--- title: Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work? description: What can you wear to work in the summer? canonical: https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-21T16:06:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:02:46.289Z og:title: Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work? og:description: Or do the summer garments violate workplace dress codes? og:url: https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2bdc0701a7439bf/698898cae20a874135a914ef/can-wear-shorts-work.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Woman daily supplies shot knolling style. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work? twitter:description: Or do the summer garments violate workplace dress codes? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2bdc0701a7439bf/698898cae20a874135a914ef/can-wear-shorts-work.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work? by [The Editors of Motto](https://time.com/author/the-editors-of-motto/) ## The Editors of Motto Jun 21, 2016 4:06 PM UTC  Woman daily supplies shot knolling style. Woman daily supplies shot knolling style.Yagi Studio—Getty Images by [The Editors of Motto](https://time.com/author/the-editors-of-motto/) ## The Editors of Motto Jun 21, 2016 4:06 PM UTC Every summer, women in the workplace are faced with the challenge of wearing something comfortable that’s still office-appropriate. While [school dress codes](http://motto.time.com/4341678/ban-skinny-jeans/) dictate [skirt lengths](http://motto.time.com/4288890/new-zealand-high-school-gender-discrimination/) and occasionally even [monitor undergarments](http://motto.time.com/4361645/dress-code-bra/) (not okay), workplace protocol isn’t always so clear. Skirts, dresses and even rompers tend to be in the clear for office protocol, but shorts remain a topic of great debate. Men fought the anti-shorts attitude last summer with the [#FreeTheKnee campaign](http://www.today.com/style/should-men-wear-shorts-office-guys-freetheknee-new-trend-t37046) and fashion publications [have praised](http://www.instyle.com/news/summer-wear-shorts-office) culottes and formal shorts as acceptable workplace attire for hotter months. But that doesn’t mean you should sport cut-offs in the conference room. “It all depends on the industry you’re in,” Kate Weiss, the vice president of human resources at Time Inc. [told InStyle](http://www.instyle.com/news/summer-wear-shorts-office). “If you’re in finance, probably not. But in a more creative environment, you probably can. Ask yourself: If you’re called into a meeting with senior leaders, would you feel comfortable wearing shorts?” And now we’re putting it to you, Motto readers: Are shorts cool at the office? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/"},"headline":"Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work?","datePublished":"2016-06-21T16:06:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:46.289Z","description":"What can you wear to work in the summer?","url":"https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2bdc0701a7439bf/698898cae20a874135a914ef/can-wear-shorts-work.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Editors of Motto","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/the-editors-of-motto/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2bdc0701a7439bf/698898cae20a874135a914ef/can-wear-shorts-work.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Woman daily supplies shot knolling style.","caption":"Woman daily supplies shot knolling style.","creditText":"Yagi Studio—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4376372/poll-should-you-wear-shorts-to-work/","name":"Poll: Should You Wear Shorts To Work?"}}]}] ```