Dress for Success -- in Your HOME Office?

Working from home has become an increasingly popular method of employment for professionals and companies. Those working from home have been guided with copious advice about organizational skills, preparedness, time management, work-life balance, remote communications, administrative proficiency, and more.

We have all heard the joke of being able to work in pajamas (or worse, underwear!) and that “luxury” of being able to finally become disavowed from makeup and grooming.

However, what’s the drawback of that so-called “luxury”?

There’s something to be said for self-care and sure, if you just need to fly out a quick email in the middle of the night to your remote client, and you haven’t gotten around to spiffing up for the day yet, fine. But assuredly, this should not be the norm.

• Did you suddenly go from razor-sharp professional whose exceptional qualifications have developed into a successful work-from-home pro to a frazzled, fried-out college student whose uniform of the semester is a jogging suit and unkempt mop?  No! When you are at work, you are at work, whether it’s on Park Avenue or Home Lane. Do yourself a favor and dress for work!

• Why dress for work if you’re at home?  Because you want to keep seeing yourself through the professional lens.  They always say, dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. There is a psychology that comes with dressing for your work that can impact productivity and professional esteem.

• A couple of very practical reasons for being ready include:  a last minute request for an immediate video conference call with a client or prospect; an interview opportunity and they want to see you in 90 minutes; an urgent request to run an errand (and you are representing the company).  If you are ready ahead of time, as if you got ready for work, you will not be in panic mode trying to throw yourself together last minute.

Keep those business clothes in good shape. You don’t have to dress for Wall Street every day, but you should be dressing role-appropriate and be ready to put your best face forward, even if it’s just in your own mind.

Plus, when you work from home and have children, getting dressed shows them a positive example of someone who is polished and professional, and taking their work seriously. This gives them a good role model for professional decorum.

If you have a partner, they will appreciate that you really are at work and will probably appreciate that you look nice at home too, rather than always seeing you in clothes fit for cleaning the garage.

Do not let working from home lead you down the path that your work is somehow less serious, less challenging, less rewarding, or less important than commuting to an external office position. Take your wardrobe seriously and you will help yourself view your home work space as something of value, pride, and excellence.

 Submitted by Darcie