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Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. It seems everything in life is cyclical to some degree, especially when it comes to the world of work. That said, there are some givens. We know the members of the current hot band had better be socking away every penny they make, because the egg timer on their career is about to ding. The same can be said for your kid’s favorite Disney actress. We all expect these people will try to become edgy in order to cross over into the adult entertainment world, but most of them will eventually end up sidelined on a B reality show, trying to fit through a wall or talking with Howie Mandel.

With the economy being fairly relentless in its barrage on the work force, there are some notable unexpected changes afoot. The biggest is that corporate casual seems to be slowly fading away or getting upscaled to some degree.

What’s interesting is that it doesn’t seem to be company policy driving the changes; it is the employees. Even the human resources department doesn’t have a hand in it – if you can believe that.

If you have read my articles for any length of time, you know I work for Manpower Inc., which specializes in employment services. The company’s biggest niche is in the selection and placement of great candidates. In the past, we have had to remind candidates who are interviewing to dress as if they want the job – and then we would remind them again, and then one more time. With the recent changes in employment, that has changed as well; now they are asking us how they should dress for the interview.

However, interviewing is not the only area where corporate casual is becoming a casualty. With the uncertain future of jobs within companies, people are starting to dress more professionally on their own.

Why, you might ask? Because they think if they look more professional and garner a better attitude, they won’t be the one chosen if layoffs come around. Smart strategy? Only time will tell.

Though not all companies gave in to corporate casual, a lot did. Most of that came from the fact that for quite a while it was an employees’ market, so they were able to drive some of these initiatives.Companies saw it as a great no-cost way to recruit and maybe separate themselves from competitors. It was typically included along the lines of work-life balance.

Well, it appears the balance is swinging the other way at full force – at least for a while.

So for now, Brooks Bros. stock may go up and Dockers may go down. The way things cycle and shift, this may just be what keeps corporate America from adopting even lesser standards in the office. Anybody ready for Speedo to release corporate apparel?

I thought not.

Nick Reddin is the business development manager for Manpower Inc.’s Des Moines office.