by Dean Zatkowsky

I often note that in the 80s and 90s, Kinko’s executives could make multi-million dollar machine decisions over coffee, but we debated dress codes for the entire fourteen years I was there.

There was plenty to debate in a company that valued customer service, independent thinking, and teamwork. Uniforms (whether in the form of aprons, lab coats or neckties) help customers identify and trust workers, but can diminish a coworker’s sense of identity and independence. Bad uniforms diminish a coworker’s dignity.

As a Kinko's executive, I used to visit stores every week. Once, working in Berkeley during our busiest week, I was the only coworker wearing a tie, and every customer with a question or problem came directly to me. The next day, without any discussion on the matter, the store manager wore a tie. He understood the symbolic value and used it to his advantage.

Last week I wore a suit and hat for the first time in years. It felt more like a costume than business attire, and several people in my small town, accustomed to seeing me in jeans and flannel shirts, asked if I was on my way to some sort of theater rehearsal. But my exchanges in restaurants and shops reminded me that the balance of power in daily encounters shifts toward one who dresses well. I call it the tailor’s cocktail: one part confidence in one's appearance, two parts deference from people seeking leadership from someone who looks like he or she has it together. Most of you know how this plays out in the workplace.

We experimented with different types of dress codes in different Kinko’s organizations, and I have worked in many other companies with various approaches to coworker appearance. For the record, I think an easy smile, bright eyes and helpful attitude can trump any form of apparel, but I understand a retail organizations’ desire to use dress codes as part of their branding. I also understand the potential frustration when depending on a diverse workforce to make choices in the best interests of customers and the company.

Many Kinko’s store managers asked coworkers to simply “dress professionally” or “dress neatly,” only to find one or two coworkers constantly testing the limits of interpretation. Later, these managers reluctantly instituted strict dress codes because of the recalcitrance of a few. Unfortunately, every time we manage to the bottom, we devalue the best and brightest in the workplace.

In office environments, I think dress codes conceal important information. When the decision is mine, I eschew dress codes, believing that people will dress to the level of their ambition. I can see who wants to advance in the organization, who pays attention to detail, etc. You may feel that this confers an advantage on those adept at superficiality. That would be true if one evaluates coworkers based on their appearance alone, but such managers have bigger problems than dress codes.

The old saying is true: You cannot judge a book by its cover. But people are not books. They have some choice in the matter of appearance. Eliminate dress codes and you will soon learn who your coworkers really are, and how they feel about the company.

Dean Zatkowsky, managing partner of Dizzy One Ventures, LLC, is co-author of The Entrepreneurial Investor: The Art, Science and Business of Value Investing, and Two Billion Dollars in Nickels: Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Life.