Comfy casuals over boring formals: Noida's idea of corporate dressing

You might go green with envy every time you see Amal Clooney in her pencil skirts and branded jackets, and dream of owning a wardrobe like hers. But in a more realistic world, where you don't have a George Clooney serenading you and you don't earn exorbitant amounts, the idea of wearing formals to work every day might seem too tedious. So, when Infosys recently announced their decision of doing away with their dress code of formal wear, it was welcomed by employees.After all, who wants to wear trousers and shirts to work every single day? Especially when you are 20-something and want to make a style statement among your colleagues, and don't have the budget to buy enough formals with your beginner's salary. We spoke to employees of various corporate organisations in the city, and the verdict is quite predictable - yes to casuals, no to formals.
Can't afford to buy formals in my beginner's salary Infosys did away with formals last week and has asked the employees to dress up more comfortably through the week. Says Shamit Acharya*, who works with Infosys, Gurgaon, and lives in Sector 17 in Noida, "Nothing is more irritating for a 20-something than wearing formals to work every day. My favourite attire is a white tee and jeans, which I mostly sport during summers. Every employee would want the freedom to wear whatever they like. I am so glad that I don't have to wear formals anymore."
Roshni Gupta, a software developer at Genpact in Noida, says, "When I joined the company, I was told to wear formals daily, basically trousers and formal shirts. And if I want to wear kurtis, they shouldn't be too loud in colour or have too much embroidery. That left me with a boring plain-Jane wardrobe with all neutral colours."
Roshni adds, "It was such a pain to shop for so many formal clothes and that too of not your choice. But, a year later I realised that only newcomers were supposed to follow the dress code so strictly. For others it's flexible. I have started buying more colourful clothes now."
Vidyut Awasthi *, an IBM employee, Noida, says, "I hate formal shirts. So, I was quite relieved when I was told by the HR that there's no dress code. They told me I could wear casuals, but I shouldn't be shabbily dressed. That was such a relief, because in my previous company, I had to be dressed formally throughout the week. I found that very annoying."
The dress code should be flexible: Noida HRs
Kunwar Vikram, an HR who works with an MNC in Sector 62, says, "Infosys' decision of doing away with their dress code has been welcomed by employees. We used to get many requests by our employees to allow them to wear casuals. Now, citing Infosys, we can also ask our management to give it a thought. Nobody really likes to wear formals throughout the week. It gets monotonous."
Rajula*, an HR executive at an IT firm in Sector 62, adds, "Formals vs casuals is an old debate. But it's also about the policies of a company. We want our employees to dress smartly; it gives a boost to the work culture. But we do realize that the dress code needs to be flexible. We're also discussing the issue with our management and might change things soon."
Formals are boring
Prabhat Kumar, who works with a MNC in Sector 62 told us, "When you join a company, your main concerns should be satisfaction, appraisal, salary, etc. But when you work in a company, which asks you to wears formals, you are just clueless and have no idea what to do. Those who don't have to go through this everyday won't understand the pain of buying shirts in dull colours and maintaining them!"
His colleague, Sumit Gupta, adds, "I am 24, and I'm not in a relationship or in a live-in. I'm staying with four other guys, so you can imagine my wardrobe. I don't have an inspiration to dress well, other than office, of course. And there also we are asked to wear formal shades, preferably plain ones in pastel shades. For the first time in my life my clothes are as dull as my life! I make calls as frequently to my washerman as I talk to my parents and friends!" Priyanka Garg*, an analyst at a software company in Sector 125, says, "Honestly, I don't like wearing heels at all but when I joined the company I found that most female employees wear heels to work. I also don't like boring black-and-grey pencil skirts. I wish I could wear more loud colours and skirts that I used to wear in college. The office dress code is extremely monotonous. We are asked to wear formals and we have to adhere to the rules. There is no way out."
Mohinder Kumar*, an account manager, sayd, "Wearing formals every day feels absurd and stupid, but now we are so used to it and obviously can't quit the job because of the dress code. But I believe other companies will also follow the Infosys move and soon there will be no dress codes."