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便裝老板與正裝員工
THE PROBLEM 問題
I've recently got a new boss who differs from the old one in what he wears. He has abandoned suits in favour of linen jackets and khaki trousers and no tie. My team mates have stopped wearing ties as well and are in chinos and open-necked shirts. I object to this as:
我最近有了一位新老板，他的穿著和原來那位很不一樣。他不穿西裝，喜歡穿亞麻夾克和卡其布長褲，而且不打領帶。團隊中的男同事也已經不打領帶了，他們現在穿斜紋棉布褲和開領襯衫。我反對這種做法，因為：
a) they look terrible; b) they are guilty of brown-nosing; and c) my suits are expensive and I like wearing them. So far I am sticking to my guns, but increasingly I feel that I stick out from the others. Does this matter?
1）他們看上去很糟糕；
2）他們犯了阿諛奉承的毛病；
3）我的西裝很貴，而且我喜歡穿。
迄今為止，我還是固執己見，但我覺得自己和其他人的距離越來越遠了。這要緊嗎？
LUCY'S ANSWER
Yes, it does matter. All offices have uniforms, just as all schools do. In some schools the uniform is so strict that you get a detention if your tie knot is too loose. In others there is no stated uniform but every pupil knows that the dress stakes are high: they are judged not just by their brand of sweatpants but by precisely how low-slung they are.
是的，這非常要緊。所有的辦公室都有制服，就像所有的學校都有校服一樣。有些學校對校服的要求非常嚴格，如果你的領帶結太松，就會被留堂。還有一些學校沒有規定的校服，但每個學生都知道對服飾的要求很高：判斷它們的不僅僅是運動褲的牌子，確切地講，是看腰褲到底低到什么程度。
Your old boss wisely insisted on a strict uniform, which was easy as everyone knew what to wear and, as long as their suits weren't too ill-fitting, everyone could look relatively nice. Your new boss has swept away the old code by breaking it himself. But that doesn't mean he has eliminated rules. There are rules, only they are harder to read.
你原來的老板精明地選擇了堅持穿制服。這很容易，因為所有人都知道該穿什么，只要他們的套裝不是太不合身，每個人看起來都相對比較精神。而你的新老板親自將過去的規范一掃而空。但這并不意味著他排除了規定的存在。其實是有規定的，只是它們比較難理解。
Your colleagues have decided to take no risks in simply dressing like him. I can quite believe they look horrible - "business casual" is a hideous phrase for a hideous look. But I don't agree that they are sucking up. They are just belonging, which is what success in offices is all about.
你的同事決定不冒任何風險，簡單地和他穿類似的衣服。我非常相信，他們看起來會比較恐怖--"商務休閑"是為可怕裝束創造的一個可怕短語。但我不同意他們吸納了這種做法。他們只是在追隨，這是在辦公室獲得成功的全部所在。
Your boss won't be looking at their chinos and thinking: great trousers, great chap, I want to promote him. Instead he won't be thinking about their chinos at all, which is what one wants. If, by contrast, you continue in the old uniform, your suits become a statement. They say that you are conservative, formal and a stickler.
你的老板不會看著他們的斜紋棉布褲想：很不錯的褲子，很不錯的小伙子，我想升他的職。相反，他根本就不會考慮他們的斜紋棉布褲（或許那個人想這樣）。形成對比的是，如果你繼續穿原來的制服，那么你的西裝就會成為一種代言。它們說明你保守、正式，而且固執己見。
Possibly this is your image, and it works for you. If you can make a virtue of difference, stick with it. Otherwise I would go out and buy the nicest smart casual clothes you can find.
或許這就是你的形象，它對你起作用。如果你想與眾不同，那就堅持。要不就出去買些你能找到的最好看的休閑裝。
Keep your suits, though. I predict that the pendulum is about to swing back. In fact this new boss of yours is a couple of seasons behind the fashion. I bet the next boss will bring back strict uniform as the first thing he does.
不過，留著你的西裝。我預計鐘擺會擺回來的。實際上，你的這位新老板就是時尚背后的流行季。我敢打賭，下一位老板要做的第一件事就是把嚴格的制服帶回來。