Although many Irish Country Living readers technically work from home farming, other family members would leave the farm to go to work every day. They may be finding it difficult to maintain the routine that is shown to be beneficial for people’s mental health now that they are working from home.
Regardless of whether you’re working from home, or not, research indicates that dressing appropriate to your work can assist with confidence, big picture-thinking and attention. We act in a manner consistent with our dress. If we generally wear a suit and instead put on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, our brain thinks it needn’t try so hard either.
According to a co-author of the study, the tracksuited participants often deferred to the suited ones, and the suited participants could sense this heightened respect
In a study completed at Yale University in 2014, which used 128 men between the ages of 18 and 32, researchers had participants take part in mock negotiations of buying and selling. Those dressed inappropriate to the role (tracksuits and plastic sandals) averaged a theoretical profit of $680,000, while the group dressed in suits amassed an average profit of $2.1m. The group dressed neutrally averaged a $1.58m profit.
According to a co-author of the study, the tracksuited participants often deferred to the suited ones, and the suited participants could sense this heightened respect, backing down less than they might have otherwise.
Clothing carries symbolic meaning and can prime our brain to behave in ways consistent with that meaning.
Here are four simple guidelines to help you maintain a work dress code while working remotely.
Dress with intention
Think about what you’re going to wear each day, as opposed to throwing on leisure wear or staying in your pyjamas. This indicates to your brain that you value yourself enough to take the time to dress for the day ahead. It doesn’t matter whether anyone will see you.
You’ll feel more self-confident when you can look in the mirror and reflect on the person who took a few extra minutes to prepare themselves instead of just rolling out of bed. Now you’re set with a “go-get it attitude” for online calls, webinars, meetings and anything required throughout your day.
Dress with authenticity
Another study found that individuals who feel comfortable showing their personality in some aspect of their dress, even if it may be perceived as quirky or odd, inherently feel more confident, distinguishable and set apart from the crowd. When you feel like you’re dressing for someone else you undermine your confidence.
Don’t allow yourself to feel like you’re playing a part in someone else’s movie. You need to look like “you” and not like “everyone else.”
Pay attention to the details
The details and accessories we wear, from lipstick and earrings to necklace, tie or cufflinks, all send out messages to our audience. They give us rank and elevate our look, not only adding to our own confidence but changing how we are perceived by those with whom we communicate. Where you know you’ll be presenting online or participating in online fora then it will pay to pay attention to the details.
If you feel confident in a certain colour, wear it.
When working from home, wearing a power colour can still set the stage for you to challenge your brain
The colours you wear are also a consideration. For example, red is perceived as a power colour. It has been shown that athletes who wore red worked harder during a match than athletes who wore blue. Although this did not affect the outcome, it shows that the colour you wear can affect your level of self-confidence.
When working from home, wearing a power colour can still set the stage for you to challenge your brain and still have a productive day. And, if you’ve had a colour analysis then you’ll understand the difference between your best neutrals and your impact colours, your wow colours and your basic colours.
Maria Macklin is an image consultant based in Co Monaghan. A style development class with Maria focuses on finding the essence of you so that you can dress authentically for you. Maria can be contacted at maria.macklin@houseofcolour.com
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