Like it or not, how you dress has an impact on how people perceive your brand. Some brands choose to allow their staff to wear what they prefer, as long as they adhere to a company dress code, while other businesses require their staff to wear a uniform.
7 reasons to adopt a uniform in your business
1. Brand recognition
Uniforms don’t work for all industries or businesses, but there are many that adopt the uniform dress code to create consistency in their brand and assist with immediate recognition. Banks, airlines, franchises and medical centres successfully use uniforms for brand recognition. When walking through a busy airport, a uniform will allow you to easily recognise who works for the airline that you are travelling with. While in Woolworths, it’s easy to identify who works in the store and is able to assist you, as they are wearing their uniform.
Whether you are walking down the street or at a football game, you’d still be able to recognise a brand through the use of a uniform, even if you aren’t actually purchasing from them at that particular moment.
2. United
A uniform can create unity within a company. Brands that provide their employees with uniforms are letting them know that they are valued and play an important part in the business.
3. Belonging
A uniform can also give the employees a sense of belonging. By putting on their uniform, they feel a part of something and know that they are easily recognised and identified in the community.
4. Pride
A uniform can instil pride in employees. This pride starts at a young age with wearing a school uniform. Schools that encourage pride in their pupils also require their students to wear the uniform correctly – especially when out in public. People become particularly proud of their uniform if it is easily recognised as a superior or well trusted brand. Institutions such as the police, army, navy, airforce and fire fighters wear uniforms with pride. Their uniform clearly identifies that they are part of a trusted and well respected industry.
5. Team spirit
People who wear a uniform often feel more of a sense of team spirit. Sporting teams or even groups that don the same outfit and participate in events such as The City to Surf are a good example of this. Contiki encourages their travellers on each tour to design a T-shirt that they then get printed and distributed to the bus full of enthusiastic explorers. They wear these t-shirts (no matter how badly designed) to show that they are part of something fun and exciting, and when they see someone wearing the shirt, they immediately connect and bond.
6. No pressure
Having a uniform is particularly handy for large companies that employ hundreds of staff – all with varying tastes and economic backgrounds. By adapting a uniform, the company is creating an even playing field for all staff to be viewed as equals, so that no one is made to feel inferior to another.
7. Consistency
A uniform results in a cleaner more consistent look across what may be multiple locations in multiple states or even countries. This consistency can build confidence in a brand as the customer knows that they will receive a consistent service from a brand that projects the same image (and dress code) across all locations.
If you do choose to adopt a uniform for your brand, ensure that you all it to reflect your Brand Personality. Carefully plan what you want your uniform to say about your business. Think about the colours, the fabric and the function. Don’t choose a fabric that is going to be too warm if your staff are going to be moving around a lot. Ensure that the uniform allows them to move easily and perform their jobs comfortably, safely and efficiently.
Written by branding specialist Debbie O’Connor
Consultant, Strategist, Keynote Speaker
