Flip-flops Number One "don't" for summer work attire: survey

A woman walks with flip flops in Washington, July 15, 2003.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Flip-flops are the Number One "don't" when it comes to summer work attire, with miniskirts coming in second, and strapless tops third, a national U.S. workplace outlook survey found.

In the survey for employment services company Adecco, men and women were divided over their definition of appropriate summer work clothes.

While men and women respondents were united over the deeming of flip-flops as too casual, 80 percent of women thought miniskirts were inappropriate while only 61 percent of men agreed. More than 76 percent of women believed strapless tops inappropriate, as opposed to 55 percent of men.

The survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Adecco from June 22 through June 27, and questioned 1,000 Americans 18 and older.

Flex time is the summer workplace perk the respondents want the most, with more vacation days following.

Americans are also trying to incorporate more health and fitness into their summer, with nearly 80 percent saying they were making more health-conscious eating decisions at work.

About half of the respondents said they were trying to incorporate physical activity during, before, or after work.

The survey also asked about the U.S. economy, and found 88 percent of the respondents said unemployment and gas prices were their greatest causes of concern. A lack of available jobs followed at 86 percent.

Forty percent of respondents said they were less confident in the economy than a year ago, while 41 percent said their confidence was unchanged.

(Reporting by Eunju Lie; Editing by Jerry Norton)