Symph dress code — and why we don’t have one
One thing that sets apart Symph from almost every other IT company in Cebu is its dress code: we simply do not have one. You can either be Dave, our CEO, who comes in pants and a polo or a polo shirt or you can be Dan, the chief of design, who usually wears an average shirt, shorts and flip flops. George, our Project Manager, though is a special case. (He wears sweaters in the summer and white pants when it’s raining. He’s George. George is special.)
None of us are required to wear polos, pants and shoes. It’s unconventional. Most people might not understand it or even frown upon it but it works. That’s why we’ve been sticking to it for quite a while now, and we’re sticking to it a wee bit longer.
Our company’s pursuit for, shall we say, fashion freedom has not always been a happy story. As a startup culture, freedom and self expression have always been essential in company operations. In one of our previous workplaces, for example, we had to stick to building rules telling us to wear sleeved shirts, long pants and closed shoes. That, among many other reasons, led us to look for a workplace we can call our own and where we can truly be free. From being strictly made to wear pants and closed shoes, Symph employees now work at peace in whatever combination of (decent) pieces of clothing they like.
From another perspective, this aspect of our culture also reflects the way we think. With dress codes, we shift our focus to things that matter more. Peter Thiel, for one, did not believe in such a policy. According to the PayPal co-founder, one should never invest in a tech CEO that wears a suit. Tech CEOs who care about appearance most probably has something to make up for. That may be in the product they offer, the way they work, anything.
Symph’s policy on clothing revolves around its employees. In the same way that Symph believes time is not an effective measure of work, Symph also believes what its employees wear is none of its business and does not ultimately affect the quality of their output. In a sense, dressing up removes the effort that can potentially be used in creating good products.
You see, at the end of the day, it’s not about how fancy your clothes are. Although we do try to be our presentable best when need be. In the end, it’s not the clothes that make clients happy.
