At Maui Jim Inc., a Peoria, Ill.-based sunglasses manufacturer 40 percent owned by RLI Corp., shorts and parrothead shirts are encouraged year-round despite the chilly winters. The company even sponsors a Shorts for Life contest for its 275 headquarters employees.
Any employee who wears shorts to work for three months consecutively has his or her name put into a drawing for a grand prize. The annual prizes aren't fabulous, spokeswoman Rhonda Bessert says - a $150 gift certificate for the mall, a trip for two on a local riverboat - but she describes it "more of a pride thing."
Chris Abbruzzese, 45, takes it seriously - the marketing director has worn shorts to the office every day since August 1997, sometimes changing from a suit to shorts in his car when en route back from a serious event elsewhere.
"It's all in fun," he said. "It makes for a good story and creates an atmosphere where people can have fun but still be professional."
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