… If you ask, people who have managed to stay employed during the pandemic will confess to owning a Zoom Shirt: a top, typically kept on the back of the computer chair or a hanger nearby, that they pop on in the moments before their webcam lights up. Like the pre-knotted tie Lyndon Johnson kept ready to put around his neck, a Zoom Shirt instantly spiffs you up for a last-minute work meeting. Or a meeting planned a week ago. Or a meeting with a friend. Really, all the meetings.
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For y’all who are working from home, tell us about your zoomwear routine.
My gf has worked from home since the beginning of quarantine and has formalized her situation so that she will remain working from home for the remainder of her career.
The thing is, her appearance is more important now than it was pre-WFH. She is the face of the agency that is working from home, showing the company to be cutting edge in these trying times. She even got a bonus to put toward new outfits. Occasionally I’ll come home and she’ll take a break from working, then when she goes back she touches up her makeup.
No zoomwear here - if I know I have meetings with someone more important than my Dean, I’ll put on a nicer shirt with my leggings/shorts in the morning. But otherwise, no one particularly cares.
Next week I go back into the office a couple of days a week and I’ll have to dress a little better then (no leggings/shorts/tshirts).
I typically try to wear a collared shirt on work days. I’ve been working from home for the last 5 years and it’s a simple routine that helps me separate work from home without leaving. That means I don’t really need a zoom shirt and no one knows if I’m wearing shorts, pants or nothing below the table.
I had a few zoom meetings with family schedules so I took the time to preview my setup and filters. When the siblings came on camera the first time 3/4 ths had the angles up the nose and we’re seated in a corner with a plain wall behind.
I’ve collected a whole bunch of virtual backgrounds. It’s easy–you can use just about any photo you have on your computer (if the file size isn’t teeny). There’s a little edge weirdness around your head, but you can just tell people your halo is acting up.
My workplace is super casual; when I have meetings with my team I’m usually the only one in a collared shirt. We try to encourage something floral on Fridays, and I have a few aloha shirts that fit the bill.
I have attended some meetings as a crocodile hand puppet.
We’re business casual in the office (although the men wear shirt and tie…weird). However, since WFH started, I would say 99% of our group is in a t-shirt on Zoom calls. I support this wholeheartedly, as I think “work wear” is stupid.
I reckon I’m on a zoom/hangout/MS Teams video call about 6 times a day, so I just dress like I did at the office. To be fair, I work in a creative agency, so suits were never a thing anyway. Jeans and a nice top suffice. Make up, always - I’m even more conscious of my face/hair than I was before because I can see myself on the video calls.
I’ve never been into slouchy homewear anyway - I don’t own pyjamas, track bottoms or leggings (except for the gym). I also used to work from home before the days of zoom, and found if I got showered and dressed for work, I felt more motivated.
I have a few shirts which have pin-sized holes at belly button level. I couldn’t wear them to the office, but they are fine for video conferences.
I wear something else when I go to the office.
The other thing is warmth. My home office may or may not be warmer than my desk area in the office. So I might end up wearing a sweater over a shirt, and that sweater won’t get changed very often. So my coworkers might get a bit bored.
I’ve suggested that people should try to wear some bright colors, as I do sometimes. Black and really dark colors gets really boring on video conferences.
