Tips for Creating (and Enforcing) an Employee Uniform Policy

Creating an employee uniform policy gives your customers and clients a positive, cohesive view of your company. A well-implemented uniform policy does away with other workwear issues, including messy apparel and clothing choices that distract from your company’s image.

The Benefits of Creating an Employee Uniform Policy

The advantages of an employee uniform policy go further than presenting a smartly-dressed image to customers, although that benefit cannot be understated. When creating an employee uniform policy, your company suddenly has access to a host of other benefits, including:

 

• Easy identification of employees by customers,
• Improved security,
• A sense of unity among employees,
• Free advertising through branded workwear
•  Consistency in safety clothing
• Equality among employees.

Uniforms promote a feeling of ownership and company pride among employee, who also save money on work-related clothing expenses.

Creating an Employee Uniform Policy

Creating an employee uniform policy takes time but is well worth the effort. It’s advisable to include staff in the drafting of the policy and choice of workwear, rather than blindsiding them with a sudden change in workwear policies. Employees may also have insight into workwear and the appropriateness of types of uniforms management overlooks.

Uniforms and workwear should look smart but should also be comfortable. Even if you want unisex workwear, it’s still best to take gender into account. Women’s shirts and slacks are cut to fit differently from men’s shirts. If the colors, branding, and general appearance are similar, you’ll still be presenting a consistent image to customers.

Your workwear choices probably won’t please every single employee, but giving staff input into fabric, styles, fit, and colors will make enforcing an employee uniform policy easier.

When creating an employee uniform policy, think beyond the uniform. What type of accessories will staff be allowed to wear? If you’re providing branded uniforms but not shoes, what style of footwear is acceptable? Be sure to take staff’s religious or ethnic dress requirements and grooming customs into account.

Assign someone from Human Resources to write up the dress code policy, with explanations of what is and is not acceptable. Pick a day to launch the new policy and give staff plenty of lead time to prepare.

Enforcing an Employee Uniform Policy

As with the launch of any organization-wide policy, a uniform policy will take time to solidify in your workplace culture. Be patient over the first few weeks, giving gentle reminders as staff adjust to the new requirements. Enforce the policy consistently—nothing damages the launch of a dress policy more than applying it to some staff but not others.

The most difficult part of enforcing an employee uniform policy is dealing with chronically non compliant staff. Gentle reminders may need to be followed by formal warnings, or even sending staff home to change. Again, consistency is key. All employees should be subject to the same expectations and consequences.

Creating an employee uniform policy can revitalize your company’s image. Take your time, give it plenty of thought, and explore the many varieties of workwear available to your company.

 

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