A good friend of mine is a leading global advisor to life insurance companies, he travels extensively and consults at board level. Recently I asked where his London office is now situated, "any Starbucks" was his answer. "Why have an office?" was his question, "the people I meet are too busy to travel and yet they appreciate 30 minutes relaxing over a coffee".

For more formal presentations and planning sessions he uses his clients facilities, very occasionally he rents serviced office facilities by the hour.

"Put simply" he said "I have a basic rule; does this cost money or make money?" and in 2014 expensive offices certainly don't make money.

Likewise does dress at work really matter? If staff are clean and appropriately covered all that remains is motivation and productivity.

Todays workplace freedoms would have been unimaginable 30 years ago and yet look at what we have gained by adopting the important factors of respect and comfort and letting the formal pose and its associated ego/status go.