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Home , Wardrobe, Workwear

The work embraces a flexible future

How our clothes and our working environment affect the way we think, feel and act.

Professor Carolyn Mair Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Liberty Report Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions have Yet, after a year of changes and challenges, workers are affected how we think, feel and act in many aspects of our showing signs of excitement about returning to a semblance lives – at , with friends and family and at work. Being of the old normal: returning to getting dressed up and confined to our for the best part of a year means returning to the office, but not all the time. we have missed seeing loved ones, socialising with friends, and being able to travel. Many of us who were transitioned to working from home full-time almost overnight have missed our colleagues, water cooler conversations and face to face collaboration.

Although we are starting to tire of endless video conferencing and renewed restrictions, we have embraced the flexibility of this new normal – specifically how we work, when we work and what we wear to work.

While it’s not new knowledge that our mental health is affected by psychological, biological, social, financial and environmental factors the pandemic has amplified the fragility of mental health and how small, everyday behaviours can impact our wellbeing. When we spend such a large proportion of our day ‘at work’ wherever that may be, how we and the environment in which we work can make the difference between feeling OK and feeling great. Exterior 3 Liberty Report The psychology of

What we wear has an impact on how we feel. Both in terms Because we can ‘play’ with fashion and use it to change of physical feelings like touch, the connection between our our identity, our can be a useful way to boost bodies and the fabric, and also psychologically through confidence and self-esteem. It allows us to fit in and emotions and mood. Human beings make assumptions stand out simultaneously. While the social restrictions about people in just a fraction of a second, based almost we endured due to the pandemic took away our daily entirely on appearance, which can then influence the opportunity to engage with fashion, it has allowed many everyday interactions we have with each other. When we of us to step outside traditional office dress codes and feel good about how we look, we are more confident, again find the freedom to work in what feels good. Workers have influencing our interactions with others. seen that they can work just as well, and in some cases perform better when they choose what to wear rather than “ How we dress and Wearing bright clothes can lift mood through the adhering to formal office dress. sociocultural associations we have with specific colours. the environment in For example, in the UK, orange is associated with joy, yellow with happiness, blue with confidence and red with which we work can passion. Of course, the colour we perceive depends on the conditions, the fabric, the context and our make the difference expectations, but mainly the influence of colour comes from the wearer’s symbolic belief about the colour that between feeling OK helps them feel good in it, and this is reflected and intensified in interactions. and feeling great ”

Break-out space 5 Liberty Report The influence of the work environment

A year of working from home has blurred the boundaries To celebrate the opening of Liberty , TOG between work and free time and many of us are more commissioned a survey with 2000 UK office workers, than ready to embrace the hybrid way of working that is exploring changing attitudes towards fashion, the work starting to emerge. The last year has also highlighted how wardrobe and the working environment post-pandemic. important our working environment is for our mental health. Like fashion, our environment matters. , lighting, fabrics, textiles and colours create an atmosphere which can enhance or hinder our and wellbeing.

Drawing on an iconic fashion heritage, Liberty House, “ The last year has also TOG (The Office Group)’s latest Work Space offers a truly creative, collaborative place to work on Regent highlighted how important Street. Filled with colour, natural light and inspiration at every turn, it’s a creative space for creative thinkers and a our working environment is perfect post-pandemic hub for the community of creative agencies, media companies, and production that for our mental health ” make Soho their home.

Break-out space 7 Liberty Report Survey results 36% 36% Just as the relationship between employee and employer More than two thirds (68%) reported dressing less formally has changed forever, attitudes towards fashion, office at home than they did previously in the office, and 26% Over a third of people are dress and the work environment have also shifted. More say they will continue to do so when they return to work. happier in their role when they than half (54%) of the respondents agreed that their Almost three quarters (72%) of respondents predicted dress to their own style. perception of workwear has changed due to the pandemic that ‘’ will be the post-pandemic office dress and 27% said their sense of style had changed since they code, while only 12% said their post-pandemic were last in the office. would be formal. Post-pandemic concerns around fashion and sustainability have been well documented and for Approximately 1 in 3 (29%) respondents said they were many, the last year has been economically challenging, looking forward to being more experimental and playing encouraging caution instead of spending. with different outfits and clothing combinations when they return to the office. Over a third (34%) of the respondents So, although only 17% of respondents said they were 31% said they would buy new clothes to look fresh, while just 29% planning to hit the shops and totally revamp their working 31% under one third (31%) thought new clothes would be “a wardrobe selection, twice as many (38%) said they nice way to celebrate the end of full-time home working”. planned to buy at least some new clothes for the return Almost a third (31%) said Additional reasons for buying new clothing included to the office. The average expenditure on new clothes for they needed to adapt their excitement about returning to work. work post-pandemic is set to be £197, which for 1 in 5 (20%) 1 in 3 (29%) respondents said they represents more than they plan to spend on dining out, wardrobe to reflect the new were looking forward to being shopping and even staycations. flexibility of mixed home and more experimental and playing office working. with different outfits and clothing combinations when they return to the office. 9 Liberty Report

