I’m no fashion expert.  Far from it.  As far as I’m concerned, Jeans and a t-shirt will work for most occasions.  Work is one of the occasions when jeans and a t-shirt are generally not recommended.  Even on casual Friday.  When you’re new to the office environment, figuring out what you should wear can be a bit confusing.  This is especially the case when you’re given vague terms like casual Friday or business casual.  I may touch on other situations later, but since today is Friday and I’m getting ready for casual Friday myself right now, I’ll just go over that.

One Step Down

The general rule for casual Friday is to dress one step down from what you normally wear.  For example, if you generally wear slacks and a button up shirt, then casual Friday could be jeans that are in good shape and a polo shirt.  Generally you would still wear dressier shoes, not tennis shoes.  For the different firms that I’ve worked for and with, that seems to be the most common situation in the civil engineering consulting industry.  That also seems to be fairly common with the municipal clients.

Following the one step down rule, if you generally wear a tie to work, then casual Friday may simply mean that you don’t have to wear a tie.

The same concept works for both men and women.  The whole point is to be a little more relaxed, while still looking professional.

This is a general rule.  The details vary from one company to the next.  They also vary between different parts of the country and within different industries.  When in doubt, ask your boss.  They know us new engineers have a lot to learn.

How does your company do this sort of thing?