Why I Wear a Tie Every Day (Even Though I Don’t Have To)

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During the COVID-19 crisis, many people’s jobs are migrating from the office to their homes. While finally being able to work in your PJs might seem like the dream, Zachary Kevorkian has some thoughts on why you still might want to dress to impress when working from home.  

“Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” But what if you already have the job you want? What if you work from home? How should you dress then? Should you even dress up at all? As the world is transitioning into a work-at-home environment and many people are facing the challenges that come with working from home for the first time, these questions suddenly gain a certain significance.

If you had asked me these questions only a few years ago, I would’ve happily said, “Unless someone says otherwise, I’ll dress how I want, whenever I want.” However, this all changed when I started graduate school for medical illustration. Suddenly, people were saying otherwise. There was a dress code to be followed, and I refused to follow along. Why? Because I’m an artist—that’s why! I felt that how I dressed was part of how I expressed myself. Wearing a suit and tie would only stifle my creativity, man! As if my talents as an artist were intrinsically linked to the clothes I wore.

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Soon, however, it became clear that I couldn’t keep this attitude up. What started as the occasional comment, soon turned into genuine frustration from the faculty and even resentment from my peers. Something had to be done, and so I began my experiment: Starting this year, I would wear a tie. Every single day. Even on weekends. Without exception.        

Almost as soon as I started my tie experiment, I began reaping the rewards. This new seed habit I developed turned into something of a philosophy, and the lessons I learned from it have shaped the way I think about work and myself and have helped me adapt to a future that is becoming increasingly remote.  I hope this advice helps show why, even though it’s not entirely necessary, wearing a tie or real pants instead of pajamas—basically dressing up for work every day—can be one of the best weapons in your arsenal when it comes to becoming a successful remote employee.

Osmosis illustration of someone feeling low confidence due to their clothing.

Lesson 1: It starts the day off right and puts you into a work mindset. 

As we all make this transition into a remote environment, many news outlets, books, and blogs will all talk about strategies for working from home and establishing a routine. This includes making a schedule and creating a productive workspace—all in order to project to others and yourself that it is time for work. Before working remotely, getting dressed was the first part of your routine, so why does that routine need to change just because you’re working from home? Trust me, getting dressed for the day is a significantly easier task when you don’t have to commute in traffic. It may seem small, but generally, you wear your clothes all day. Schedules can change and set workspaces can be compromised (which I’ve been told is especially true if you have children), but clothes can act as a constant reminder to you—and others—that it is time to work.

Lesson 2: It gives you confidence.

It’s no secret that how we dress can affect how we feel, and dressing nicely is one way to feel more confident and competent at our jobs. When I dress up for work (even though I’ll only be seen through a small webcam) and people compliment me on my tie, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel more confident in myself, and I’m able to carry that energy throughout the day.  Not only does respect from our peers make us feel more confident, but this confidence also comes from the commitment to the routine.  Perhaps you’re behind on a project, or maybe that last meeting didn’t go so well—these things happen. However, having a routine and sticking to it can help you feel more confident about completing a task.

Osmosis illustration of Zachary Kevorkian looking at himself in the mirror with a tie and feeling confident.

Lesson 3: It increases your productivity.

Wearing a tie every day makes me feel confident and professional. Additionally, it establishes a certain expectation among my colleagues. As my relationship with my peers improved, so did my work. I noticed that I was getting more done, spending less time questioning the decisions I was making, and not staying up as late trying to finish projects. This gave me more time for myself, meaning less stress both inside and outside of work. There is also plenty of evidence that suggests dress can have a serious effect on our productivity. One study shows how dressing up can make us feel more confident and authoritative and another study showed that dressing up can improve our cognitive and creative thinking (which blows my original argument for not dressing up out of the water!)

Lesson 4: People start to notice you.

This one made me feel uncomfortable at first. After all, I was doing this to help me establish a routine for my life—not to get extra attention. But when I started my experiment, my wearing a tie every day drew attention (and it still does!) Indeed, it has become part of my workplace personality and part of why I’m writing this piece. Basically, no good deed goes unpunished…

However, now I realize that it’s okay to garner that positive attention sometimes and that it can be good for your self-esteem. This isn’t a negative thing. There are significantly worse things to be known for in your workspace. Better to be singled out for dressing nicely than to be singled out for something else. Dressing up can act as a way to distinguish yourself from your colleagues and establish that you treat yourself and your job in a professional manner.

Lesson 5: How you dress is not just a reflection of you.

There’s a reason parents get angry at their children for not dressing nicely or when their partner complains about their stubble. It’s because how we look is a reflection not only of ourselves but also of them. If I look like a slob, people might make the same judgment about the people around me. This same principle applies to any organization. When you’re dealing with a client on your company’s behalf, you’re a reflection of not only your company but also how your company conducts its business. When you dress professionally, people will treat you like a professional and make that positive connection to the work that you do and the company you work with. It adds an amount of authority when you conduct business and lets people know that you take your work and your organization seriously. 

Lesson 6: It reinforces a work/life balance

Before I started my experiment, I didn’t have a healthy work/life balance—all-nighters were common, and my sleep schedule was erratic, to say the least. However, wearing a tie has become my on/off switch for work. You might think that getting up and putting on my tie helps me start the day, but actually, it’s the opposite. One of the surprising things about working from home is that, since your home is your office, it can feel like you’re always at work. It is surprisingly harder to stop than it is to start. I found my outfit is a perfect signal to distinguish between work time and “me time.” It also works as a good signal to others, either in my own home or when I’m out and about, when I’m still on the clock.

Osmosis illustration of Zachary's work/life balance.

So, going back to our original questions: How should you dress? And should you dress up at all? There’s certainly a reasonable argument that goes against everything I say. In addition, one of the benefits of the remote environment is it suddenly becomes much easier to judge someone solely on the quality of their work rather than their appearance, what car they drive, or any other thing that might come up when you’re working in an office. 

Despite this, I would still say yes. After all, there’s power in the way you look and the way you present yourself. How you dress not only reflects you, but your organization. You should dress in a way that makes you feel confident but also signals to your colleagues and clients that you care about them and yourself. In addition, dressing up for work doesn’t have to be a soul-sucking experience. Perhaps for you, a tie might be replaced by a nice pair of earrings or a fun pair of socks—in my case, I do all three. Anything that makes you feel good and gives you confidence can be just what you need to start your day off right.

About Zachary

Zachary Kevorkian is a medical illustrator and animator from Augusta, Georgia. He holds a Masters of Science from Augusta University. When not creating unique and informative videos for Osmosis, he’s usually in the kitchen cooking for his friends and family.

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