Should Your Business Have a Dress Code?
Staff members react differently to being asked to wear uniforms. Some see it as a necessary part of the job, while others see it as essential in distinguishing them from ordinary people. Some see uniforms as a threat to their identity, but others see it as an excuse to dress up in something stylish for their working day. In this article, we’ll examine whether your business should institute a dress code and the reasons behind the many uniforms we see on the streets and in stores in the modern world.
Consumer-Facing Firms
There’s no doubt that those firms that interact directly with customers should institute a dress code. The reasons for this are obvious: you want your staff to be immediately recognizable to visitors to your store or your cafe or restaurant. If you had no dress code, your business might simply look bereft of staff, which is off-putting and confusing to customers. Most important of all here is the fact that consumers make purchasing decisions on the advice of staff. If they can’t find someone quickly, they’ll simply leave your place of work and go to find a company with a more obvious workforce on the shop floor.
Conformity
There are other firms that aren’t necessary customer-facing but still might benefit from a uniform or a dress code. Uniformity and conformity are important for businesses – both in terms of outward appearance and internal values. You can reinforce the idea that your team is a unit, working together as one, if you instate a dress code or uniform for your people to wear. It needn’t be constrictive – it’s just a way for your team to feel part of something greater, contributing to team unity and teamwork.
Exciting Dress
Uniforms also needn’t be bland and boring. You can express a lot through a dress code, including excitement, energy and style. Businesses don’t need to place their workers in clumpy, ungainly shoes – they can dress them in custom Converse, which speaks of a youthful and vibrant energy. Office workers don’t need to be in shirt and tie – but if they all wear the same colored jacket, they might seem more approachable and more interesting to visiting customers and clients. So dress codes are as much about inspiring your workers and those around them as they are about making sure you all simply look the same.
Loose Rules
Other firms will be more relaxed on the uniform front, and will see no need to provide a set of uniform pieces to their staff. Yet they may still be interested in a loose dress code, which asks workers to dress in something smart, or else to all wear white shirts and dark skirts or pants. The reasons for this are multiple, but one of the stronger reasons is that it’ll help your workers prepare mentally for the working day. Putting on clothes that you associate with work gets you in the mindset for a day’s toil – and that’s important for productivity.
These considerations should inform whether or not your firm chooses to go with a dress code – now, or in the future.