It used to be frowned upon to show up to work in jeans. However, more companies are now making it “Casual Friday” every day.
At the digital media firm Inboxlab, employees get to wear jeans, t-shirts and sneakers to the office.
"When people are wearing something they enjoy wearing or feel comfortable in, they will actually be able to perform at their best," says Sean Devlin, the vice president of operations at Inboxlab.
Employee Victoria Hurd agrees, saying previous jobs did not give her the freedom she has at Inboxlab.
"The median age was 45 to 50. The expectation was completely different than what it is here,” she explains. “I had to wear a pantsuit, nice shirt, heels and things like that every single day. It was not stifling, but I felt regimented."
Many people think the trend of dressing more casual has come from the younger workers.
"There’s a lot more of this millennial vibe and people wanting to get much more out of their lives than just at work," Hurd says.
Dressing casual and comfortable is great, but there is such a thing as too casual.
"You don't want someone in a tracksuit, but you do want them to feel comfortable with what they are wearing,” Devlin says.
Since every day is casual day, the company treats Fridays a little differently; they have theme days. Last week, the team dressed for Pride Week.
"It’s more relaxed. We have open lines of communication amongst all of the team members,” Hurd says about the work environment. “There’s a really great culture at Inboxlab, in part because we are able to dress how we want to."
