Many people think of uniforms as being something that’s only worn in the military or private schools. In reality, employees across many industries also wear uniforms.
However, why might you want your employees to dress in uniform? Will that harm morale or comfort? As you’ll see in this article, there are actually a number of really great reasons to require and provide uniforms for your employees.
Customer Service
Uniforms are actually much more common in the service industry than you might have thought. Both the hospitality and retail industries commonly require uniforms, and that’s not without a lot of thought about how this affects the customer.
If you were a customer in a hotel and needed extra towels, wouldn’t you be uncomfortable about asking someone for help if they weren’t in a uniform? If uniforms weren’t required, you might very well end up asking a well-dressed guest instead. Uniforms help customers identify associates easily. This makes them more likely to feel comfortable asking questions, and will help them feel positive about their customer service experience.
Professionalism
Uniforms are a huge contributor to how your customers view your business and associates. Not only does it make your employees appear more approachable, but it also helps them to appear more professional and serious.
Too often, employees at small boutiques or overly casual retail outlets dress in a manner that can detract from the image that you want your company to portray. If you want your business to be seen by your customers as established, professional, and as having expertise in the industry, uniforms are almost always a must.
Equality
In the corporate world that lacks uniforms, it’s usually fairly simple to see who in the company has a superior position. The CEO and other chief staff members have plenty of money to spend on frivolous items. They are often seen wearing only the best Armani suits along with expensive shoes, belts, and other items.
This does not promote unity in the company. This kind of behaviour puts up walls between employees on different pay scales and contributes to feelings of distrust between the employees.
Uniforms, on the other hand, promote comradery, and can help employees to feel that they are an equally important part of the company’s ultimate mission.
Of course, there’s always the factor of each employee’s health and physical condition. Employees who are very healthy and attractive sometimes dress overtly provocatively, and this can also create feelings of jealousy. Uniforms eliminate this possibility and turn the organization into a much better place to work.
This equality can also be observed by your customers. If an obviously expensive outfit can engender feelings of jealousy or distrust in other employees, it can certainly do the same for customers. Eliminating any form of friction and distrust in your customer’s minds is always helpful.
Simplicity
Even if you’re not in the service industry, uniforms can be a great asset. Employees can concentrate less on how they look, and more on how they work if they’re provided a uniform. Particularly useful in dirty jobs, uniforms can even reduce stress in your employee’s minds, as they don’t have to worry about damaging or staining clothes that they’ve worked hard to purchase.
Uniform suppliers such as Total Image can help you improve your image in the eyes of your customer, and your employees.
