Free us from our leg prisons: It’s time for blokes to wear shorts to the office

Opinion: As the warm weather starts to arrive for another year, it’s time for a very serious discussion about workplace attire. More specifically, shorts in the office – and why it’s time for us to finally be set free from our leg prisons.

For years, blokes have been forced to wear long pants to the office, solely because it was a social norm and what was expected from us.

COVID relaxed our approach to office wear a bit, making it all the more difficult to go from working at home in pyjamas until midday to chucking on a pair of chinos or jeans and a polo shirt before commuting to work.

Personally, I run hot. Outside of work hours, I spend about 90 per cent of my life in shorts and T-shirts.

There’s a photo of me in January 2025, smack bang in the middle of the US winter, walking around Indianapolis at zero degrees Celsius wearing shorts.

When it comes to an average work day, I live in Lugarno and work in North Sydney.

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Door to door, I’m looking at about 70 minutes of travel – drive, walk to the train station, get on a train, swap to the Metro, walk across to the office – all while wearing long pants instead of shorts.

By the time I get to the office, especially from, say, October to March, if the days are getting up around the 30-degree mark, it’s not the most comfortable way to start a shift.

There will be those who argue you can simply bring a change of clothes to work, but when you factor in a laptop, a water bottle, a packed lunch and whatever else is required to get through a day of work, an extra set of clothes and some deodorant makes it feel like you’re packing for an overnight stay.

I’d rather not to be lugging an overnight bag from one side of Sydney to the other, or having to worry about locker space, just to be comfortable in my place of work.

That said, there are occasions when long pants are 100 per cent necessary.

If you’re in an external meeting with somebody important – or, in my line of work, interviewing an athlete or celebrity – you should probably do so with the calves hidden away and wear some pants.

But the question begs: if you’re spending two or more hours a day commuting, just to sit in the office for eight, doesn’t it make sense to do so with a bit more comfort?

I’m not saying guys should start rocking up in activewear for a full day of work, but some nice tailored or smart casual shorts certainly won’t hurt anybody.