Every workplace and business has its own dress code. Be it a uniform or just a certain style of clothing, what you wear is very important. Let’s say you’re working in the line of professional accounting services in Malaysia, of course, you would have to look presentable to show people that you are a professional. In a situation where let’s say, you meet your clients in sweatpants and a t-shirt. To you, you might think that it’s normal or presentable to dress that way, and by all means, it’s completely fine to dress like that on a normal basis. However, when it comes to business, your clients will see you as someone unprofessional or unkempt. At the end of the day, they might even pull away from utilizing your services. So, to avoid this from happening and for your business to stay in business, get to know proper dress codes according to the occasion in question, be it a dinner party or a meeting with a client.
Business Formal
Out of any other dress code, this is the most controlled one. This is because this commonly consists of tailored suits and ties or bow ties for men and a pantsuit or skirt suit for the ladies. Also, in Malaysia, women are also encouraged to wear baju kurung as their formal attire. The common colours that are considered good for this type of dress code are black, brown, grey, and subtle colours in general since it’s meant to be formal and look professional.
Thus, say you’re working in the line of Alpha backup solutions Malaysia and you have a really important business meeting where a lot of people will see you, first impressions will be made and no one wants a bad first impression. So, this is the dress code that suits the situation.
Business Professional
Unlike business formal, business professional is a bit more flexible in terms of patterns or colours. You could wear colours like pink or yellow and patterns like checkered suits. Also usually, these outfits are paired with statement pieces like slightly larger watches or simple yet elegant pieces of jewellery. Not to say that you can’t accessorize with the business formal dress code, it’s only that you might want to keep it simple with that one.
Business Casual
As mentioned before, what you have to wear to work entirely depends on the establishment you work for. If where you work has a business casual dress code, then hurrah, you do not have to wear formal clothing all that often, maybe on occasions but not on a daily basis. At the same time, you still can’t show up in your sweats. Business casual typically slacks with a casual top like a collared shirt or blouse. This dress code is more flexible in terms of not having to wear ties or tailored suits and you don’t even have to wear formal shoes, sneakers or sport shoes will suffice. However, the preference for shoes also differs, depending on where you work or what country you live in. The formalities in Malaysia could be different than the formalities in other countries.
Casual
As it’s said, casual means you can wear what you’re comfortable in. Once again, this doesn’t mean pyjamas are acceptable because you still have to maintain a level of professionalism, be it for a lunch meeting or simply just being in your workplace. This means that you can wear what you usually wear on a daily basis, be it trousers or a cool cardigan. You can even play around with what style you’re going for and then decide on what colours or what patterns you feel like wearing. For instance, most companies under backup solutions in Malaysia. In the end, it is all still up to your employer and how they want you to dress.
The way you dress will say a lot about you as well as affect how people see you. You could sort of mirror what your employer wears, not copy them 100% but just try to reflect their style. Try to make yourself look presentable is the bottom line. Presentable as well as approachable. If ever the doubt arises on what you can and cannot wear in any situation, you could always ask your manager or employer. Don’t be ashamed of asking such questions because it is totally normal to ask and plus, that would show that you actually care to ask.
