WILMINGTON, Mass., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Uniform rental service programs provide many benefits for businesses above and beyond the improvement of their overall image and brand promotion. Many rental program providers supply all required employee uniforms with no upfront costs, have scheduled drop-off and deliveries at your place of business, include benefits like hygienic laundering and shirt pressing, and even make necessary repairs and replacements as needed. Moreover, research supports that consumers prefer being serviced by uniformed employees, noting that easy recognition of an employee's affiliation with their service provider can make them feel more at ease and can instill a higher level of confidence1.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, leading uniform service companies have cited an appreciable shift toward the adoption of managed uniform programs—particularly in the healthcare industry—for businesses who had previously not considered them. A greater understanding of the potential risks associated with cross contamination has moved to the forefront of daily life for many, and the benefits associated with managed uniforms and industrial hygienic laundering have undoubtedly been a driving force behind the increase.
The above-mentioned benefits alone are enough to provide distinct competitive and health advantages for uniformed companies over those without uniform programs, but the following ten reasons go multiple steps further, touching upon areas like hygiene and wellness to financial advantages to some that one may not typically associate with a managed uniform program.
- Improve your overall business image
There is truth behind the term "dress for success." Carefully considered employee uniforms instantly create a more professional business image and can help attract and retain customers. Qualities like pride, unity, professionalism, dedication, and many others are silently conveyed by staff in uniform and go a long way toward painting a more positive image of your business.
- Promote your brand
Uniforms that display corporate logos and colors afford immediate brand recognition and simultaneously differentiate a business from its competition. Clean, pressed, professional-looking uniforms communicate pride in what you do, inherently increasing trust and confidence in your brand without saying a word.
- Advertise for free
Well-designed work uniforms essentially become "walking billboards," promoting a company's products and services "for free." Thoughtfully placed logos and strategic use of brand colors and patterns have a cumulative effect, exponentially increasing brand recognition over time with zero ad spend.
- Protect your workers
Above and beyond the branding benefits of uniforms, functional benefits like wearer safety should also be taken into consideration. Specialty safety uniforms that include flame resistant (FR) and/or high visibility garments can help prevent injuries caused by accidental electrical arc flashes or flash fires and can help protect workers from being struck by motorized vehicles in low-light work environments.
- Improve security
Employees in uniform can quickly be identified as part of an organization, making it easy to determine who should and should not be on the worksite. The same premise can work in a departmental sense: distinctly designing uniforms or choosing unique uniform colors to distinguish different departments and disciplines can also go a long way in keeping the right people in the right places.
- Prevent product cross-contamination
Uniform programs designed specifically for the food or healthcare industries can help reduce cross-contamination threats. Food production and/or food processing garments are often specially designed to help businesses comply with Hazard Access Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) regulations, while industrial hygienic laundering of healthcare garments like scrubs and lab coats can help reduce the transference risk of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogen from the workplace to the home.
- Create team spirit
An increased sense of team spirit, unity, and belonging can be fostered through work uniforms. Wearing similar clothing adorned with a company logo allows employees to feel a sense of connection to each other, to the work, to the company, and to the company's goals and mission. In fact, psychological research has proven that a dress code or uniform program at work helps to increase abstract thinking and productivity in employees.
- Employee benefit
There are many employee benefits to a uniform program. Employer-provided uniforms save employees money. And when provided as part of a uniform rental program, eliminate employee laundering time and expenses. Many uniform rental programs also include automatic garment repairs and replacements, and some even allow for size exchanges with a change in body (e.g. weight fluctuation).
- Improve customer relationships
Work uniforms immediately identify company representatives who can be asked questions about the business or approached for purchasing information, thereby improving overall customer service. Clients may also grow used to seeing your uniformed employees arrive at a certain time or on a certain day, making their interactions with your staff an anticipated and welcome part of their day.
- Promote company pride
Work uniforms help instill a sense of pride and responsibility and can convert employees into "brand ambassadors" outside the actual workplace. Much like the idea presented in number nine above, pleasant, happy, professional, and memorable experiences had over time between your employees and your clients have a cumulative and collective effect on how others view and perceive your company as a whole.
"These benefits are typically included when we ask potential customers to consider a new uniform rental program," says Adam Soreff, Director of Marketing and Communications for UniFirst Corporation, a leading provider of work uniforms and ancillary business services throughout North America. "There are many conveniences offered by a managed uniform program, and businesses recognize the value in freeing themselves from the ongoing time and maintenance requirements that go along with a self-managed uniform program."
For more information about UniFirst and uniform rental programs for your business, please visit UniFirst.com.
About UniFirst
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.
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The research study, "The Customer Perception of Uniforms in the Workplace" was sponsored by the Uniform and Textile Service Association and conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.
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SOURCE UniFirst Corporation
