The Importance of Wearing Uniforms At Work and its Benefits

8 min read

Jason August 14, 2020

Uniforms, be it corporate or industrial, are strengthening the structures of any organization in today’s society. The importance of wearing uniforms at work is not limited to just creating brand awareness, but can also be functional like in the case of industrial workwear or be worn as a matter of pride like in the military.

Did you know that the first recorded usage of (school) uniforms was in England and goes back to as far as 1222? However, the current modern school uniform design did not come into the picture until the 16th century.

It is believed that the Christ Hospital School in London was the earliest known school to adopt uniforms in 1552. The school’s uniform comprises of a long blue coat and a knee-high yellow sock.

After all these years, its uniform remains almost unchanged and is also the oldest uniform to still be in use. Even its students did not want any change to the design.

The uniform’s striking blue and yellow colors and the student’s proclivity towards it is a perfect example of how a uniform can create brand recognition or a heritage brand in this case.

The same applies to industrial workwear and corporate uniforms. With them becoming a mainstay in today’s world, they serve a larger purpose than being a brand identity by providing safety, security, and other functionality.

Earlier, during the industrial revolution, employees and managers were made to wear uniforms to distinguish them between their ranks and roles.

Today, with more stringent safety standards, industrial workwear has come a long way in providing not just identification, but also more safety and durability. The corporate workwear on the other hand evolved into a blend of both casual and professionality.

All this evolution of uniform changes and the need to don one boils down to understanding the importance of wearing uniforms at work.

Benefits of Workplace Uniforms

Below are some of the most important benefits of wearing uniforms at work and they include for both the employees and the company.

Business opportunity

It is one of the most important benefits of employee uniforms. The business opportunity can be in the form of establishing a brand identity and work as a marketing tool.

Most employees believe that wearing a uniform to work is just to look nice or to project a professional image. However, a uniform’s purpose serves much more than that.

Any company that takes its employee uniform program seriously understands the importance of workwear and leverages it in one way or the other.

Promotes unity

This holds true especially for a large corporation where it can be a tad intimidating for employees to approach their higher-ups.

Having single workwear for everyone irrespective of the job position can build unity and make the management seem less intimidating and more approachable while expressing their concerns.

This puts everyone on the same platform and creates a sense of team spirit and bonding between coworkers.

Saves time and money for the employees

Did you ever look into your closet and not find appropriate clothing to wear to work or run out of time while deciding what to wear?

This problem can be completely eliminated by maintaining workwear apparel. It essentially makes life easier for employees by saving valuable money and time spent in either buying new clothes every often to stay trendy or in deciding what to wear.

It also helps in preventing an employee from wearing inappropriate clothing for work. A uniform program also ensures control over company apparel and branding.

Provides employee protection

Unlike corporate uniforms, industrial uniform programs do not just fulfill branding and recognition needs of a company, but also provides protection to employees working in areas of services that involves fire, chemicals, and other hazardous substances.

With the advancement of fabric technology, the materials used in the making of industrial workwear has become more durable and safe over time. This workwear is carefully designed and needs to comply with the health and safety standards of that area.

In addition to providing safety, industrial uniforms also help in recognizing or identifying an employee from outsiders. This especially holds true to areas like public safety. Take firefighters, for instance. Their workwear is designed in a way that it offers protection from excessive heat and flames, and also helps the public to identify them.

Walking advertisement

This is perhaps the most common and important reasons for a company to employ the use of workwear. In essence, a uniform is a walking advertisement for a brand and an inexpensive way to promote it.

A well-designed uniform makes the employee stand out from the rest while at work or on the way to and from work, as well.

Factors like a unique logo, vibrant colors, and design collectively help form a brand image. In addition to creating brand awareness, it also helps in providing good customer experience by making it easy for the customers to identify employees in a crowded place.

Disadvantages of wearing uniforms at work

In spite of the innumerable benefits of wearing uniforms at work, there are a few tiny disadvantages to it, as well.

A poorly designed work cloth can restrict or hamper an employee’s performance while at work.
Not setting a proper standard or fixing the materials to be used for an interview can make an employee push the limits of workwear by wearing inappropriate clothing.
While wearing a uniform promotes unity among the coworkers, it also prevents uniqueness or identity among them.
Using employees as a walking billboard can tire them as they have to constantly remember the fact that they are a part of a company everywhere they go.
An employee who cannot carry his/her uniform in front of the customers may project a bad image to the public.

You may also want to read about the importance of wearing a uniform at schools and work from here.

Now that you are aware of the importance of wearing uniforms at work and are inspired to opt for one, for your company or employees, you may want to invest in a good uniform program.

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