We all know the main arguments for having a work uniform, right? It promotes the brand (so long as it’s branded), it gives the customer a point of focus (your staff are clearly identifiable) and in workplaces where safety equipment and PPE (personal protective equipment) is a concern it clearly marks the items that were given to employees by you to discourage theft and also ensures that your workers are in gear that you are happy with the quality of. But one of the main criticisms of staff uniforms is that they are cheap, nasty and often unfashionable with employers being accused of just shopping on price with no consideration for other factors.
Why Make Uniforms Look Good?
There are several reasons to make uniforms fashionable. Firstly it will stand out from the crowd, think about how many workplaces have a simple polo shirt with the company logo either printed or embroidered on the front? This is fine in one sense but it will in no way catch the attention of customers or even staff themselves. Why would you want staff to be enthralled with how the uniforms look? Well, believe it or not, it could be one of the reasons that they choose to apply to work for your firm, not the only or even the main reason but it could be a factor. In this article in Esquire, Will Hersey talks of wearing the same outfit every day and mentions an experiment a news presenter ran wearing the same thing every day for a year and no-one noticed but pointed out that it would be noticed more if it was out of the ordinary (he wore a plain blue shirt).
Where To Get The Uniforms From?
Where should you source your uniforms from? Well, you want to be different but you really don’t need to go to Paris, the fashion capital of the world! That being said if you do choose one of the main industrial garment providers you are going to get the same collection of polos and fleeces that everyone else has. If you have the range and funds then why not hire a bespoke designer and get something truly just for you, see some samples from a leading designer in this field, W.M. Sudgen and you can get a feel for how personal you can make it.
How Far To Go
Should you have everything that your employee wears to be personalized and branded? We would say, yes, as far as possible. Maybe you don’t need to go as far as things that won’t be seen such as underwear, but that being said you can even get custom-designed socks made for you from somewhere like OurSock.com.
Should You Give Staff Choice?
How many different lines should you offer and how many choices should you give staff? It all depends on factors such as budget, number of employees and what type of work they will be doing. Also, you should consider equality these days, do you offer unisex garments or do you go down the traditional line of having male and female options and also you should be aware of the options for transgender employees.
