Shorts at Work, yay or nay?

Shorts at Work, yay or nay?

Mark Smith: Well, I'm really all muddled up, Rachel. Now, it's just a half-hour difference between Sydney and Adelaide, and I am just all over the shop. Meanwhile, you're in Perth, and you're like a further two and a half hours away.

Rachel: Well, thanks for joining us, Mark. I'm here to talk about shorts in the office.

Mark Smith: Shorts in the office, is that a thing? I can't lie to you; I'm going to take your stance on this one. I am not for shorts in the office, not at this stage at least.

Rachel: Oh, okay. I think we've got the professionalism, and I do prefer a suit and tie and that kind of aspect of things. But you never know.

Mark Smith: I did see from our New Zealand team that there was a TV article suggesting that people should wear shorts as it could make them more productive in the office. What's your view?

Rachel: I can definitely understand, and Australia is a very hot country. It gets very warm here. I think it's not the year for it, maybe next year, but who knows? I think we've got the professionalism, and I do prefer a suit and tie.

Mark Smith: If you're watching and you've got any comments on whether you would like to wear shorts in the office, then please pop them in there. I think it's very specific to the trade or what you do. Nurses and doctors wear scrubs, tradespeople wear shorts and high-vis. Office people wear office wear.

Rachel: I think it's very traditional, and I think the legal sector probably agrees with us. It's a very traditional sense of corporate attire.

Mark Smith: Now, I remember a day where women had to wear stockings to the office. What's the difference between that, and are we making that change now?

Rachel: It's definitely a discussion. Who's to say what you can stop people from wearing? People want to wear different attire to express themselves.

Mark Smith: Well, thank you very much, Rachel. Before I let you go, how's the market in Perth right now?

Rachel: It's booming in Perth at the moment. It's never a dull day, even coming up to this side of Christmas. Lots of people are still looking out and moving, getting ready for the new year.

Mark Smith: Fantastic. Thank you again for joining us on P2B Live. Clearly, I won't be seeing you wearing shorts anytime soon.

Rachel: Not anytime soon, not for me. Thank you.

Mark Smith: Excellent. It's now time.

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Season Two

Join Group Managing Director Mark Smith for the latest insights into the employment and job seeker markets. Explore our hot jobs across Australia and some exciting opportunities abroad in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

This week, Mark is joined by Consultant, Western Australia Rachel Adams to discuss whether shorts are acceptable at work in 2023..

Rachel joined our Perth office as People Manager in April of 2022, and was promoted to the role of recruitment consultant five months later. Before joining people2people, Rachel enjoyed a range of roles across different industries including working as a medical receptionist. Today, Rachel focuses on temporary and contract roles in the Western Australia market and has already successfully helped dozens of hiring managers across Perth.