Business Casual has been a rather common theme in the work place these days. My work place is still in business-casual mode until the end of September. I still remember the days when bank tellers wore business suits to conduct simple banking transactions. Slowly that stage ended and shirts & ties were the standard for male bank tellers and casual blouses and pants for the ladies. I only use bank tellers a couple of times in a year for transactions that cannot be completed via ATM or online. I’ve noticed that most bank workers are now in a business-casual mode for what they are required to wear.

Business-casual types
Business-casual is a gray area that has many interpretations that can easily land a worker in hot water should he/she wear clothes that are too “street” or “casual.” There are usually three categories of business-casual that people can related to depending on the workplace and the title type of the job position:

i. baseline business-casual

ii. main-stream business-casual

iii. executive-casual

Baseline business-casual should really not have the word “business” in its title because it’s street-wear that people don for going to the football game or going to the flea market. The dreaded word that managers hate to hear “denim” is included in baseline business-casual which is why it’s hardly ever allowed in the workplace.

Main-stream business-casual is the usual type of attire that’s allowed on Fridays and relaxed days at work. The clothing is comfortable and still portrays a professional look to the employee. Men usually wear khakis and polo shirts (unbranded) while women wear skirts or slacks and matching blouses or sweaters.

Executive-casual is an oxymoron because executive wear is the opposite of casual wear. Executive-casual is usually reserved for upper management, senior executives, and owners who want to look professional for clients and to act as a role model for employees. Wool, silk, and cashmere are the key fabrics that make up executive-casual attire.

When in doubt, follow your peers
I wore a collared dress shirt and dress pants for my first day of work because I was told it was business-casual but I was confused when I saw all the males wearing ties. The secretary did not define what business-casual was so it’s always good to ask specifics. When in doubt, just mimic what your co-workers wear and you can’t go wrong.