More and more companies around the world are telling staff they do not need to wear a suit and tie. In the last century, most business people and office workers had to wear business clothes. In today's world, that is becoming less important. Companies now want their workers to dress in a more casual way. This is to make staff feel more relaxed, so they work harder. The latest international company to relax its dress code is the investment bank Goldman Sachs. It said its staff could choose not to wear a suit, but asked employees to "exercise good judgment" in deciding how to dress for work. It said the shift was due to "the changing nature of workplaces generally in favor of a more casual environment."
Many people in business think more casual dress is not a good thing. Justin Urquhart Stewart, founder of the investment company 7IM, said not wearing a suit and tie could give a bad impression to clients and customers. He said: "You're looking after people's money, so you should behave and dress respectfully. I would not expect to hand over my pension to someone in jeans, loafers and a football shirt. It may be old-fashioned but I think it would be dangerous for a business to do that." He added: "If you let people dress sloppily, that is how your brand will be perceived." Many companies, like Google and Amazon, allow their staff to dress casually and wear jeans and T-shirts to the office.
