Dress code policy is just one of many decisions executives at companies across the world must grapple with. Some companies decide to head off a lot of potential issues related to dress code by requiring uniforms (or a range of uniforms). In addition to preventing potential issues, uniforms are known to provide a number of benefits in their own right, such as increasing brand awareness, protecting employees in some situations, fostering a sense of belonging among employees, and more. For industries where safety is a big concern, uniforms ensure that all employees are provided an adequate level of protection from potential injury. For companies wishing to go down the uniform path, the next questions are “where should I get uniforms from?” and “what should I look for in a uniform supply company?”

How well uniforms perform comes down to 2 key factors: form and function. A business looking to hire a uniform supply company will ultimately need to provide all of the specifications for each type of uniform, but the top uniform supply companies will provide feedback/advice on how well provided specifications compare to similar uniforms across an industry. Placement of pockets, patches, protective layers and more will vary widely by industry. One constant across all industries, however, is a preference by employees to be able to get uniforms on and off as quickly and easily as possible.

Durability is another factor to consider when it comes to choosing a uniform supply company. Uniforms need to have proper form and function while also lasting for as long as possible because replacing uniforms obviously costs money. With most uniforms being highly visible, uniforms that still look good as they are aging is a highly sought after quality. Companies typically ask uniform supply companies to provide samples of the types of materials that go into the creation of various uniforms. Most uniforms in this day and age will be washing-machine safe to save costs of having to get said uniforms special-cleaned over and over.

Companies should vet uniform supply companies similar to any other vendor they may work with. Performing business credit checks, looking up any potential online reviews, and checking references are some of the things companies do prior to hiring a uniform supply company. In the end, uniform supply companies should be expected to provide the uniforms agreed to via a corresponding contract in a timely manner, regardless of order size, and have capable customer service available if there are any issues (hopefully there won’t be).