When you have a fast growing business that serves the public, nothing builds a brand image better than a business uniform. It indicates uniform service throughout the network.
When you do not have a uniform and rely on a dress code to maintain the business image it is extremely difficult to enforce it. How do you define business wear? What do you say or do to a member of staff that comes in dressed inappropriately?
When your employees are dressed in their uniforms you eliminate these risks. Work wear that has been well designed, comfortable, long lasting and easy to wear will make your business stand out from the competitors.
When your employees are wearing your uniform you dictate how approachable they look. You give your people a feeling of being in work mode the minute they are fully dressed. Wearing a uniform also helps to influence the way they behave and act towards your customers. Wearing a name badge will make them more accountable and less likely to be rude to the public.
Your employees will market your business wherever they go. Free advertising - how cool is that?
When designing a uniform take into consideration the following
The image that you would like your employees to project to your customers
The tasks that your employees are required to perform
The stresses and strains the uniform will have to endure daily
The comfort, ease of use and range of movement that the uniform provides
The seasons and how the uniform can adapt to the range of temperatures
The look and feel on different body shapes
How approachable your staff look in the uniform
The ease of maintenance and cleaning
It is important that you are involved in all aspects of the uniform design as nobody understands your business as well as you. Before you go ahead with a large order, carry out a pilot test run to see how well it copes in real life conditions.
Ask your staff for their feedback as they are the people who will be forced to wear it! If you involve them from day one you reduce the chances of rejection.
We now live in multi cultural society so it is a good idea to allow your staff to maintain their religious codes of dressing whilst still portraying the company image. People like being individual even when wearing a uniform so offer them accessories so that they can customise it to their tastes, needs and requirements.
Common accessories might include hand bags, neck scarves, head scarves, ties, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, short skirts, long skirts and knitwear. Your employees will not mind having to pay for their own accessories.
Many uniform manufacturers can easily make to order so it is not necessary to buy and hold stocks of the different sizes and accessories.
Review your uniforms annually to ensure that they do not get outdated. Nothing does more harm to your company image than old fashioned attire. Ask your uniform supplier to regularly come up with new ideas.