Why is Personal Presentation Important at Work?

There are so many obstacles that stop an employee's growth within a company. And one of these obstacles is the employee's poor personal presentation.

Without a good personal presentation, an employee may never receive positive attention. But he will get enough negative attention.

Without knowing him well, his coworkers make negative assumptions based on his appearance. They'll say things like "He is not professional", "He's a negative person", or He is a bad team player".

The truth is that they express their concern about his poor personal hygiene. They think that he doesn't want to make their life easier while working in the same team.

What if the employee would try to improve his presentation in the workplace? Would his coworkers consider his efforts to be in the team? Would all the negative perceptions about the employee disappear?

May ... but that's not the only benefit of having a good personal presentation at work.

See below which the benefits of aligning your appearance with the company’s standards.

What is a personal presentation at work?

A good personal presentation speaks about the employee as a responsible employee. That's a message that influences his coworkers, supervisors, and managers.

Dressing, behaving and communicating appropriately leave a good first impression.

It’s a way of telling everybody that you want to be helpful to their working environment rather than being a hurdle.

The importance of personal hygiene in the workplace

Effects of inappropriate personal presentation in the workplace

You heard the saying that you have only one chance to make a good impression on yourself.

That’s especially important when you build relationships with coworkers or represent the company meeting clients face to face.

Let’s imagine the following situations where Jerry is our hero:

If, while meeting clients, Jerry dresses inappropriately it may result in lost opportunities and sales. Customers judge their service provider reps by their appearance too. They have a hard time trusting a poorly dressed person.
Jerry works in a beauty salon where clients come to make themselves beautiful. In this case, clients expect Jerry to have good personal hygiene and appearance.
Now, imagine that Jerry is a real estate broker. In such a case, any poor sign on Jerry’s appearance takes the client's focus from what Jerry tells them about the features of the house. Every time the client is distracted from the employers' words, his chances to sell the house decreases.
Now, Jerry arrives into the office looking like he rolled out of bed. He didn’t clean his teeth. He didn’t clean his nails, and his hair spikes due to unwashed hair. He just gave his coworkers a reason to be talked behind his back. In the eyes of management, sloppiness is a sign of disrespect for your job.

Which are the most important personal image standards at work?

1. Be well-groomed

To be well-groomed follow the below basic grooming tips:

use deodorant without excesses.
maintain a clean hairstyle.
trim your nails.
shave your face. Or if you have a beard, maintain it regularly.
wear clean and fresh clothes matching the style and color.
avoid wearing excessive jewelry.

Related:

14 Tips for Maintaining Employee Personal Hygiene at Work

2. Maintain a healthy image

Another element of personal presentation is a healthy physical appearance.

A healthy look speaks about practicing healthy habits, eating well, and exercising.

This keeps the employee energized and positive.

A healthy employee is more efficient and takes fewer sick leaves.

While on the other side, poor health speaks about an employee as having a weak character. That tells his boss or coworkers that if he can’t take care of his health then he can't take care of the company as well.

3. Maintain good hygiene

maintain a dental hygiene routine to avoid such hygiene issues such as bad breath, caries, teeth yellowing.
maintain good body hygiene to avoid releasing embarrassing odors and skin diseases.
wear clean and ironed clothes.
wash your hands often to avoid the spreading of your microorganisms within the office.

4. Show a friendly attitude

Besides maintaining a good workplace personal hygiene and having a pleasant physical look, you must also behave professionally. This means treating your coworkers and clients with a positive and professional attitude:

greet and welcome guests appropriately.
use suitable language.
show good and friendly manners.
open doors for guests.
offer seats.
be confident and maintain good posture.
be punctual.

Conclusion

Your presentation at work plays an important role in your career growth.

Maintaining a professional appearance helps your coworkers and your boss perceive you as a valuable employee in the company while your clients perceive you as a helpful and useful professional at their job.