dress-down Friday

Wearing smart-casual clothes at work on Fridays, as opposed to formal business wear. The practice originated in the USA in the mid-1980s, partly as a response to the power dressing of that decade, partly due to the increase in popularity of so-called soft management techniques, and partly as a reflection of the casual dress prevalent in the booming Internet industry. Exported to Europe and other parts of the world, it became entrenched in corporate culture, but was not without its critics. It was claimed by some to decrease productivity, to increase customer dissatisfaction, and to give rise to stress for employees deciding what to wear. There has since been a backlash by many companies with the reinstatement of dress codes.