‘Stiff business dress’ no longer suits Gilson Gray

While many businesses now adhere to a ‘Dress Down Friday’ practice, Gilson Gray’s ‘Dress for the Day’ policy - crafted by HR director Lesley Naylor and marketing director Vanessa Kennedy - aims to give staff more opportunity to show off their personality, both within the business and with clients.

Ms Naylor said: “Pretty much every corporate firm has a ‘Dress Down Friday’ rule, but as a business that likes to defy convention, we thought that rules stating what you can and cannot wear should go much further than one day. And the fact that we are a legal firm, and not say some new-start tech company, that wants to push these boundaries makes it all the more exciting.

“Dress For Your Day” will allow employees to bring a bit of themselves to work. We want to remove the daily dirge of corporate suits and dark colours that have been associated with solicitors and legal firms from time immemorial.

Ms Kennedy said: “We value our staff’s individuality and their personalities are what make them such a brilliant bunch of professionals for our clients to work with.

“The only basic rule is that we are asking for staff to look neat and well-groomed and be appropriately dressed for their daily business interactions.

“Of course, as part of our regular business practice, there will be times when a more formal business dress will be required and staff are expected to dress accordingly for these occasions.

“Giving employees more freedom with their workwear should not only provide a great boost for morale, innovation and company culture, it allows us to better reflect our brand and to showcase what makes Gilson Gray different.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more legal firms look to copy our lead in the future.”