Switzerland’s workers still wearing long trousers despite heatwave
While men in Germany are going to work in shorts and T-shirts this summer, men in Switzerland are still wearing long trousers and closed-toe shoes – even in record-breaking temperatures. By contrast, female workers across Europe are united in their preference for long trousers with their T-shirts. That’s according to a new survey on workplace fashion – and fashion-related no-nos – commissioned by Galaxus.
Europe has been sweltering for weeks. In fact, June 2026 was the hottest on record. So, are people showing up to work wearing less clothing than usual? Do workplace dress codes offer any wiggle room in record-breaking temperatures? Are there gender-based or country-based differences at play?
In a bid to find out, online retailer Galaxus commissioned market research firm YouGov to poll 2,616 people from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France on the topic.
Dress codes are a thing of the past
Just under half of Europe’s workers are allowed to wear pretty much whatever they want to work. These are the workers who aren’t obliged to follow a dress code. Survey respondents whose companies did have set rules on workplace attire cited closed-toe shoes (20 per cent) and long trousers (18 per cent) as the most common requirements.
Around 15 per cent of workers are obliged to wear uniforms, protective gear or clothing branded with their employer’s logo. As for suits, hardly anybody seems to wear one in 2026 (four per cent).
Germans flaunt their calves, the Swiss and Italians keep them covered
Although rules governing workplace attire have eased up, many workers in Switzerland still show less skin than they’re allowed to, even on hot days. Men in Switzerland are more likely than their European counterparts to wear long trousers (60 per cent) and closed-toe shoes (56 per cent) to work. Workers in Italy tend to cover up too, with just 16 per cent of respondents reporting they wore shorts in a professional setting.
Men in Germany are the most casually dressed in the comparison, proving the most likely to wear T-shirts (69 per cent) and shorts (38 per cent) in the workplace. Male workers in France are the most likely to let their feet breathe, with only 37 per cent opting to wear closed-toe shoes.
Women in Germany, on the other hand, keep their feet covered – even on hot days. Just 29 per cent of the country’s female respondents said they wore open-toed sandals to work – the lowest figure in the comparison. More than half opt for closed-toe shoes, a higher proportion than any other country surveyed. Women based in countries outside of Germany seem to make very similar sartorial choices on hot days.
Switzerland tends to self-police workplace fashion
When asked about fashion-related no-nos at work, respondents in Switzerland again proved the most conservative. The country’s respondents were the most highly opposed to almost every potentially controversial garment mentioned in the survey. While almost all countries surveyed agreed that bikinis and swimsuits had no place in a professional setting (regardless of whether a job is customer-facing), Switzerland’s 66-per-cent anti-swimwear response was strikingly higher than that of other countries. Survey respondents in Switzerland were also strongly against visible navels: 73 per cent considered exposed belly buttons inappropriate in customer-facing jobs, with the figure dropping to 57 per cent in non-customer-facing roles. In Italy, by contrast, 25 per cent said crop tops were inappropriate in non-customer-facing jobs, compared to 37 per cent in roles involving customer contact.
In France, tank tops and spaghetti-strap tops are «en vogue», even in customer-facing jobs. Only about 20 per cent of respondents living there said strappy tops shouldn’t be worn at work, compared to about 50 per cent in other countries. Although respondents in Germany have a similarly relaxed view of vest tops being worn in non-customer-facing roles (25 per cent), they’re far more strongly against the practice in jobs involving direct customer contact (44 per cent).
Returning to strict Switzerland, most of the country’s respondents stated wearing sweatpants in customer-facing roles was unacceptable (61 per cent). No other country comes remotely close to that level of anti-sweatpant sentiment.
Compliments and criticism are few and far between
Clothing tends not to spark workplace chatter. About 70 per cent of people in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France said they’d never commented on their coworkers’ outfits. Those who had discussed their colleagues’ attire mostly reported doing so in a positive way. In nearly all of the countries surveyed, a minority (about five per cent) reported giving purely negative feedback on their colleagues’ outfits. Workers in France and Austria are the most likely to dish out fashion-related compliments at work.
The survey doesn’t reveal whether Italy has a more open feedback culture or a more relaxed attitude to established style conventions. However, it does tell us that in the country that birthed Gucci and Versace, your coworkers are more likely to comment on your outfit than in other European countries. In fact, you’ll often receive both positive and negative feedback from the same person.
The survey results indicate there’s room for improvement in all countries when it comes to giving compliments. The next time you like an item of clothing or an outfit your coworker is wearing, why not just mention it? A little praise never hurt anyone.
How do you dress for work on hot days? Does your company have a dress code? Are your employer’s clothing regulations too strict, just right or too lax? We’re looking forward to reading your comments.
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