Business Culture. Does it exist? Should it exist?

[GOPisBAD]

Do you believe dressing in non-mainstream attire and speaking in a non-mainstream English dialect puts a person at a disadvantage to succeed in the working world regardless of any other factor? Do you think this is fair? Should society as a whole be more tolerant of all cultures and sub-cultures or is business a culture of its own and to succeed a person should adopt the business culture?

It just seems to me that in order to succeed in most areas of business, you have to look a certain way, speak a certain way, and dress a certain way. Obviously there are exceptions, and once wealth is attained all other factors go out the window, but for the average young person just entering the workforce, unless you look a certain way and speak a certain way, you aren't likely to succeed.

Should this be? Why or why not?

[xchrom]

1. the culture you're talking about starts in college

with all the mba wanna be's -- it accelerates after school -- but it's definetly there and indoctrinated in school.

there are business schools of thought i.e. the anti-tax crowd had leading national proffessors advocating from their class rooms in the 70's and 80's.
harvard has one the leading conservative thinkers teaching there and revising all kinds of history.

so yes -- it exists -- and it's one of the arenas the left must assail -- debunking these critters and getting them out of our institutions of higher learning.

[Kathleen04]

2. Well..

I think that it's important to do your best to look professional. For example, I work a part-time job in retail, me and alot of other coworkers wear suits even though we're not required to. But, I'm not masking any cultural identity--it just looks more appropriate for work than wearing jeans.

Having a non-traditional dialect shouldn't make any difference as long as you can be understood.

[petronius]

3. I think clothing is a signal of identity and group membership

so if people dress in a 'corporate' style (consistent with others in their industry) I think it signifies that they hold a set of shared goals and values. Dressing nicely also signifies a respect for others and a seriousness about the event/task at hand. (Note: I don't think that 'dressing nicely' is synonymous with wearing the brand du jour or the more extreme examples of mindless trend-following.)

A common language is extremely important if people are going to communicate accurately, and I would also say that formal English (like dressing nicely) shows respect and seriousness about what you're doing.

I wouldn't say that conformity is more important than ability and diligence, but I would tend to raise my eye-brows at non-mainstream behavior in the workplace - I would want to know why the person was an outlier...

[FloridaPat]

4. You can do anything you want. By doing certain things - like dressing

and talking like everyone else - you get more money. It's economics. If you don't speak English and you're selling in a store where everyone speaks only English, you really can't do much.

Just imagine walking into a department store. Everyone speaks a different language. Some haven't seen a bathtube in weeks. Others are rude. How often would you shop there? Businesses go after certain people and need a certain look in their employees to go after that business.

A good example is Miami. A lot of shops have only Spanish speaking people, so they can hire people that only speak Spanish. If you only speak Spanish and come to this country, you can get a job in Miami and not learn English. The real smart ones will learn both languages.

Now on the subject of that dialect that African Americans speak. To be taught in schools using that language is unbelieveable. Their education and jobs sources will be so limited they'd get more jobs speaking Latin.

[tjdee]

5. You want to people to be talking about your ideas, not what you look like.

Easiest way to make that happen is to dress/speak/look "right".

I'd much rather have someone talking about the input I gave and how I'm doing my job, than my hair or my clothes. I think people can show a little more individuality than they used to be able to (i.e., wearing dreads to work)...

It is unfortunate though. Do I really need to wear "work clothes" to do good work? When I wear jeans to work, does God kill a kitten?

[crispini]

6. I think it really depends on the industry.

For example: Banking, insurance, etc. -- very conservative. But they have to be. They are asking people to trust them with their money. So they need to project a cleancut and affluent style. Do you really want a hip, urban bank? Not sure that will work for a lot of communities, maybe in some.

But software -- you still have to act professionally and speak the argot, I think, but I have openly gay coworkers, coworkers with visible tattoos, etc -- there's a lot more room there. Makes sense, it's a business that values creativity, innovation, and intelligence.

And then there's everything in between......

[GOPisBAD]

7. Thank you for you responses so far.

What I'm wondering is this. Should "goths" and "gangsta rap" folks that are only expressing themselves by being "different" at a disadvantage when trying to enter the workforce? They dress differently. In some cases, they speak differently. Should this be held against them?

[crispini]

8. It depends on the job they want.

I don't think it's unreasonable for employers who are hiring for customer-facing positions to hire people who they feel will be able to represent them professionally. Let's take bank tellers for example. Bank tellers have a dress code, usually business professional. The bank wants them to dress a certain way. If you show up for an interview as a bank teller you by darn tootin' should show them that you understand what business professional looks like if you want the job. Bank of America doesn't want to be represented by Siouxsie Sioux. It's not their thing. Now, if the prospective employee is looking for that job at the Knitting Factory, they can probably go for it.

When you're going for a job, your employer is hiring your ability to do the work and represent them in a public situation. Sometimes your ability to do the work of representing your employer depends on how you are able to present yourself. Expressing yourself by being "different" is fine and dandy -- on your own time.

Work comes with compromises a lot of time. There are a lot more jobs at B of A than there are at the Knitting Factory...