Disrupting and Reimagining the Workplace through Casual Fridays

Abstract

Imagine every Monday through Friday, from nine to five every week, putting on formal business wear as you head to the office or classroom. If you are a woman, you make sure to put on your pantyhose and heels, matched with your pencil skirt and conservative button down, ironed blouse. If you are a man, you find your cuff-links, tie your tie, and make sure your suit is freshly ironed and your shoes freshly shined. As you enter into your workplace's formal atmosphere, all of your peers and superiors wear the same outfit. You immediately fee the importance of looking fancy to reflect the professionalism of the company for which you work. The person who comes in with their shirt wrinkled or their hair unkempt is stigmatized; their co-workers wonder why they would come to work in such a sloppy manner. This institutional behavior that has defined corporate America for decades has been disrupted by a folk ritual that changes the office structure.