The corona crisis has brought many people to their desks at home. So it makes sense to dress more casually than in the office.
After all, nobody sees you. And for the video conference we quickly throw on a pretty cardigan, but leave the comfortable trousers on. How does such behavior affect our self-perception and our productivity? Does it really work better in a business shirt? Several studies say: yes. For example, if you have to stay highly concentrated, you can do it more easily in a white lab coat associated with a doctor. A team of psychologists in the USA found this out in an experiment in 2012.
In the home office you will hardly throw a doctor's coat on. But coach Petra Lienhop says: “The working day begins in front of the wardrobe.” Appropriate clothing increases self-esteem and self-confidence and makes you work more productively.
However, this does not have to apply to everyone. The effect is also dependent on what you associate with the clothing, explains Carolin Pfau, member of the German Coaching Association: “If I am used to putting on a suit or blazer for work, then I have been wearing this clothing for years Work connected. ” It can thus be part of a familiar behavior, which can result in higher productivity.
Anyone who dresses properly and goes to their desk at home enters a different mode inside – the professional role, explains the psychotherapist Andreas Pichler. “Although there are definitely people who can do it in their pajamas.” How far you can deviate from the usual pattern depends on your ability to organize yourself, but also on your personal maturity.
For coach Carolin Pfau, however, the topic only has something to do indirectly with self-perception: “It's mainly about what I think, what external impact I achieve through my clothes.” Anyone who thinks that others perceive him or her in elegant clothing as more competent and serious will feel more comfortable in the appropriate outfit and thus appear more competent.
Psychotherapist Pichler explains that the person you are talking to has in mind who you are talking to in certain clothes: “Even if I only make a phone call, it is then easier to actually sit there with a shirt and tie.” It also shows the importance of the conversation when you are not in casual clothes at the computer.
Especially on days when you don't feel good, you should choose clothes that give you self-confidence. Then it could be that the inner mood changes, say the experts.
Lienhop advises anyone who also knows that he or she is falling short in their work performance should rather do a little more to protect themselves from it. Especially since the distraction in the home office is greater anyway. Clothing helps to set oneself apart: “For the environment or the rest of the family, this can be a sign that you are not approachable for private matters,” says Pichler.
The advantage: anyone who changes clothes marks the beginning and end of the working day. And in a suit you don't even clear the dishwasher. “It can help to get dressed and walk around the block to really start or end the day,” advises Lienhop.
