Serena Williams’ Catsuit should let you revisit your dress code (not because of what you think)

When you let the team wear “superhero costumes” to work, you can better change your company culture.

In a recent interview with the tennis magazine, Bernard Giudicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation, said that the French Open will introduce dress code. At this year’s French Open, he deliberately played the tights worn by Serena Williams, noting that “it will no longer be accepted. The competition and venue must be respected.”

The Nike Leotard provides Williams with a functional use, and he has been suffering from a blood clot since he gave birth last year. She explained to reporters at a press conference in May:

“My thrombosis has many problems. God I don’t know how much blood I have in the past 12 months. I wear a lot of pants when I play, so I can keep my blood circulation.”

Since the French Open, Williams has indicated that she has found other ways to manage the blood clots during the game and has played down the controversy surrounding the pending dress code. She pointed out at the press conference that she had already talked to Giudicelli, “Everything is fine.”

Although Williams may solve all problems well, there are many people inside and outside the tennis world who are angry with the dress code and Guidicelli’s comments.

The supervision of women’s bodies must end. The “respect” required is the special talent that @serenawilliams brings. Criticizing what work she wears is truly disrespectful. https://t.co/ioyP9VTCxM

– Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) August 25, 2018
Dress code requirements may be sensitive topics, especially in the business world. If you are not careful, things as simple as people go to work can have a major impact on your results.

How your dress code affects company culture and performance
In my last company job, we were allowed to wear jeans every day during the summer. For all other seasons, jeans can only be worn on Fridays. I can’t understand how to accept a dress in a day instead of the next day.

Therefore, I advocated to the senior leaders of jeans all year round. They discussed and rejected this request. This is how we can better serve our customers and find ways to grow their business.

The irony is that the company, a subsidiary of a large healthcare company, has not yet made a profit. Low morale. The time spent on our dress code is best used to solve business model problems or improve corporate culture.

Earlier this year, the new General Motors CEO Mary Barra replaced the company’s 10-page dress code with two words, “dressed properly.” Initially, Barra was strongly resisted by her senior leaders, but she unswervingly followed such a simple policy. She believes that all employees have the ability to work for themselves to be the best, without being told that they are What should be done in practice.

At the Wharton Personnel Analysis Conference in March, Barra explained the positive impact of this shift on corporate culture:

“I realize that you really need to make sure your manager is empowered – because if they can’t handle ‘wearing’ correctly, can they still handle other decisions? I often realize that if you have a lot of overly standardized policies and procedures, people Will live up to them.

“But if you let people own the policy – ​​especially at the first level of people’s supervision – it helps to develop them. It’s an eye-opening experience, but I now know that these little things are powerfully changing. Our culture.”

Business is a sense of belonging. For many people, clothing has an impact on whether people perform best. The reality is that we often don’t know the root cause of what people choose to wear.

For Serena Williams, her leotard helped her with the medical challenge. For others, their clothing may be expressed for religious reasons, cultural or creative, or based on their financial situation.

Some people work better when wearing a T-shirt. Others feel that dressing can optimize their performance. We are all different, we need to respect and accept these differences so that everyone can make the most of their role.

Whether it’s a 10-page document or two words, the dress code you implement within the company will have an impact. Make sure your dress code supports the corporate culture you want to build and develop. Otherwise, it could be an obstacle.