Uniforms That Represent Your Business and Its Needs
An organisation’s success isn’t solely about customer acquisition, sales, and profit. It’s about creating a culture where staff feel valued and motivated to make a difference. One of the simplest and most effective ways of doing this is with branded uniforms. These make employees feel like they’re part of a large group, with no room for differentiating or discrimination - a group with a common goal, wearing the same clothing, and having similar values.
If you want to build an environment that will motivate not just your employees but also your customers, it’s worth considering the introduction of uniforms to your company. In this article, we go over the main reasons to create a uniform for your company.
What is a uniform?
A uniform is specific garments that have to be worn at work. It’s typically marked with the organisation’s name or logo, identifying the wearer as an employee of the particular company. Employers typically pay for or reimburse purchases of uniforms.
Uniforms and dress codes are different; companies with dress codes offer guidelines for the type of clothing employees have to wear, but don’t require specific brands or products. Employers who have dress codes are not obliged to pay employees for purchases made by their employees.
Why are uniforms important for your business?
Uniforms positively benefit your business in myriad ways, from increasing brand recognition to boosting your staff’s morale. Considering creating a uniform can sometimes be as simple as placing embossed logos on professional clothing, opting for a business uniform is often a no-brainer. Here are some of the top reasons why uniforms are important for your business’s overall identity.
- They advertise your business
Consider the uniform of your business as a free advertisement. Utilising your company’s colours and logo on promotional items creates a visual depiction of your brand. This will strengthen your brand recognition and spark interest in potential clients. Cleantex is a reputable provider of high-quality uniforms that understands the power they hold; on top of providing a wide selection of uniform types, they also offer various personalisation, repair and replacement services.
It is essential to keep uniforms neat, ensuring that the employees wearing them positively reflect your brand’s values through their presentation. After all, customers will make a judgement on your business based on your uniformed employees’ appearance and behaviour. Regardless of whether they’re inside or outside their workplace, this can leave a lasting impression, so why not make it a positive one?
- They create consistency across the entire company
If a multi-location or franchise company has a uniform look and feel across all its locations, this shows customers that it’s the same brand they’ve come to recognise and believe in. This consistency helps build faith in the company and assures your customers that they’ll receive the same service and quality product regardless of the location.
- They represent skill and competence
Uniform-wearing employees instil confidence in customers by signalling that they’re an expert in the field who is trustworthy and willing to assist. Uniforms also allow customers to recognise employees in a retail environment, which eliminates any guesswork on the customers’ behalf.
- They eliminate the need for dress codes
Employers who require their staff to wear uniforms eliminate the necessity of creating and enforcing an appropriate dress code. In the past, employees generally dressed conservatively, however, today’s workers like to show their individuality through their outfits. Ensuring that dress codes are workplace-appropriate can be time-consuming and in the worst-case scenario, result in negative reactions from employees.
- They create team spirit
When wearing uniforms, staff feel a sense of belonging, particularly in public. Even if they’re from different places, there is often a feeling of belonging when recognising other employees. This creates an immediate connection and bond. This team spirit can help individuals work more effectively together.
Uniforms also show your employees that you value them equally and play the same role within the organisation. In a professional setting, it is important to create the impression of your brand among your target customers and the ideal ones. It creates unity and consistency in your company’s brand.
Things to consider when selecting or creating uniforms
If you’ve decided to introduce uniform requirements to employees, remember to consider the following points.
Brand consistency
Uniforms should positively represent your company’s image to clients, ultimately creating confidence and trust. It’s crucial to ensure that uniforms reflect your brand with accuracy and consistency; this means maintaining the same colour palette, logos, and fonts across uniforms and other marketing materials.
Employees’ feedback
Considering your employees will be the ones wearing the uniforms, make sure you include them in the decision-making process to improve their satisfaction and ensure compliance. Request their opinions on the design and its utility, such as sizing and material. After Cleantex has created a prototype design, let your team members try out the uniforms and provide honest feedback.
Cost
It is also important to be aware of uniform-related costs. It is important to find a balance between a cost-effective option for a business, and high-quality uniforms that will stand the test of time.
First impressions
Think about your brand as a whole, and ensure that your brand’s custom-designed uniforms align with the existing branding. Colour consistency is essential to ensuring that your branding is successful. Uncoordinated branding is among the biggest mistakes you could make when building a successful business and corporate brand identity.
Make sure you have a unique corporate uniform. You can incorporate your logo and colours into the uniform design. A consistent branding strategy helps customers become familiar with your business and build trust. Customers who are confident in you are much more likely to purchase from you.
Personalisation
A company logo should always be included on your uniforms, but have you thought about going one step further to make your staff stand out? Embellishing or printing an employee’s name on their uniforms or even using name badges is an effective method to help your employees instantly establish relationships with customers. When you source your uniforms from Cleantex, they can add your company and employee names to your chosen garments along with emblems, embroidery or screen printing.
After all, Customers would like to know who they’re working with and are more likely to start a conversation with employees if they can identify them. Like all uniform designs, it’s recommended to try it out and test the outcomes before you commit to customising every piece of clothing for every employee.
Value for money
Budget should be a factor for any company, whether it’s a small business or a giant corporation. Think carefully about the short-term and long-term goals you want to achieve, set a budget, and adhere to it. While uniforms can evolve over time if necessary, it’s ideal that you don’t have to redesign your uniform frequently. Consider the best way to showcase your brand’s identity in the future.
Will your uniform be able to withstand the daily pressures placed upon it? Will you have to purchase regular replacements? How many uniforms will each employee require? For example, certain employees may be assigned duties that require regular replacements to preserve the company’s image. Cleantex understands this, which is why they quickly respond to any necessary repair, replacement or support issues, making them a trusted provider of high quality uniforms.
What colour should your uniform be?
When designing a uniform, one of the most crucial decisions is what colours you will use. Although many companies like to build their uniforms around their logo colours, we suggest using Cleantex to help you choose the right colour for the workwear. For instance, yellow is typically associated with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. Black is a great choice for those looking for an elegant look, as it gives an air of authority. Meanwhile, navy blue is often connected to intelligence.
If your staff members serve in a fine dining restaurant, you can’t go wrong with plain black trousers, a black shirt, and apron ensembles. However, if you’re designing uniforms for a creative team, vibrant and striking colours will be more impactful and represent your company’s fun, lively spirit.
Cleantex provides a wide range of uniforms that can be customised to specific industries, from industrial and automotive to food processing. Our apparel specialists oversee every aspect of the uniform design process, from fabric selection to fittings and personalisation.
Partner with a trusted uniform provider
Opting for uniforms is an excellent business choice, however, it’s a decision that requires careful analysis. Since uniforms hold a wealth of potential for your business’s success and your staff’s motivation, be sure to partner with a uniform provider that is reputable and trustworthy, such as Cleantex.
Why Choose Us?
No matter what size your business is, we can manage the supply, laundering and delivery of your workwear. We tailor a garment rental and laundry solution that is flexible, responsive and designed just for you and your employees. Let us look after the laundry and management of your employees' workwear and we will ensure that they always have clean and ready to wear uniforms.
To learn more about their uniform and speciality workwear services, reach out to them today.
