The Ps and Cs of BC

(The Pros and Cons of Business Casual)

Dateline: June, 2003

Many managing partners and Human Resource departments across the eastern seaboard have been up in arms over the term "Business Casual". That term has caused a myriad of memos to be drafted, to be followed by even more memos explaining and clarifying the finer points of "Business Casual". There are pictures, studies, graphs, meetings, memos and sub-memos - all geared to pinpointing both what constitutes business casual dress, and what does not. One thing is for certain, one person "Business Casual" is another person's "Cruise Wear".

When most people hear the phrase "Business Casual" they conjure up some very simple pictures. Men sporting khakis and golf shirts; women in slacks and twin-sets. Perhaps, it is not as bright-line of a test as that. Perhaps, business casual was really only intended to address the attire of professionals and management; not that of support staff or para-professionals. Perhaps, people have dropped the "business, in business casual. Perhaps, business casual only works well for men and is a cause of stress for professional women in the workplace. These and many other facets of the pros and cons of business casual have been addressed in articles by Crain's New York Business, The Career Journal, New York Lawyer and other publications geared towards professionals.