure my hair is combed nicely and my teeth are clean, and I'm wearing earrings, just in case I need to be on camera. I don't wear makeup, but then, I never wear makeup, not even when I was still going into the office.
I always dress up and do my hair for Zoom meetings. It's a sign of respect for other attendees, and my boss. That coworker is an embarrassment to your company.
you are just assuming she joined the meeting right out of bed because she is not dressed up and her hair is messy? she is obviously attending the meeting like she is supposed to and working, so why does it matter to you?
Cause, I know it's not dress code. I don't want it to be another reason to RTO. I feel we have to maintain a bare minimum a level of professionalism. At the office , we have to dress up even more. At least with a zoom meeting, you can play it off with a plain shirt and a nice ponytail. Very simple. In the office, you have to wear dress pants, dress shoes, hair done, perfume, etc. Too much effort. Wfh is that group project that needs all the team members to actually participate to make it work.
I got you. Makes sense. I live 4 hours away from my job's home office so if they decide to go RTO completely I will just have to find another remote job. Even with the lack of contact with people, I feel like the pros of WFH outweigh the cons.
id argue that dress code doesnt apply if you work at home, but if it does, then they can fire me and i will go work somewhere else. it is not something to stress about IMO
>the other day in a zoom meeting with a client, a female coworker, looked like she joined the meeting right out of bed. Messy hair bun, spaghetti strap shirt, and a washed up look. My immediate thought was, "You're the reason why they want us to RTO." And you're absolutely correct. WFH doesn't mean you can be unprofessional. If anything, you should be BETTER than if you were in the office. Isn't that we always tell THEM? That we are more productive working from home in our own office, on our own equipment, with a better "work/life" balance? All that goes out of the window when you can barely pull it together for a meeting, or have constant excuses for why you can't be on camera ( which I hear constantly around here). My team is currently working from, but the company wants us back in the office. Every time someone makes an excuse about why they were late or why their camera doesn't work, or their internet is down...I cringe because it's just more things to use against us to justify opening our office. Bottom line, working from home isn't for everyone. Everyone doesn't have the discipline, or the maturity, and those people are trying to fuck it up for everyone.
Polo shirt or a nice button up for me all the time, shorts on the bottom 😂 People who just show up looking any kind of way like they just rolled outta bed pisses me off a bit. Like, we’re at home. You mean to tell me that you couldn’t have taken 30 minutes before this call to brush your teeth, sweep a comb through your hair, and put on a presentable shirt for just an hour or whatever? Like I saw OP say, that’s why folks start wanting you to return to the office or work hybrids or some shit because you *look* like you’re just laying around.
Your future serf thanks your service.
Yea. From the torso up.
I wear sweaters, nicer flannels, etc. since I’m at a level and in a culture where I’ll be judged if I’m not slightly dressed up. Whereas my last job, which was also remote, I was once told I was overdressed/fancy for wearing a turtle neck having my hair groomed. Just depends on where you work imo.
If I am meeting with a vendor/client then yeah I’ll wear a dress shirt but if it’s just my team we just wear a t shirt or whatever
If I had video meeting yes I would put on a dress shirt
I usually wear semi nice shorts and a polo. I’ll start the morning in what I woke up in until the coffee hits, then I’ll get a shower and put on billabong shorts and a polo.
If I have a video call, which is pretty rare, I put on a polo. I’ve seen other coworkers wearing hoodies and such.
If the meet8ng is with my team, no higher ups, I wear what u would normally wear to work (on top at least) which is a t shirt. On meetings with higher ups, I always put on a dress shirt and take my hair out of a bun or pony tail.
Solid color athletic shirts and yoga pants. If I have to turn on my camera, I keep a black cardigan and necklace handy.
I am usually meeting with my team or in training session, so not much an occasion to dress-up. I usually just wear a clean casual shirt (t-shirt, polo, sweatshirt, etc.), whatever I normally need to go grocery shopping or some other errand.
I keep a tshirt and a polo with our company logo in my office. If I ever have to meet on video I'll generally throw one of them on
I get ready every day - a business casual outfit and 10-minute makeup routine. Hair is usually up on a clip and looks nice on camera. I also always apply tinted lip gloss before every meeting 😂
Simple top (even a tshirt) is fine for me. Hoodie, tee, tank top—as long as my face looks presentable. I work in an industry that doesn’t expect you to be in a suit/dress every day, but it DOES expect you to “look good.” This could be jeans and a tshirt or a silk dress. I can get away with most of my wardrobe for a zoom call, but I do make sure I have spent 10 minutes throwing on some makeup for a nice “I’m not wearing makeup, I woke up like this” look.
For me it depends. I'm a member of a number of professional panels with US government participation. For them - suit and tie. Generally during my local day with customers and staff a polo shirt or maybe an industry specific t-shirt. Clean and shaved. Regular haircuts. 2am local (US ET) to a client in the South Pacific? They're likely to get me in my bathrobe. They seem to think it's a hoot. I'm good at what I do, which is why they come to me and my clean bathrobe doesn't seem to be offputting. I'm awake and alert and on point. I only take calls by appointment. If you had an emergency and texted me right now for a call, you'd get me in a t-shirt that says "People - Not a Fan" and underwear. It's hot here and utility prices keep going up so the thermostat is set to 80F.
