A senior manager at Google has said that dressing up and putting on makeup for work - even while working from home - helped her feel more productive, confident and ultimately “more successful”. In an as-told-essay published in Business Insider, Anchal Mirza, 36, who has spent over a decade at the tech giant, shared her experience, explaining how maintaining a polished appearance influences her work mindset.
Mirza currently works in strategy and operations, focused on data centre optimisation and efficiency. After relocating with her family to a suburb outside Philadelphia, she now splits her time between remote work and commuting to the New York City office twice a week.
Despite Big Tech’s famously casual dress culture, Mirza said that she prefers a slightly more polished look. “I work best when I’m a little more dressed up — whether I’m in the office or working from home. When I look the part, I feel more productive, motivated, and overall, successful,” she told Business Insider.
Work-from-home 'uniforms'
The 36-year-old shared that over the years she has developed 2 simple “uniforms” for work that help her balance casual and business styles. “I'm either wearing jeans with a polished top or sweater, or I'll wear nice slacks with a more casual shirt,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}The 36-year-old shared that over the years she has developed 2 simple “uniforms” for work that help her balance casual and business styles. “I'm either wearing jeans with a polished top or sweater, or I'll wear nice slacks with a more casual shirt,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Mirza added that her appearance became even more important during the Covid-19 pandemic when remote work became the norm. Before 2020, her team already relied heavily on video meetings due to the size of Google’s campuses. When work shifted fully remote, she decided to maintain the same professional look she had in the office. She continued wearing makeup and dressing in work-appropriate clothes even while working from home.
(Also Read: Google engineer says Claude Code built in 1 hour what it took Google 1 year to do)
How does dressing up make her feel confident?
She said that this helped her maintain the same sense of presence and authority during virtual meetings. “Doing so helped me feel like I had the same presence and authority as I did in the office,” she wrote, adding that it allowed her to “command the digital room”.
Mirza also said that she relies on a minimalist wardrobe filled mostly with neutral colours, making it easy to mix and match outfits and avoid decision fatigue. On remote days, she said that even small details, like simple jewellery or neatly pinned hair, help her feel more put together.
According to her, dressing up works as a psychological cue that it is time to focus on work. “When I’m dressed up, I definitely feel more productive. I’m also more efficient,” she said.
She added that as a woman working in tech, that extra boost of confidence can make a meaningful difference.