Want to climb the corporate ladder? Well, then forget polishing educational skills and long hours of hard work, for a good dress and killer heels are more than enough to do the trick. That's the conclusion of a leading fashion expert, who says that workplace dress codes and office etiquette has been on the decline in recent years, however, new trends suggest the vast majority of employees are sabotaging their career simply by making the wrong wardrobe choices, with Gen Y amongst the worst offenders.
That's the conclusion of a leading Employees are shooting themselves in the foot if they don't take grooming and dress sense seriously, Dominic Beirne of fashion consultancy Australian Fashion Partners says. "Most employers take every opportunity they can to judge staff, and employees can be overlooked for promotions if they don't present themselves accordingly," a website quoted him, as saying.
Earlier this week the Reserve Bank tipped up to 100,000 jobs to be axed in the coming year, meaning workers need to up-the-ante if they're going to remain in the office chair, and dressing for success may just help secure the top job.
Casual Fridays are one of the biggest tests in the dress code arena and where most employees fall victim to office scrutiny.
There has been a significant shift from casual Friday to casual Monday-Thursday, says Annalisa Armitage, senior image consultant for the Association of Image Consultants International. "Employees are just far too lax in their opinions of business casual and there is a want for clarification of this term," she said.
According to Jodie Bache-Mclean, Queensland Director of leading etiquette school June Dally-Watkins, business casual simply means slightly less structured than you would wear on other days of the week. "It does not mean sloppy nor even in some cases relaxed, and the same image of professionalism needs to remain at all times," she said.
If you're looking to make it big steer clear of plunging necklines, cheap suits and tacky accessories, Bache-Mclean says. "You need to dress like someone who can help," she said. Dirty nails, ripped jeans and looking like you just stepped out of a nightclub are among some of the other common blunders. “The apple shape is definitely more dangerous. This is because tummy fat is packed around organs like the liver and the pancreas,” said Jeff Halevy, a personal trainer and certified fitness coach in Manhattan.
He claimed that having an “apple” shape might not be detrimental to health as long as no extra pounds are on board. He explained that Angelina Jolie, Tyra Banks, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Drew Barrymore all have classic apple shapes, but they can cover it up because they’re thin.
He further said that it’s not possible for anyone to control his or her basic shape, as DNA regulates it all.
Dr Eric Braverman, author of Younger (Thinner) You Diet , said that an apple-shaped woman carrying around extra pounds is more prone to diabetes as well as high blood pressure.
“They can also suffer from anxiety, depression and fertility problems,” he said.
In fact, he said that even pear-shaped women who have extra fat in the legs and the butts can suffer from osteoporosis, varicose veins, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
However, much to everybody’s relief, he said that both pears and apples can be turned into leaner shapes.
“People do it all the time. In the end, the best shape to be is a celery stick,” said Braverman.