Five Reasons You Should Allow Employees to Wear Jeans to Work

For years, and especially since denim has become mainstream, there has been a significant debate over whether or not jeans are appropriate everyday wear for the office. Most business-casual workplaces don’t allow jeans, except for occasionally on Fridays. But still employees complain over and over again that they want jeans to be a daily option.

Gone are the days where it’s appropriate to wear a business suit to the office everyday. Most employees go to work and sit behind a desk all day, never interacting with any clients or having a need for a professional look. Yet companies still insist on a business-casual dress code.

But if your company is interested in hiring and retaining more Gen Y employees, it’s time to rethink the way you look at jeans.

Generation Y is very self-expressive. We grew up trying to distinguish ourselves from our masses of peers. And one important way we do this is in how we dress. Our clothes say a lot about who we are, the kinds of things we like and the image we’re trying to project. So many Gen Yers will choose a job where they can wear jeans whenever they want to over a job with a stricter dress code.

Here are 5 reasons why you should allow your employees to wear jeans to work:

1. Jeans now look like trousers—designers are creating jeans that are work-appropriate by making them look like dress pants—darker-colored jeans with pleats and cuffed bottoms—so your employees will still look professional.
   
2. Jeans make it easier to get ready in the morning—this means you’ll have less employees walking in the door late everyday. Jeans go with everything, so finding a nice shirt and tossing on some jeans will get people out the door and to work faster.
   
3. Jeans are extremely comfortable—as with most offices, employees spend eight-plus hours a day behind a desk, and doing so in a skirt or dress pants can get really uncomfortable really fast. Jeans make sitting for long periods of time more bearable.
   
4. Jeans can be professional—when worn with the right shirt and shoes, jeans are a staple for any professional’s wardrobe. And jeans are really versatile, with the ability to be worn with a button-up shirt, a sweater, a collared shirt, a blouse or a blazer, all of which portrays a very professional look.
   
5. Jeans are called for in certain jobs—everyone has seen the poor computer help desk guy who conforms to the office dress code, but then has to spend his day crawling around on the floor, and under people’s desks to fix their computers, wearing dress pants or khakis. Why force employees to ruin their good clothes? Jeans work especially well for these types of jobs.

Of course, there are times when jeans are not appropriate attire—meetings with clients, meetings with the company CEO—but I’d say 90 percent of the time you and your employees know ahead of time that these meetings are happening, and so dressing professionally that day won’t be a problem. Gen Yers know how to dress professionally when they need to.

And also keep in mind that just because employees are allowed to wear jeans to work, doesn’t mean they all will. You will still have plenty of employees who enjoy dressing up and will do so everyday, but for those days when they don’t want to, jeans will always be an option.

Making a shift in dress code attitude will do wonders for your company—your employees will be happier, more productive and more loyal. Some employers take for granted what a few “employee perks” (especially perks like allowing employees to wear jeans to work, which costs the employer nothing) will do for their bottom line or their turnover rate. Don’t let yourself be one of those employers.

For years, and especially since denim has become mainstream, there has been a significant debate over whether or not jeans are appropriate everyday wear for the office.