Does anyone else deliberately look scruffy in the office?
So I deliberately try to look a little “scruffy” when going into the office I.e. I won’t shave, I won’t have a perfectly tucked in shirt, I wear cheap shirts like you’d wear in school, I won’t have a tailored suit, I’d wear old shoes and I also do not wear any luxury items or fashion pieces e.g. no watches, no rings, nothing.
I do this deliberately when in the IBD office because I know how big everyone’s egos are here, so if I was to wear more tailored / nicer clothes, start wearing fashion pieces etc.. it will start to draw attention from my colleagues or managers and there might be a slight bit of jealousness etc which could be unfavourable for my career. E.g. if I wore a nice watch an MD might be like “clearly we paid him too much” or a colleague on the same level as me might be like “what a douchebag wearing £600 shoes” or “who even wears cufflinks anymore”
I find this works well for me because everyone in the office treats me very nicely, I get invited out and everyone stops by and sees my as a “nice guy” talking to me for a few minutes every day as they come into the office and I also get staffed on all the projects I want.
However I hear people often talk behind the guys backs who dress nicely e.g. I hear male colleagues gossip about another guy like “why’s he slicked his hair so back that he thinks he’s Patrick Bateman” or “he’s wearing a pine stripe in the office.. Jesus” even tho this guy looks really good and would defo attract a lot of the hot girls from the office (you can tell he gets girls) but the inner ego hits to the other guys results in negative gossiping behind his back.
Ofc when I go out with friends I’m completely different and I dress up nicely but what do you think of my office tactic? Does anyone else take a similar approach to lay low like me? Or am I over thinking it
This is so interesting
There’s a big gulf of options between being a slob and wearing a three piece with cuff links. You don’t have to look scruffy to mitigate concerns about people gossiping behind your back. In fact, they probably gossip about the sloppiness as much as the sharpness of other people. Just be normal.
This troll was never normal
Unc you’re thinking way too much
You don’t think dressing nicely etc in the office causes more damage than good?
Your coworkers sound a little gay for talking behind each other’s backs so much. I wouldn’t overthink it. People dress nicely in the office out of respect for themselves, clients, and their bosses. It can be a confidence boost to look nice.
for real, bunch of pussies that get no play
Surely this is a troll lol. Since when do grown men deliberately chose to look like sloppy highschoolers to avoid any potential 'backlash' in a real job. You don't need to wear a 200k watch and a 8k suit to look good, respectable and professional.
i do the opposite. dress not as expensive as my MDs but very nice and have been performing top of bucket so far
I do, so I look like I haven’t slept and don’t have capacity
So being chopped is new meta?
Del
For what it's worth, when my father was in IBD during the 90s - think GS/MS/ML - he would always wear his most tattered shirt on bonus day to try and make the case that he needed the money
That is hilarious
Amazing strategy. Will be stealing. Oliver twist vibes
Presumably bonus is decided before bonus day so better dress down whole quarter
You're not overthinking it, office politics are real, and your approach shows smart emotional intelligence. Blending in can sometimes be more strategic than standing out, especially in ego-heavy environments. I have seen similar dynamics play out, and low-key can definitely keep the peace while still getting ahead.
Molestias perferendis labore error ex voluptate enim. Ut provident aut repellat debitis et odio blanditiis.
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