Many researchers have examined how dress impacts the way people in the workplace see one another. However, little research has asked whether employees’ dress impacts how they see themselves.

Joseph Kim, Brian Holtz and Ryan Vogel find that dressing well not only boosts employees’ self-esteem, it also improves their work behaviors such as progress on tasks and seeking out social interactions with colleagues.

The findings indicate that employees can dress in ways that boost their self-esteem. While the authors do not suggest dress codes, managers can use this information to encourage employees to dress in ways that boost confidence.