Almost a third (31%) said they needed to adapt their Over a third (36%) of people feel happier in their role when wardrobe to reflect the new flexibility of mixed home and they dress to suit their own style, with 34% feeling more office working, while 38% said they wanted their new confident,24% feeling more productive, and 16% feeling more workwear wardrobe to maintain the comfort they have creative when they choose their own workwear style, yet become used to while working from home. Comfort was only 19% thought their employer would have a more flexible considered the priority for workwear, followed by the approach to workwear when they return to the office. need to look professional and the need to dress to fit in with teammates.

Although comfort is a top priority, that doesn’t extend to wearing jogging bottoms and gym wear to the office. Although 42% of people said they have been wearing Companies and workers tracksuit bottoms during home working, only 4% will wear “ them to the office. Similarly, 24% reported that they are ready to embrace a have been wearing gym wear while working from home, although only 3% will continue to do so this when they go truly flexible future with back to the office. the power to choose Workplace fashion is changing in response to consumer demands and is set to become more casual, offering workers how they work, where flexibility and greater freedom to express who they are while enhancing performance and wellbeing. they work and what they wear to work ” Lounge 11 Liberty Report

In line with the desire for a more relaxed style of clothing, many respondents want to be able to work more collaboratively in flexible workspaces with a ‘home from home’ feel. For example, 38% of the respondents want to have a more relaxed working environment and lifestyle and almost two thirds (62%) want to adopt hybrid working (mixing home and office working throughout the week) once lockdown is eased. A third (33%) want more flexible 33% workspaces, 28% want more space and 22% want their office to feel like a home from home which could be provided by hybrid working. This is especially appealing for those A third (33%) want more who enjoy using fashion to express their identity and have flexible workspaces, 28% been constrained by formal dress codes in the past. want more space and 22% With one in five saying they think their employer will adopt want their office to feel like a more flexible approach to workwear when they return to a home from home. the office, companies have much to consider in terms of implementing hybrid working both in terms of office attire and the way we work.

Lounge 13 Liberty Report Conclusions

As working from home has become the norm, many studies pros and cons of working from home, but many are ready have found workers’ reactions vary widely from increased to adopt a hybrid way of working. to decreased productivity and positive to negative impact on mental health. With this in mind, TOG Members have the flexibility to work from any of the beautifully designed Work Spaces The reported here found that workers have adapted that not only suit the kind of work they need to do, and to the situation with respect to their workwear, often deliver the kind of amenities they require – but also reflect choosing comfort over style. And although has their individual style. TOG’s fashion inspired Liberty House About the author: become the trend when working from home, workers won’t delivers the perfect space for creative thinkers, enhancing be wearing and tracksuits to the office post- their productivity, collaboration and wellbeing. Professor Carolyn Mair is a Chartered Psychologist pandemic but opting for a smart casual approach that and Fellow of the British Psychological Society. aligns to their own personal style. A sign of excitement As the post-pandemic return to work becomes a close for the return to normal, many workers say buying new reality, both companies and workers are ready to embrace Her professional experience spans consultancy, academia clothes for work will be their largest expense as they plan a truly flexible future with the power to choose how they and early careers in visual merchandising, graphic design, to refresh their work wardrobe with more casual pieces, to work, where they work and what they wear to work. dressmaking and portraiture. During her 20 years in suit a hybrid working approach. academia, she was promoted to full Professorship at two universities. In her final academic role, she established a The inter-relationships among clothing, the environment Psychology Department and pioneered the world’s first and how we think, feel and act are well-established. During Psychology for Fashion Masters degrees (MA and MSc) the past year, workers have become used to choosing their at one of the world’s top Arts universities, University of the work clothes according to their personal preferences and Arts London. She left academia in 2017 to establish her how they feel. They have also become accustomed to the consultancy. Her book, The Psychology of Fashion was published in 2018. Break-out space 15 For all media enquiries please email us at: [email protected]