Shorts win backing as summer workplace option, while flip-flops remain a professional taboo

•    More than 3 in 5 British adults believe it is acceptable for both men (62%) and women (63%) to wear shorts in the workplace during hot weather 
•    64% of the public view flip-flops as completely or fairly unacceptable for men to wear to work, compared to 58% who say the same for women. 
•    Around 2 in 5 people (40%) deem tank tops or vest tops acceptable workplace attire for women, whereas only 24% view them as acceptable for men. 

Shorts and short dresses gain strong workplace approval
As standard office dress codes continue to evolve, substantial majorities of the British public now support more relaxed lower-half attire during summer heatwaves.

• 62% of Britons state that shorts are acceptable for men to wear in the workplace specifically.
• An almost identical 63% support women wearing shorts to work in hot weather.
• Close to 3 in 5 adults (59%) say that short skirts or short dresses are acceptable office attire for women during high-temperature periods, compared to just 20% who say they are unacceptable. 

Firm boundaries remain on casual shirts and footwear
Despite a growing openness to shorts, British adults maintain strict professional boundaries when it comes to athletic shirts, casual headwear, and open-toed shoes.

• 64% of the public view flip-flops as unacceptable workplace wear for men, while 58% say they are unacceptable for women.
• More than half of adults (56%) state that tank tops or vest tops are unacceptable for men in the office, whereas the public is split for women, with 40% finding them acceptable and 38% finding them unacceptable.
• Hawaiian-print shirts face some resistance, with 44% viewing them as unacceptable for men and 41% viewing them as unacceptable for women.
• Baseball caps divide the public almost equally for both genders; 39% deem them unacceptable for men compared to 41% who say the same for women. 

Mixed social tolerances on men going shirtless in public spaces
Beyond the confines of the formal workplace, the research also tracked broader public expectations regarding seasonal etiquette and general public decency during hot weather.

Half of the British public (52%) think it’s unacceptable for men to walk around in public places without a shirt on during hot weather, with the remainder divided between thinking it’s acceptable (23%) and neither acceptable nor unacceptable (23%)

• Perceptions of unacceptability rise to nearly 3 in 5 (57%) among women, falling to just under half (47%) among men.
• Those 18-34 are the least likely to consider it unacceptable (36%), rising to 51% among those 35-54 and 64% of those 55-75. This age group is, similarly, most likely to find it acceptable (35%, compared to 23% among 35-54s and 15% among 55-75s).
   

Notes:
•    Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,126 online British adults aged 18+. Polling was conducted online between 29 May and 1 June 2026. 
•    Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.