Corporate attire
In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit several power stations in Japan, the Japanese business community has called on its members to reduce their electrical consumption.
Among the measures sought to be implemented for this purpose are the shift of working hours to weekends when power demand is lower, minimizing the use of lights and cutting down on air-conditioning usage.
Since the workaholic nature of Japanese employees (also known as salarymen) is legendary, getting them to spend the weekends with their fellow employees, rather than with their families, will not be a problem.
Dimming office lights may, initially, meet some resistance considering the businessmen’s love affair with bright and fancy lights inside and outside their offices. For the tradition-conscious Japanese, well-lit work premises are believed to attract positive vibes from customers and enhance employee morale.
But knowing the Japanese’ sense of community, expect that directive to be dutifully followed.
Raising the temperature of air conditioners would require adjustments in the suit-and-tie attire that is de rigueur for Japanese salarymen who work in offices or make outside sales calls. They are being urged to wear casual clothes or suits made of light materials that would not require low temperatures for comfortable working.
<strong>Dress code</strong>
For Nippon Land where, except for three months, the weather for the rest of the year is generally cool, a business suit (or jacket, as American fashionistas would call it) is appropriate office attire. With the office temperature often a little lower than outside, the office denizens can move in and out of their premises without having to remove or put back their suits depending on the place they find themselves in.
In our country, despite the perennial hot weather (except for January and February), the suit-and-tie attire is used by companies that follow that dress code upon instructions of the top brass or is demanded by the nature of their business.
Nothing wrong with that as long as the smartly dressed staff stays within temperature-controlled premises during business hours, or go straight to their air-conditioned cars as soon as they leave the office. But the moment they step out of their quarters and take to the sidewalk or wait for public transportation to get to wherever they want to go, it’s a different story.
Against a humid climate, with biting heat coming from asphalt roads and mass of humanity sharing limited sidewalk space, only people born without sweat glands can stay dry and cool in public areas.
<strong>Inconvenience</strong>
Despite the heat and discomfort, however, some people simply cannot do without suit-and-tie in their professional or business activities. It is amusing to see lawyers in two-piece (sometimes three) suits in our crowded, cramped and poorly ventilated court rooms waiting for their cases to be heard. They have to keep up the impression that the heat does not bother them even if beneath their woolen suit they’re releasing buckets of unwanted body fluid. The discomfort is a small price to pay for maintaining an appearance of professionalism and elegance that justify charging the client high appearance fees, regardless of whether the hearing pushes through or is postponed for any reason.
Whether wearing the traditional barong, instead of an americana, would have a bearing on a client’s enthusiasm to pay the appearance fee is a matter of speculation. A similar clothes-make-a-person attitude is also evident in business executives or sales personnel who want to make a good impression on the people they want to do business with. But what’s wrong with using the barong made by local manufacturers, as against heavy and expensive suits whose materials are imported and, if tailor-made, sometimes cost an arm and a leg?
<strong>Presentation</strong>
The comfort that the barong gives to its user sometimes leads some people into trivializing its use, especially in the case of the polo barong. For informal gatherings or so-called “wash days” (usually Friday when company uniform rules are relaxed), the polo barong is considered acceptable office wear. But the line should be drawn if the person wearing it holds a position of leadership, whether in the government or private sector. There are limits to informality in business attire, more so if the business executive or government official concerned meets with high-value customers or people who deserve certain courtesies on account of their standing in the community.
A dressed down executive who, for example, wears in an important meeting or courtesy call a polo barong, printed polo shirt or casual T-shirt, sends a subtle message that the visitor is not that important to merit his being conscious about his outside appearance.
Something’s not right in photos where casually dressed business executives or government officials are shown shaking hands with or standing beside visitors or guests who came properly dressed for the occasion.
Lest it be forgotten, the manner and style that a working person presents himself to the public reflects the kind of respect he has for the image of the company or office he represents.
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