Uniforms benefit culture, brand and employee satisfaction as well as performance, according to the views of a panel of contributors to ‘Fashion Fit for Business 2010’.
Australian company Flight Centre revealed two primary benefits of providing a uniform to its team of over 6000 people in Australia – corporate culture and employee satisfaction. Flight Centre reported a marked change in pride and professionalism of staff when the uniform was updated five years ago to a more contemporary range.
Rhonda McSweeney, General Manager, Procurement, Flight Centre believes the new contemporary uniforms underpin Flight Centre’s corporate culture.
“Egalitarianism has been one of Flight Centre’s core values since 1982 and the uniform is a symbol of this. Managing director to retail staff – we all wear them. It even helps with recruiting – usually, a candidate with a serious aversion to the idea of a uniform will ring alarm bells as someone who will not be a good cultural fit”.
The Council of Fashion and Textiles Industries of Australia (TFIA) believes employers that are as cost conscious as their staff, should put purpose, performance and fit at the heart of design – style being the icing.
“Poorly designed garments won’t fit well, won’t wear and tear well and won’t make the wearer feel good about going to work. Good uniforms not only reflect the shapes and silhouettes you see in retail fashion, but provide greater wear and less tear – saving the business money on regular replacements”said Jo Kellock, CEO, TFIA.
Key findings from ‘Fashion Fit for Business 2010’ were:
- Progressive organisations extend brand values (not just identity) into uniform design, from the choice of fabric to quality of the overall garment and inclusions of subtle brand details.
- Companies offering contemporary styles can see an improvement in employee satisfaction.
- Innovation in textiles means work wear, even for office or retail workers, can make work more pleasant and people more productive.
- Large workforces have a greater sample of the population and work wear can provide the size range to fit more people – creating a more consistent presentation of the brand.
- Employees will wear a contemporary looking uniform if given the choice.
- Quality and contemporary work wear can save an organisation money.
