NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Captivate, North America’s leading location-based digital video network, today announced the findings of a new Office Pulse study looking at what people are wearing as they return to the office. The study of 501 white-collar workers across North America, which was conducted in July, found that for many professionals, everyday now feels like casual Friday.
Overall, respondents have seen people wearing more casual clothing as they head back to the office:
- 43% report seeing people wear more jeans now than before the pandemic;
- 28% report seeing people wear more t-shirts;
- 20% report seeing people wear more Crocs, flip-flops or sandals;
- 16% report seeing people wear more athleisure wear;
- 7% report seeing people wear more pajamas.
Senior leaders are not exempt from the casual clothing trend:
- 35% of respondents report seeing senior executives wearing more jeans than before the pandemic;
- 14% report seeing senior executives wearing more t-shirts than before;
- 6% report seeing senior executives wearing more sweatpants than before.
The study finds that what people are wearing depends on where they are:
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1 in 3 professionals in Chicago said work attire has become more relaxed post-pandemic.
- People are even wearing shorts (42%) and t-shirts (33%) around the office (jeans come in at 50%).
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More than half (51%) of New York professionals who described their pre-pandemic as a mix of formal and casual said that work attire has become more relaxed.
- For New Yorkers, their wardrobes are a little less relaxed than Chicago: jeans (30%) and t-shirts (30%).
- Nearly 1 out of 4 (23%) of Canadians have seen people wearing more athleisure wear around the office, compared to 14% of professionals in the U.S.
- 1 in 4 (26%) have seen more formal wear around the office.
“We have all heard about and likely experienced first-hand the casual work-from-home wardrobe that arose during the pandemic,” said Scott Marden, Captivate Chief Marketing Officer and DPAA Standards & Research Committee Chairperson. “The findings highlight that the pandemic didn’t just change how we work, but what we wear to do that work. Who knows… with offices becoming more casual day-to-day, perhaps we’ll see Formal Fridays arise as the new trend.”
About Captivate
Known for its vast network of nearly 12,000 elevator displays located in 1,600 premier office buildings across North America, Captivate connects advertisers with 13 million unique monthly viewers through creative, research-driven advertising and marketing programs. By engaging its viewers with timely news and actionable information that helps balance the personal and professional demands of the workday, Captivate provides advertisers with a highly desirable and difficult-to-reach audience of affluent and influential business professionals. Founded in 1997, Captivate is owned by Generation Partners. For more information, please visit www.captivate.com.
Methodology
Captivate collected responses from 501 white-collar professionals across North America over a 1-week period in August 2021.
