Some 51 per cent see a slick appearance as key to climbing the corporate ladder, while 87 per cent would always wear a suit to an interview.

These beliefs are reflected in the clothes worn to work every day. Only 13 per cent of workers dress down, while 47 per cent follow a ‘smart casual’ code and 40 per cent wear a suit.

Despite these formal leanings, wearing a tie is no longer the norm in most offices. Three in five men state that they never wear ties, while only one in five wears one every day.

However, comedy ties, along with jeans, short skirts, flip-flops, trainers and sportswear are deemed unacceptable by the majority of businesses.

The survey also canvassed attitudes to work wear. It appears that UK workers are a conformist lot, with nine in ten respondents strictly adhering to their dress code every day, and only one per cent feeling uncomfortable doing so.

Lewis Woodward, head of network marketing at Reed, comments: ‘The old adage “dress for success” clearly rings true, with the majority of office workers happily embracing their company’s dress code and feeling proud to represent their brand.’

Reed surveyed 3,200 white-collar workers registered on its database.