A company isn’t just a moneymaking venture – it’s also a team. And, or course, those two definitions feed neatly into one another, as strong, team-oriented companies tend to do better business than those that are dysfunctional, fractured, or solely bottom-line-driven. A great way for any company, big or small, new or established, to reinforce togetherness is through uniforms, which not only signal to customers that the company is unified, but is a strong signal amongst employees as well. Here are some reasons why every company should adopt a uniform.
Especially in retail, it is highly important for customers to be able to spot workers quickly and definitely. Confusion and disorientation are detrimental to customer experience. To that end, it’s important for workers to wear uniforms since it quickly signals their ability to help out. Choose something in a distinct colour – a colour that’s pulled from your branding, perhaps – and that has a clearly displayed company logo on it. For Canadian companies, creating a compelling, well made uniform that will catch customers’ eyes will likely lead you the Printscanada.com website, a leading apparel printer that specializes in company uniforms.
And not do uniforms simply signal the presence of an employee to a customer; they also signal authority. People innately trust workers in a uniform, as it projects competency, field-specific knowledge and approachability. A company thrives on being an authority in its given industry, and unfortunately that’s undermined when workers are left to wear whatever they want in front of customers.
Those are the benefits uniforms have in relation to customers, but what about their benefits to employees? Well, enforcing a uniform policy, while it might meet a little resistance at first, actually has the benefit of reinforcing a team mentality, as well as a greater tie-in to the company identity. Team building is very important to a company, and there are fewer ways to build a team mentality that are as cost-effective as a uniform. It promotes a sense of togetherness and belonging, and, in many cases, employee pride – if a company uniform is well made, workers will often wear it as a badge of honour.
The other main benefit to employees, which sort of dovetails with the last point, is that uniforms are a great equalizer. There is no class or income disparity, no clashing cultural identifiers where uniforms are implemented. No employee can flaunt their wealth, while another employee feels bad for not being able to afford great clothes. Everyone gets a well made, well fitting uniform. This egalitarian approach to employee relations will serve to create a more unified team.
Having branded uniforms made – especially quality printed or embroidered uniforms – will have a wide-reaching positive effect on your company. A company can’t survive on simple ambition alone; at a certain point it needs to look at customer experience and employee wellbeing as integral parts of its business practice. In this way, from improved customer experience to better employee relations, uniforms make a terrific investment.
