Happy employees are hardworking employees.
And that’s good for business.
For instance, it’s been found that sales figures for happy salespeople rise by an impressive 37%. Can your company afford to lose out on such a significant financial boost?
It’s in everyone’s interest to be happy in the workplace. Consequently, companies would do well to nurture a sense of workplace satisfaction. But how can they do it?
Well, having employee uniforms is one effective method. They boost morale and create a sense of togetherness that feeds its way into work. But employee uniform benefits don’t stop there.
Companies stand to gain in a whole plethora of additional ways. Intrigued?
Keep reading to discover all the many advantages of staff uniforms.
7 Key Employee Uniform Benefits to Expect
Employee uniforms are often a workplace essential. They might be more advantageous than you think. Here are nine ways your company stands to gain from them.
1. Professional Image
A workforce wearing its own high-quality, well-maintained uniform will help cultivate a company’s image to the broader public.
Professionalism is key. Customers are sensitive. They’re far more likely to do business with you if the company appears trustworthy and credible. A uniform is a straight-forward, sure-fire way of creating this image.
Remember, first impressions happen in 7 seconds.
You want to ensure a potential customer responds positively to your employee from the outset. Uniforms help that to happen.
However, this is one way that uniforms can backfire. Just as a well-kept, smart-looking shirt can make a positive difference, a scruffy and stained one can create all the wrong impressions. Companies would do well to replace and update existing uniforms periodically.
2. Sports-Team Effect
Uniforms create a shared sense of bonding and camaraderie.
It’s the same as sports’ fans wearing their team’s shirt to the game. It’s a badge of honor and a sign of identity that brings people together around their club of choice.
In this case, that ‘club’ would be your company. That sense of shared identity can foster morale and improve satisfaction in the role. It creates team-spirit around the business.
This is where an all-around positive brand image comes into play, though. A workforce will feel pride in wearing the uniform of a well-reputed and respected company. After all, it says something about them.
A poor reputation may have the opposite impact.
3. Workplace Protection and Safety
Some working environments have very real dangers.
A factory, for instance, is full of heavy machinery, moving parts, and vehicles moving from place to place. There’s potential danger around every corner.
Uniforms can serve a dual-purpose in these environments. All the other benefits remain, but the uniform can also actively protect the employee from harm. Mandatory high visibility jackets, hard-hats, heavy-duty boots, and so on will all keep people safe.
4. Customer Relations
Uniforms help employees stand out.
That’s exactly why plain-clothes police officers are so effective. People expect police to wear their uniforms. Without them, they become just any other member of the public.
In the same way, providing a uniform for staff teams means customers will be able to identify them in a crowd. This is crucial in all manner of industries. Think about retail jobs, customer service reps, and airline hosts and hostesses.
For each position, the uniform (complete with company colors, name tags, embroidered name patches or anything else) shows customers who to go to for assistance and support.
5. Brand Recognition and Advertising
Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on developing their brand.
It’s crucial to success. Having a well-known and reputable brand can make or break a business. It’s vital that companies get their name out there.
Uniforms are one way of helping that process. A workforce wearing something in-keeping and relevant to the company message will help familiarize the public with it. This is effectively free advertising. Sure, a company spends money on the uniform. But as a result, their name, product, and/or service is shared to the public.
Think about Deliveroo. It’s now common to see Deliveroo bikes in countries around the world. The jackets and food bags all carry the Deliveroo name. Employees are effectively a cycling advertising board.
In terms of advertising and improved productivity, the ROI on uniform can be well worth it.
6. Workplace Security
We’re already mentioned how uniforms can help the public recognize a staff member.
Conversely, they also allow employees to recognize the public better. That can be important in terms of security. Someone who isn’t meant to be there will stand out like a sore thumb. After all, they aren’t wearing the right clothes.
Being able to spot a problem easily is the best way to prevent it from escalating. Security personnel can keep an eye on the vicinity and more easily spot a would-be intruder.
7. Saves Employees Money
A final uniform-related benefit is to the pockets of your employees.
Some people spend hundreds of dollars every year on new work clothes. From suits and ties to shoes and blouses, work clothes aren’t cheap. In today’s times of financial constraints for many, every penny counts.
Having a uniform means this is no longer a problem.
Provided by the company, employees don’t have to worry about buying their clothing for the workplace. That can save both time and money in the process.
Time to Get Matching
There you have it: 7 essential employee uniform benefits for your entire company.
Employees who enjoy their work are a much greater asset for companies. Their willingness to work hard pays dividends in higher levels of productivity and ensuing revenue. It’s in the interest of all parties for companies to do their utmost in support of staff-wellbeing.
Company uniforms constitute one way of doing just that. Through a sense of team-spirit and belonging, coupled with financial savings and greater security, uniforms are fantastic at improving employee satisfaction.
Nicely, the advantages don’t stop there. Hopefully, this post has highlight all the many ways that uniforms can come in handy.
Did you like this piece? Click here for five further ways to enhance staff productivity.