Published by Gbaf News
Posted on October 14, 2016
4 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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Research conducted on behalf of leading workwear provider Simon Jersey has shown that UK workers could be hampering their own career progression because they don’t understand how to dress in the workplace.
The study, which polled 2,000 people, showed that 34% of employees don’t fully understand how to follow a ‘smart casual’ dress code.
According to the findings, almost two-thirds (65%) of workers believe they have been overlooked for a pay rise or promotion in the past simply because of the way they dressed.
Additionally, 37% of managers admitted that they have chosen not to award an employee with a pay rise or promotion because they consistently dressed inappropriately.
Other key findings included:
As the research shows, it’s important to get things right when planning your attire for work. To help people come to terms with exactly what ‘smart casual’ means, Simon Jersey has created an expert guide.
You can find it here.
The company’s Design Manager, Helen Harker, said that for many workers the smart casual dress code is too ambiguous and it’s common for people to either under or overdress.
“The difficulty with smart casual is that it’s often referenced as the dress code in event invitations and in work contracts, but it’s never quite clear what it means. We think businesses should aim to be more specific, especially when it comes to what people should wear to work so it saves the stress on both sides.
“In general, smart casual for work is anything that helps you create a professional look, with a relaxed feel that allows you to stay comfortable and show your personal style,” she commented.
Research conducted on behalf of leading workwear provider Simon Jersey has shown that UK workers could be hampering their own career progression because they don’t understand how to dress in the workplace.
The study, which polled 2,000 people, showed that 34% of employees don’t fully understand how to follow a ‘smart casual’ dress code.
According to the findings, almost two-thirds (65%) of workers believe they have been overlooked for a pay rise or promotion in the past simply because of the way they dressed.
Additionally, 37% of managers admitted that they have chosen not to award an employee with a pay rise or promotion because they consistently dressed inappropriately.
Other key findings included:
As the research shows, it’s important to get things right when planning your attire for work. To help people come to terms with exactly what ‘smart casual’ means, Simon Jersey has created an expert guide.
You can find it here.
The company’s Design Manager, Helen Harker, said that for many workers the smart casual dress code is too ambiguous and it’s common for people to either under or overdress.
“The difficulty with smart casual is that it’s often referenced as the dress code in event invitations and in work contracts, but it’s never quite clear what it means. We think businesses should aim to be more specific, especially when it comes to what people should wear to work so it saves the stress on both sides.
“In general, smart casual for work is anything that helps you create a professional look, with a relaxed feel that allows you to stay comfortable and show your personal style,” she commented.
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