Thanks for your thoughtful reply!

Regarding the cultural issue … I think we have a different view as to what constitutes culture. As citied in your own post, regional differences are a huge factor.

I do understand where you’re coming from in citing culture as defined upon boundaries of nation-states, but in terms of cultural competency, I have a different take on the definition of culture.

Here’s how the issue looks from the employer’s persepective: Many HR pros have found that workers who dress professionally act more professionally. An informal survey of SHRM members indicates that when a company switches from a business casual environment to more professional dress, absenteeism rates go down and productivity goes up — even when the number of hours worked are the same.

In another recent study, 46% of HR managers surveyed said that professional dress is one factor they consider when evaluating employees and giving raises, with the most professionally dressed workers receiving the biggest salary increases.

Employees in many fields, including hospitality management, work overtime at all hours of the day and night, and wear suits while doing it.

You frame this as a cultural issue, but it really is not. If your husband grew up in the U.S., he is a member of the same culture as his employer. If an employee from Africa wants to wear the colorful robes of his native country to work, that is a cultural issue. Even then, the employer is under no obligation to make exceptions to the dress code.

When dress is a religious issue, as when Muslim women wear head coverings, employers may be required to make exceptions to the dress code.

Most employers would regard being slovenly and unkept as more of a personality flaw, rather than a cultural difference.

During the dotcom boom of the late 1990s, IT professionals were in high demand. They commanded high salaries, and got away with a lot — including dressing like they were 6-year-olds on a camping trip.

In this economy, there is much more competition for IT jobs. Many highly competent computer professionals are willing to dress the part. Heck, some of them would wear a kilt to work if it meant securing a good job.

Professional dress, good grooming and technical skill are not mutually exclusive. Very few companies permit white-collar workers to wear jeans. Requiring that employees at least wear khaki pants is a long way from a repressive dress code — in fact, it is a very casual one.

A number of companies initially reported increased morale when implementing a business casual dress code in the 1990s, but it was short-lived. Most of them have returned to a more professional dress code, for a number of reasons. Even the number of companies that permit casual Fridays is declining.

So there are definitely two sides to this issue. Thanks for posting your comments! We look forward to reading your blog! ~ Caitlin

Software engineers are the folks that have to work overnight the day a product goes live. How neat your code is trumps how neat your clothes are.

The corporation where my husband works has recently decided that the quality of dress might be more important than the quality of work. They can’t quite make up their mind if the IT department is allowed to wear jeans or not and considering taking disciplinary action against those who don’t show up in khakis.

But to be culturally competent, there’s going to be mixed standards if you have a combination of fields in one company. Gone are the days where one size fits all and everyone wears a tie.

See more of this post on my blog: http://culturalfusion.typepad.com