A period of temporary balance always follows disruption, and the challenge is to find that balance, different to the old "normal" balance, whilst also accepting it is temporary. The systems we are part of continue to evolve faster than we do, so now and again, we need to adjust. The longer we leave it, the more disturbing it is.
In this morning's Economist, Bartleby's column reminded me of this, referring to the collapse of the traditional business suit market and the emergence of a new "hybrid" market somewhere between the disappearance of the old and the "top half only" etiquette of Zoom.
Perhaps the same is happening not just in our dress codes but also in our understanding of, and attitudes to, work itself.
Over the last half-century, the infrastructure of work has changed out of all recognition. Where it's run from, who is involved, and what it does makes the idea of concern about what we wear almost laughable. Yet, we still have the guardians of the old fretting, from the etiquette…
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