Is there any dress code for professionals working in offices in the UK?

Question

I mean, can one come to work to an office dressing casual clothes and sport trainers or each company has their own policies and if so what is the most usual way a young professional in London would dress if he is to work for an IT consultancy or an architectural firm, etc?

Answer 1

(What's the occasion/reason - it will help the answer)

Each company has its own code/style.

They range from the very formal (i.e. full suit, white shirt only + tie), to the smart casual (trousers and shirt, to the very casual.

Many times it depends on the industry (lawyers/accountants etc are ususally the most formal) while media is the least.

If starting a new job call the hr person or manager and ask. There's no harm - I'vr done it all the time.

I would also suggest you err on the side of caution if you don't know and go more formal - its better to be over dressed then create a bad impression from being to casual (which can take a long time to overcome).

Then just wait and see what other people do.

(generall always be neat and well presented.

From what I have seen IT staff dress more casually - unless they are dealing with clents inn which case its very smart?

Answer 2

I work in an architectural firm in London, and anything (within reason) goes. We would regard a clothes policy as far too reactionary.  If you have to go and meet clients and so on you will need to wear shoes, a suit that kind of thing. If you don't scrub up well, of course, that is unlikely to happen, so it doesn't hurt to dress a bit ambitiously/imaginatively. Suffice to say you can tell the difference between students and senior staff by the way they dress.

All in all - it is better to be freshly laundered and well groomed if you don't want to upset your fellow workers. In that regard jeans or chinos that can go in the machine are far more prefererable to some manky suit that never gets to see the inside of a dry cleaners. (Yuk).

In the old days of drawing in ink it was foolhardy to wear anything good - as it is still is if you spend a lot of time on site where comfort and practicality takes precedence.  As a consequence I still dress mainly in black. Most architects can be forgiven a rather outre dress sense as they are 'designers'; can't say the same for IT - but if someone's computer breaks down they won't care if you are in drag so long as you can fix it.

Err on the side of caution when starting a new job - a jacket and smart trousers - a shirt with a collar that could accommodate a tie if necessary (the wise amongst us keep one in the office for emergencies), and look at what your co-workers wear - if you didn't notice when you were interviewed. If you want to be taken seriously though, a little power dressing goes a long way.

Answer 3

Suit, collar and tie and regular shoes, no trainers for an IT consultancy, particularly for customer facing roles.. Although a lot of firms have a dress down day where you can come to work "smart casual". I work at an IT help desk and even though we never meet the customer face to face (i.e. we deal with phone calls etc.) we are still expected to wear collar and tie.

Answer 4

Each company will have their own policy