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2009934667 Chapter 3 Nonverbal Communication 71 For those interested in climbing the business ladder, the corporate uniform is still the norm for interviews. It is known, for example, that the clothing you wear to a job interview may be a deciding factor on whether or not you get hired. “A job interview is like any other ceremony that requires a costume.” 61 “For women a dark blue suit, cream-colored shirt, hems on skirts should be at the knees, and no pants.” 62 “For men, dark blue suit, white shirt and red tie is the way to go.” 63 In spite of the emphasis on corporate clothing for interviews, there have been some changes in daily wear. Originally started in California’s Silicon Valley at such companies as Apple Computers, this trend has resulted in a major change in FIGURE 3.4 The Touch Avoidance Scale Communicating: A Social and Career Focus, Tenth Edition, by Roy M. Berko, Andrew D. Wolvin, and Darlyn R. Wolvin. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2007 by <strong>Pearson</strong> Education, Inc. Source: From Environmental Psychology and Nonverbal Behavior, 3, (2): 89–106, Andersen and Leibowitz. Reprinted with kind permission from Springer Science and Business Media.
72 Part One Foundations of Communication CULTURALLY SPEAKING The Australian culture is very similar to [that of] the United States, and because of that it’s extremely easy to assimilate American business practices into the Australian culture and vice versa. One difference is that the Australians aren’t big on business formalities. They don’t want to do business over lunch; they want to get to know you personally. And outside Sydney’s financial area—called the suit area because it is about the only place people wear suits—dress is more casual. If you go to a pub for lunch, dress will be slacks and a shirt. When we travel to Australia, the suits and ties come off, and it’s a much more relaxed atmosphere. —Doug Ash, general sales manager for the Hutton Group, a meeting and event management company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania dressing at work. Seventy-four percent of companies allow casual dress, with casual Fridays being a popular policy. 64 This trend allows or even encourages employees to wear casual clothing on Friday. Even IBM, which had a notoriously stiff dress code, has eliminated its restriction. “Here’s stuffy IBM losing millions, and Microsoft, where the employees wear jeans and T-shirts, making millions. The irony is not lost on anyone.” 65 On the other hand, there may be a shift back to more traditional dress as “A growing number of employers are issuing lengthy dress codes, some with photos to illustrate the do’s and don’ts.” 66 For example, the department store Target has a new, twenty-page dress code for employees at its headquarters. Men must now wear a sport coat or tie if they leave their usual work area. Women are required to wear a jacket over any sleeveless blouse; sweater sets are among the other options.” 67 The staff at G. S. Schwartz & Co., a New York investor and public relations firm, also received a recent e-mail memo asking them to bump up their apparel choices.” 68 Another trend is workplace uniforms. They are seen not only at fast-food restaurants but also on bank officers, travel agents, runners at the stock exchange, and employees at funeral homes. The trend, which started with the Century 21 gold-blazered real estate brokers, has expanded. 69 Be aware, however, that even though some U.S. companies are allowing casualness, this trend is not universal. Companies dealing in foreign markets know that the business suit, which originally rose in nineteenth-century Europe as a costume to make managerial workers stand out from production workers, is still very much the business garb. In countries like Japan, England, and Germany, casual is definitely not the “in” style. Legal professionals also are aware of the effect of clothing worn by themselves and their clients. Lawyers advise clients to dress conservatively and to reinforce their credibility with a professional appearance. Physical Characteristics A person’s physical characteristics—for instance, height, weight, and skin color— communicate about him or her to others. We find some people appealing and others unappealing by how they appear physically. Attractiveness We often are drawn to or repulsed by people according to how they appear physically. The prejudice against unattractive people is deeply ingrained in European American society. This attitude may, in part, be the result Communicating: A Social and Career Focus, Tenth Edition, by Roy M. Berko, Andrew D. Wolvin, and Darlyn R. Wolvin. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 2007 by <strong>Pearson</strong> Education, Inc. 2009934667
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