The Senate sergeant at arms and relevant congressional staff have been notified about changes to the chamber's informal dress code, which will go into effect on Monday.
I’m ok with this- who the fuck cares if you have a tie.
I was all shit and tie when I started my job, and especially after Covid, things have relaxed to just about anything. Sure, I still put on a nice work polo for a client meeting or something, but fuck the suit and tie. If anything, fancy dress code made me way less productive because I was god damned uncomfortable all day. I’m a software engineer and cloud architect- wearing a dress shirt and tie is ridiculous.
As for our lawmakers, one less thing to distract them from actually reading bills and having productive discussion is a win.
I have a friend who used to work for some big time government IT contractor, he was a tech guy, software engineer or something along those lines. One time they wanted him to go to some meeting, and not that he normally dresses like a slob or anything, but for the meeting he put on like a polo and khakis figuring he should look somewhat professional. They told him to go put a hoodie on because they thought whoever they were meeting with wouldn't take him seriously as a programmer if he looked too presentable.
I'm a programmer, and I like dressing up: I don't like ties, but I like wearing slacks and a button up shirt - so long as it's a nice fit, it doesn't restrict your movement, and there's a lot of things to subtly stim with - you can roll your sleeves up or rebutton the cuff, you can make your steps clack or silent depending on how you walk, etc. Plus people just treat you differently off the bat, it's a confidence boost
After a few years of constantly being told by everyone "you don't have to dress up, people come here in jeans and a t-shirt" I finally gave in and took the hint
People just expect good programmers to look aggressively casual these days
PS: I wear shorts or jeans and a tee every day. But oddly enough I also find suits really comfortable, as long as the shirt collar isn't too tight. And I even kind of like dressing up. Once in a while. Maybe it's because the laundry routine for a suit is much more of a PITA than tees.