Nearly half confess they only dress professionally from waist up: survey
It has been a running joke during the pandemic that remote work has allowed employees to focus on dressing appropriately only from the waist up for video meetings.
Years later, the case still remains for nearly half of Singaporeans, according to a new poll.
Preply surveyed 1,000 employees in Singapore to find that 43% are only wearing pyjamas or are only dressed up from the waist up in a professional video call.
Another 48% said they have never done such a thing, but nine per cent said they definitely would, if given the chance.
Gen Z employees, aged between 13 and 28, have been found to be more relaxed in dressing up during video meetings than other generations in the workplace (57%).
Millennials were a close second with 47%, while Gen X were more likely to dress professionally even during a video meeting, with 70% still doing so.
The findings come in the wake of the prevalent use of video calls in Singapore, where 69% of Singaporeans say they still utilise it in the workplace.
The use of video calls at work will likely continue with the government's recent mandate surrounding flexible work arrangements in the country.
The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) advised employees back in 2021 that it is important to "dress for the occasion" even while in video calls.
"As we assume only the top half of the body will be seen, we think we can get away with wearing a pair of shorts during a video call," the SBF said.
But it warned that there are cases when employees may sometimes need to stand up during the call or accidentally shift the position of their webcam.
"As such, it is better to be on the safe side and dress as if you were attending a meeting in person to avoid any embarrassing situations that may arise," the SBF advised.
But 24% of Singaporeans would remedy inappropriate work attire for video calls by simply turning their cameras off.
Others said they also turn their camera off when attending to someone offscreen, such as a family member or a delivery person (33%).
While turning the camera off for valid reasons is acceptable, employees are still urged to keep their cameras on when it comes to video calls.
In fact, researchers in 2021 found that not turning the camera on during video calls was a "sign of disrespect."
One of the contributors to the research even said: "It's a bit like going to a meeting and sitting there with a bag over your head. It makes it hard for everyone to engage in a meaningful way. Fifty-five per cent of our communication is visual. There are circumstances that may require your video to be off, but if you can have it on, it makes for better communication."
In addition to dressing appropriately and being mindful of the camera, the SBF also noted the following video call etiquette:
