Halloween at the office: Are costumes appropriate? [Google+ Hangout]

It’s going to be a Halloween of record proportions. But with the spooky day falling on a Wednesday this year, will you be dressed appropriately when you go in to work?

Spending on the holiday is expected to hit a peak of $8 billion, up 10.7% from 2011. Consumers will shell out $2.9 billion for costumes, a 12.2% increase coming off a 34.8% boost in 2011.

But that doesn’t mean your colleagues are down with revealing outfits and offensive get-ups. More than half of the people surveyed by career website Glassdoor said the colleagues who celebrate Halloween in poor taste should be asked to change. Some 14% think they should be sent home.

LIVE VIDEO DISCUSSION: Join us at 3 p.m. today

The Times is hosting a live video chat at 3 p.m. PDT on the issue. Columnist David Lazarus will be talking with business reporter Tiffany Hsu and fashion writer Adam Tschorn.

We invite you to join in on the conversation by posting comments and questions below.

But be warned: The sartorial debate might not impact too many workers. Only about 1 in 10 told Glassdoor that they plan to show up at their cubicles in costume.