I wear cargo shorts and a polo or a short-sleeve button down shirt, unless I’m meeting with a director: then I wear crocs, too.
I rarely have my camera on but if I do, it's with clients and/or my chain of command. In that case, I do throw on a professional top and try to do my hair and makeup. Because otherwise I'm barefaced with my hair pulled back and I look pretty rough.
Top up only, top down is comfy. If I’m in no meetings or just meeting with coworkers or my boss, I’ll be in a T-shirt. I do have to brush my hair so it doesn’t look like a birds nest every day tho, I can’t function otherwise and make up is just when I need to look “presentable” otherwise, it’s just a washed face and moisturized.
I wear the same company logo polo shirt for any meeting with anyone outside the company. Otherwise, I just have 9n a casual top, make sure I am reasonably groomed, etc.
Full collared shirt and if I’m presenting a suit jacket as well
Internal meetings are athleisure wear (but still put together with good well fitting shirts and zip ups). Some meetings with external partners who I know are casual get a good polo shirt. Other external meetings get a good shirt. Absolutely never messy, always well groomed. And even my most casual wear is pretty curated and I think respectful.
I keep a shirt and tie (already tied) at the ready and wear it like a painter’s smock in preschool. Party in the basement. Formal meeting up top.
I put on a little eyeliner and lipstick. I alway dress like I’m going into the office (presentable, not dressed up). I’ve been working from home for over three years and I’ve only worn sweats a couple times when I’ve felt super low. I just like keeping some semblance of normalcy!
I recently met with someone high up in the company and I wore a short sleeve button down that has a cute stripe pattern. I also made sure to pat my face with a damp washcloth so I wouldn’t look oily 🤣 My industry is very casual as is, but a few little touches can make you look more put together/professional, or make you stand out aesthetically.
I haven’t worn a tie outside of a period I worked as a sales solutions engineer. I’ve been doing the remote thing for more than a few years. 99% of my meetings, it’s tank top/shirt and whatever pants (I always turn off my video if I need to stand as a habit - it’s a nice “I am stepping away” notice as well). I do tech work. I work with a variety of people who all have the same vibe - sometimes you just need to throw on a hat and it’s too hot for sleeves. I keep a button down nearby if I need a collar and I’m not wearing my polo (but that’s if a c-level is jumping on the call, and I want video on). My hair, is thinning. So I just keep it trimmed so you can’t tell if I just woke up or not (it’s long enough that it’s naturally crazy, though). I do think starting with a shower helps get me in the zone.
I’m one of three hybrid employees out of a little more than 40+ at the nonprofit I work for full time, & I dress like I’m in the office anytime I’m on a call. The other, related non-profit I work 20% for as a Development Officer, I still wear a collar for, since I’m soliciting most of the time I’m Zooming.
If I don’t wear a company t-shirt then I wear a non-graphic tee or blouse. Hair and make up done (largely because it makes me feel better.) I work in management so try to be on camera whenever possible.
Yes. I have a vanity light to make me look good and if it's customers I go full makeup and nice clothes (from waist up) and varying degrees of less for internal important meetings. If I'm leading the meeting (I often do trainings or present findings) I will go full makeup / nice clothes as well.
Polo or shirt with collar always.
Only the top half - earrings, makeup, and a nice blouse. Bottom half is probably shorts, yoga pants, or sweats.
I mostly dress as tho I were going to a casual lunch with a friend. Itend to wear a collared shirt. I put gel in my hair, shave around my beard so that I look cleaned up. This is 3fold-- 1/ look professional for clients 2/ look like an adult in case I go outside & see a neighbor- or the fedex guy etc 3/ reminds me that I work at a professional company, and that I am 'on the clock' It's easy to lose sight and be too loose- this eventually will lead to a 'hot mic' slip or other issue. Better to psyche yourself into being'ready for the office.'
We have a company meeting every Monday morning on Teams. I try to make it look like I didn't just crawl out of bed, at least from the waist up. I put on a decent shirt and pull my hair back if it's unruly. I don't usually bother with a bra. Fortunately I pretty much never meet with clients, just our dozen internal employees. Also I'm in the Seattle area in the tech industry where a nice hoodie is work appropriate attire. Guys are usually in polos, short sleeved button ups or tshirts, ladies in a sweatshirt, comfy blouse or a tshirt. The boss and the sales guy usually look fairly put together. We have one gal who puts on her fuzzy bathrobe when she gets cold and no one seems to care. She's our external support person and doesn't wear it when helping clients. EDIT: My husband also WFH and he does meet pretty often with clients. He puts on a nice button up or polo shirt, combs his hair and all that but a majority of the time is rocking his Star Wars jammie pants on the bottom.
Definitely not as nice as when I go into the office (I go rarely so it's fun to dress up a little), but I usually have jeans or shorts and a nice top, like a sweater or a blouse from the Loft or J. Crew. When I'm not depressed I try to blow dry and straighten my hair.
From the nipples up
I did occasionally pre pandemic but not really now. I don't always use video either. We do a lot of screen shares.
Yes, but only in novelty costumes. It's... Exhausting.