Instead of making life a little easier, this wardrobe concept has managed to baffle the workforce. Here’s how to do corporate casual the right way.

What makes business casual so ambiguous is the fact that each industry, and perhanps even every company, has a different set of norms. Smaller companies tend to have more relaxed dress codes as opposed to multinational corporations. And creative industries, such as advetising, are even more lenient since a relaxed dress code can be good for productivity.

Here are some tips to avoid disastrous casual dressing:

Take time to observe what the other employees are wearing. Do this as early as the first interview for a new company. By dressing in sync with the rest, there is no risk in sticking out like a sore thumb.

Ask the HR department for any guidelines that they may have. Some companies have gone the extra mile to get the rules of business casual for their office down pat.

Do a little research. Read about the industry and the company, ask friends who work in similar industries, and window-shop at stores that are known for selling business attires. Try to get a feel for the company.

Take into consideration the image that you want to project. A secret to quickly climbing the corporate ladder is to look the part, so do try to blend power-dressing with your casual getup.

It never hurts to be slightly overdressed. Always have a jacket ready in the office�??this can be thrown over whatever you have on and can make you instantly more presentable to a client or to a superior.

Business casual was adopted to make the work environment friendlier. But when taken to the extreme, it can cause tension in the workplace. Therefore, superiors should set the standards for the rest of the employees to follow. And for their part, employees should realize that while business casual is a privilege, it should not be taken advantage of at the expense of professionalism.