I would like to question the most basic assumptions instilled by corporate mentality, the individual standards, their sociological and psychological implications and their reasons for existence.

Watching the business people walking through Melbourne or any capital city, how does one know they work in a corporate environment? For a man it may be a nice suit, a black bag and shoes, a short hair cut and a clean shaven face. For a lady it may be the presence of a dark coloured skirt with a contrasting blouse, tan stockings, a sleek hair-do (pony tail or bob, we’re not over generalising here), pointy flat shoes or heels (there are many ways to look the part) and a debonair handbag.

I don’t wear high heels or own a nice handbag. That stereotypical category does not apply to me, I hear you say. There are many ways to skin a cat.We dress this way because it is expected of us. We maintain a certain image so our peers, colleagues and customers think highly of us. A sleek image is the mark of a true professional.

I put so much effort in to my appearance by dressing nicely, applying make up and doing my hair that I begin to expect the same from my colleagues. I start to scrutinise those that come to work ‘sloppy’. The girls that forgot to ‘do’ their face or fix their unkempt hair (although the look is in fashion now). That miserable man on the train who looks atrocious in his oversized hooded jumper and swish swish track suit pants.

Yes that’s him. He has long red-brown hair haphazardly tied in a low, matted pony tail. Maybe he’s talking loudly on his cell phone or perhaps he’s travelling with his feet on the seat, chewing gum.

This man could not possibly hold a job, let alone be a professional working in a reputable company. I totally agree. He may excel at a number of things. Certainly the sale and distribution of illicit substances. Certainly not the sale of legally obtained products or the distribution of weight off the couch and in to the workforce.

We need to consider this man carefully. What is our perception of him, what does our experience tell us about people who look like that and what are they traditionally good for.

United we scream hobo, drop kick, public transport fare evader, louse, uneducated. We associate his image with everything uncouth and honestly it’s not an unreasonable assumption. From television and most crimes we witness or hear of; statistically this image fits commonly with the above attributes.

This man is not good for anything.

The association is formed. The conception we form about his dress and behaviour feed in to our psychological assessment of his worth.

I have an education, a paying job, intelligence. I don’t want people thinking I’m like him. I certainly want my work colleagues to hold a good impression of me and my capabilities.

It is reasonably construed that we maintain a certain professional image to avoid the possible misconceptions I have made about the man above. We make an effort and judge those that don’t do the same.

The problem lies within the fact that we actually have no idea how ‘professional’ or how good one is at their job based on their appearance. Some of the smartest and most capable people I know love to bum around the office with unkempt hair, funny loafers and daggy clothes.

Are the visual professional standards we set a reflection of competence in the workplace?

I think not and yet the image persists.