In a thirty story building located in the high-class section of New York City, a multi-million dollar security hedge fund has an office suite. In this office on Park Avenue, I spent my past two summers working for the company ********. I obtained an interview through a referral, and the job was offered to me on the spot. My responsibilities included controlling all aspects of their computer operations. One day last summer, I was notified a new employee would start the next day. The following day I woke up for a usual day at the office. I showered, shaved, and got dressed in my appropriate attire: sports jacket, white button down shirt, tie, khaki pants, and loafer shoes. I commuted into the city and proceeded to the office. I entered the building and gave my name and destination (Suite 801) as usual. After being directed towards a specific elevator, I traveled to the eighth floor, and sat at my desk. An hour later, my boss introduced me to the new stock analyst, Jonathan. He was dressed in a gray suit with a plain tie and nice shoes. He had long reddish hair that look like he did not comb it after waking up. Jonathan was given a series of standard instructions from my boss, but there was one last instruction that stuck in my mind, "... and by the way, get a haircut." This really shocked me at first. Why would an employer concern himself with an employeeÆs hair style? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a personÆs hair style is a sign of the business world culture.
Many things are distinctive about a business environment. Looking back at this event and all of my experiences at this job, each detail contributes to the business environment. First of all, is the appearance of the employees. A person who works in a business environment must have a certain hair style. If the worker is male, he must be cleanly shaven or have nicely groomed facial hair. He must also be dressed appropriately. There is a selection of different wardrobes that is considered appropriate for a person to wear. Another area in the business environment is people's behavior. People must have a certain attitude towards their work and to each other. As far as their work goes, they must be as efficient as possible. For the interaction between employees, they must be professional and respectful. Then there is the building and the office. A person gets the feeling from a business environment that the business is trying to show off its wealth. In this instance, from the second you step into the building you see that there are details that are unnecessary but are still there to add to the environment. For example, a doorman checks every person that enters the building. Then they direct you to specific elevators to go to specific floors. In the office itself, everything is very organized and expensive. Every one of these restrictions and all of the additions from the building and office combine to create the business environment, and each one is a sign of business culture.
Needless to say, Jonathan valued his job, and would not disobey a request after his first day. He came into the office with a noticeable difference in his appearance, his hair style. He did not get a trim; he got a completely new hair style. According to the business executives, it looked more "appropriate" for a business environment. That means that it fit in with the expected type of hairstyle for a male employee. An appropriate and expected hair style for a male in a business environment is short and orderly (combed neatly). The reason for this restrictive hair style is that a person's hair style in a business environment should not bring any large amount of attention to it. Basically, a person should try to look similar to everyone else. This causes a person to sacrifice individuality. Individuality in a personÆs appearance is therefore not important in a business environment This is due to the "team" concept of a business. Each employee is supposed to work as a team to make the business more successful. So individuality would counteract the "team" concept.
Another way to look at hair styles and facial hair is a sign of a person's ability to perform well in a business environment. An employee should be responsible, reliable, efficient, and respectful. In all areas of our culture, people are judged by their appearance. The business world equates long and/or uncombed hair or ungroomed facial hair with bad work habits. The business world views lack of responsibility towards hair style as sign of a lack of responsibility in all facets of life. Therefore, in the business world, a personÆs hairstyle signifies the personÆs work ethic.
Along with the restrictions on hair styles, the business world only allows certain types of clothing. For example, people who work in a business office must be dressed appropriately. Jeans and a T-shirt are not "appropriate". One day at the same office, the boss was away on vacation and was not expected back for a few days. One employee wore jeans and a shirt. To the employee's surprise, the boss came back early and reprimanded her for her "unacceptable attire". A possible reason for the restrictions on dress is that the type of clothes a person wears changes his or her attitude. People feel comfortable and relaxed when dressed in sweats. A person wearing a suit and button down shirt with a tie does not feel relaxed. The logic is that if the person does not feel comfortable and relaxed, they are compelled to pay more attention to their work. Therefore, if they are comfortable, the employees will relax and not concentrate on their work. Another reason for the restrictions in clothing is that it is common for people in the business world to show off their wealth, and a way to do that is to buy expensive suits, shirts, ties, and shoes. A possible reason for business people to show off their wealth is to put themselves in a higher class from other workers. This allows them to feel better about themselves.
A main concern for people running a business is making sure their workers are working as efficiently as possible. That is why there are restrictions on the behavior of employees in a business environment. People are expected to work well with others. Therefore, they must be respectful towards each other. It is also unacceptable for an employee to waste time fooling around. While they are at work they are to concentrate on their work and nothing else. These unspoken restrictions on behavior are signs of how successful businesses try to gain efficiency from their workers.
The doormen at the building and the appearance of the office are common in most business environments, and these details are also signs of business world culture. These doormen are not really necessary for the building, but they exist to add a sense of professionalism to the building and any offices within it. The doormen are perks given to businesses that have offices in the building. So the businesses pay extra money for these perks. Businesses try to impress anyone who come to their office, so having doormen and their own elevators is a way of impressing people. Businesses also do this through their office equipment and furniture. The sign behind all of these details is to give the impression of a well working office, that has a lot of money. Clients who go into an office and see cheap furniture and cheap office equipment do not have the same sense of security that they would have if it were expensive furniture and equipment. Clients need to feel secure with a company they are going to invest in, so that is why businesses spend that extra money.
The business culture is unique with its restrictive conditions. There are no other cultures that require such restrictive behavior and lack of individuality among the employees. Anyone can spot a "business man". They wear suits and carry leather briefcases. They often appear arrogant and they put themselves in a different class from all those around them. Perhaps, the restrictions in the business world exists to set them apart from all other workers. The fact that a business worker can be spotted and recognized is a reason for them to look alike. They try to tell everyone who sees them "I am a high class person who is better than you; I have a business job and you do manual labor. Therefore I am better." Obviously not all business workers have this attitude. Although, they all wear similar clothing and they must all have the same type of haircut. This is definitely a noticeable attempt for business workers to set themselves above and apart from all other types of jobs.
A business environment is different from all other environments. It is a restrictive environment in which everything from hair style, to clothes, to behavior, and to the actual place of business, is a particular way. Each one of these items are signs of responsibility, efficiency, and wealth. A successful business must have these qualities, and therefore business environments obtain them by having spoken and unspoken restrictions to increase these qualities. A hair style is more than the shape and look of a person's hair. It reflects the personalities of individuals which in turn reflects the abilities of the business.
