Most business owners are aware that how their employees dress can make a big difference to their bottom line. But sometimes, a great look comes at a cost that goes beyond the price alone. Although the colour of staff uniforms may be just right, the fabric quality can be poor, or the incorrect fabric is chosen for the work being performed. Either way, this can add up to extra costs to replace uniforms in a far shorter time than they need to be.
What to Do If You Have Bright Company Colours
Companies with brightly-coloured staff uniforms need to ensure that the colour stays vibrant. And the only way to do that is to choose a material that will lock colour in for the long term. Otherwise, your uniforms will change tone with every wash, making your employees look unkempt and unprofessional when they should look cohesive and organised.
Wash-ability
In days gone by, work uniforms would be washed together at an industrial facility, and it was the facility that would be responsible for the care of the uniforms. Today, however, many employees are washing their own uniforms. This makes it easier for employees to access their uniforms and saves companies money.
The shift to employees washing their uniforms at home makes choosing the right fabric even more crucial than it already is. The fabric chosen must not only be able to be rid of stains and other dirt easily, but be able to be washed over and over.
To add to the complexity, the fabric and its colours must be able to withstand all kinds of washing cycles, from quick and light to long and heavy. They must also be able to ensure washing with other household fabrics found in the regular daily or weekly wash.
Of course, a large part of this is up to the employee. However, if the fabric chosen is not good at locking in colour, this will make it more difficult for employees to wash properly.
Where and Wear
There are many kinds of staff uniforms which will vary with the seasons, featuring thicker fabric in fall and winter than in spring and summer. A thicker fabric will offer durability. In addition, because seasonal uniforms are only worn during a season, they may last longer than those which are worn all year round.
However, even the finest fabrics can look sloppy when worn in certain situations. For example, cotton trousers may work well for employees standing up and making a presentation, but the fabric can wrinkle easily with a lot of bending and sitting. So an employee that spends an hour or two travelling to a conference can wind up looking like they slept in their trousers when the time to make their presentation arrives.
A blended fabric brings the best properties of several materials together, and can ensure that your employees always look fresh and professional, no matter what tasks they accomplish in a day.
Selection
Of course, when choosing the fabric for your staff uniforms, you will want to ensure that that same fabric will be available long into the future should you hire more employees or should some employee sizes change. One way to avoid disappointment may be to choose a more popular material that’s usually in stock. As well, you must ensure that material will have all of the properties required to allow your staff to do their jobs comfortably, as well as wash their uniforms easily.
When selecting fabrics for your uniforms, it’s also important to remember that the more attractive and comfortable the uniform, the more likely your staff will be to treat it with care.
