There’s an upside to the pandemic. It’s become super easy to roll outta bed, chug some coffee and a bowl of Cheerios, and head to your desk in the guest bedroom to fire up your laptop and start your day.
According to researchers at Zapier, over half of all Americans are now WFH (working from home). And while 66% report that they miss the office and can’t wait to get back, most of us have adjusted quite well to this transition and are enjoying many of the benefits of being home during the workday. No rush hours. No storms to walk through on the way in from the employee parking lot. And no more waiting for casual Fridays to finally break out the denim and concert t-shirts and unleash our inner party animal on our workmates.
Hey, everyone’s doing it! While working from home, as long as you can jump on a Zoom call and look presentable from waist to forehead, who cares if you’re in your comfy silk boxers and fuzzy bedroom slippers, or even if you forget to brush your teeth?
You do. At least, the data says you probably should care.
A 2012 study from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University states that clothing has a definite impact on personal performance. If people associate certain qualities with certain items of clothing, it can influence how they act in those clothes. This is especially true when your outfit has symbolic meaning (i.e. doctor’s white lab coat, a stockbroker’s tie, an Armani suit, etc.)
And it’s not just actors on camera that are changed by their appearance, research shows that the clothes you wear can definitely affect the way you perform on the job. And when you work from home, your appearance is a leading indicator of how you approach your job and whether or not you feel good about your work and your workplace.
So why not just fake it?
Meet Christie Michelle, an office manager and admin who has been tasked to work from home during the lockdown. Because she works for a forgetful boss who needed to pick up and drop off some important documents, Christie’s manager showed up on her doorstep unexpectedly five times over the past three weeks. Each visit was unannounced, so you can imagine his surprise that Christie was dressed every bit as professional as she appears when she comes to the office.
From head to toe, he’s never seen Christie without a clean pressed outfit, matching shoes, nicely styled hair and make-up, wearing classy, but not overdone jewelry and accessories. Christie rarely, if ever, takes part in a visual conference call or a webinar where she will be seen. And she doesn’t leave the office during the day to meet clients, have lunch with a friend, or make a sales call. In fact, 9 out of 10 days, the only one who ever catches a glimpse of Christie dressed and attired for work is, well, Christie.
This hits home for me because Christie is my sister, and I am the forgetful boss who dropped in on her. On the 5th visit, I said, “Hey sis, why do you always get so dressed up like you’re going to the office?”
“When I look like a pro, my self-image and my confidence soars, Eric. I feel like I’m prepared for the unexpected and that I can face the challenges of a new day. If I don’t present myself like a professional, the people I interface with can sense it over the phone or even in an email they get from me. They might not know how I’m dressed. But I know. And that’s what matters.”
Christie nailed it. How you look determines how you feel. And how you feel determines how you perform.
If we want to be viewed as a professional by others, the first person we need to convince is the one we see in the mirror.
It’s hard to level up when we’re dressed down.
To put Eric’s expert insights and strategies to work in your organization, contact 303.239.9999.
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Photo by Jonathan Francisca on Unsplash
