I never found fitting into the “status quo” to be much fun and I was never very interested in dress codes or institutional culture. At Living Tours, we know that it's our brilliant people who set us apart and it's their unique personalities that bring the brand to life and help us deliver exciting, unique and authentic experiences.

That's why, at Living Tours, we never promote dress standards with ties or overly formal attire and introduce four days and two days off work for our Tour Experts. People should always be able to be themselves at work, but it's hard to do that if you tell them what to wear and how to act. I always hated ties at work! It may seem like a trivial thing to do, but being comfortable and relaxed at work shouldn't be underestimated!

In the last two years, companies around the world have realized the benefits of remote and hybrid work and realized that suits and ties don't magically increase the performance. Forcing people to follow the corporate line does not contribute for a welcoming work environment, and conformity or sameness does not encourage creativity. People will have much more fun (and work harder) when they don't have to worry about unnecessary formalities and hierarchies. At the end of the day, someone's attitude, creativity, and passion always outperform the presentations.

With people returning to the office and navigating in a new working world, it's time to leave the dress code for good. Encourage your team members to wear whatever makes them feel most comfortable and whatever helps them feel true to themselves.

I believe that our people like working for us, because our way of working is more relaxed and because we celebrate the things that make us unique. At Living Tours, we share many examples about how our people are empowered to make their own decisions, and we deepen into all the different ways this benefits business.