The Break Room: 4 Work From Home Fashions to Bring Back to the Office

As many of us have discovered over the last couple months, working from home has some serious pros and cons. While we miss daily interactions with our coworkers and could do without our Zoom meetings being interrupted by various human, animal, and machine noises, we also get to sleep in a little later, skip the commute, avoid efficiency-sapping office small talk, and — perhaps best of all — dress however we want.

Here are 4 work-from-home fashions we should bring back to the office (whenever we get there).

1. Bathrobes

Possibly the worst part of a normal work day is the moment you step out the front door into that chilly morning air in your thin, crispy work clothes. But now, there’s no need to slip out of that cozy robe until YOU are good and ready. Especially if you’re spending your morning on some rote task like moving numbers around a spreadsheet or replying to mundane emails, you can ease yourself into the day with a nice cup of coffee and what amounts to a wearable blanket.

It’s essentially as close as you can get to staying in bed while still being able to say to your family and neighbors, “No, I did work today.”

You can wait ‘til 10 to take that shower. Or after lunch. Or even tomorrow, if it’s been that kind of day.

You can wait ‘til 10 to take that shower. Or after lunch. Or even tomorrow, if it’s been that kind of day.

The self slack-cutting the robe represents would be a healthy evolution to the modern office environment, where people tend to look like they are “really getting after it” and “stepping up their game.” Practically speaking, a robe can keep you insulated from rogue HVAC systems, and give coworkers a way to gauge your level of enthusiasm on a given day. Maybe if Kevin sees you in a robe, he’ll understand that you’re really not in the mood to deal with his issues today before you actually flip out on him and let him know it in a less-than-professional manner.

2. Tank tops

As warmer weather rolls in, many of us find the idea of sleeves increasingly cumbersome. Hunkering down in a shady spot outside with your laptop, some fizzy water, and a tank top can make even the dullest work tasks approach downright enjoyability. Why shouldn’t that free and easy feeling come back to the office with us?

3. Bare feet!

While many people complain that wearing masks is awkward and uncomfortable, most of us never stop to question why we wear shoes all day long. Now that we are working from home, we often go several days at a time without wearing shoes or socks and frankly, it’s incredible.

How many times have you sat at your desk with your feet just absolutely roasting? Or stepped in a puddle on the way to work and sat with damp socks and chilly toes for the entire day, rather than simply hanging your socks to dry on the wall of your cubicle and putting your bare feet up on your desk to air out? If we all simply removed our shoes when we arrived at work, everyone would be much more comfortable.

Now, some may object that between the bare feet and the tank tops, the office will look more like a day at the beach than a proper workplace. That may be, but it will be the most productive day at the beach you’ve ever had. And with a few foot-washing stations installed strategically around the office, concerns about odor or hygiene should also be easily resolved.

Now, some may object that between the bare feet and the tank tops, the office will look more like a day at the beach than a proper workplace. That may be, but it will be the most productive day at the beach you’ve ever had.

4. Sweatpants and an old T-shirt while lying in a fetal position on the floor and staring vacantly at your computer screen

Let’s just be honest — we’ve all found ourselves in this outfit/position from time to time in the midst of this experience. Often, it’s right after we’ve received a daunting new assignment, or had our children refuse to eat anything but pretzel sticks for the 3rd day in a row.

You’re lying there, watching for emails or alerts from your team, and although you’re not technically working on your report, it is open on your screen, and just being in proximity to it is about all you can manage.

These kinds of days can happen in the office just as they do at home, and we should have the option to dress accordingly.