Exclusive: Deloittes goes ‘smart casual’, but no trainers allowed

Exclusive: Deloittes goes 'smart casual', but no trainers allowed

Staff at Deloitte & Touche will today be told they can ditch their traditional suits in favour of smart business casual wear for day-to-day office work.

The move – revealed exclusively by AccountancyAge.com yesterday – follows Arthur Andersens’ announcement in January that men would no longer be required to wear suits to work. American-influenced Andersens was the first Big Five firm to adopt chinos and open-necked shirts as office wear.

But now rival Deloittes has indicated it too is feeling the heat, and will follow suit in allowing its staff throughout the UK to shed their jackets and ties. The firm said the move reflected the ‘change in the business environment’.

The exact requirements of the new code have yet to be revealed, but it is expected that a memo similar to that sent by Andersens bosses – suggesting no blue denims and no T-shirts – will be e-mailed to staff today.

Confirming that a decision had been reached, a Deloittes spokesman told AccountancyAge.com that the policy would apply ‘Monday to Friday’ with immediate effect. Asked whether staff would be allowed to wear trainers, he replied: ‘No trainers – however expensive they are.’

But it seems the decision will not be universally well received. One Deloittes accountant told AccountancyAge.com: ‘I like wearing a suit.’

‘I know exactly what I’m going to wear every morning and don’t have to make any fashion statements,’ he told us.

Deloittes to follow Arthur Andersen dress-down move

The AccountancyAge.com guide to office casual

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