In the past, workplace clothing regulations were strict; office workers were expected to show up to work looking as smart as possible in the traditional suit and tie combination. Nowadays however, businesses have been taking a more relaxed approach towards corporate clothing. Whilst it is important for employees to be comfortable in the workplace, relaxing uniform regulations can lead to potential issues. For example, making the switch towards more casual clothing could negatively impact your brand image. In this article, we take a look at corporate vs casual workplace clothing and evaluate which is best for your business. 

Changing demographics

Despite the fact that the younger demographic tends to prefer more casual workwear, this can be a problem for brands. Brands that have adopted the casual-clothing idea are seemingly allowing their staff to wear their own clothes that fit specific style/colour requirements at work, which could have a negative impact on their productivity, duties and other colleagues.

Your staff won’t fully understand what materials and styles work well for different jobs. If your staff decide to wear a tight material, this could prevent them from reaching up to a shelf for example — the limitations an item of clothing has on their abilities will be the last thing on their mind.

This doesn’t mean that staff shouldn’t be allowed to dress more comfortably or causally, there are just better ways to implement these rules. With technology and design opportunities advancing at a rapid rate, uniform providers are now able to facilitate any requirements when it comes to corporate workwear — whether you opt for professional or a more relaxed style of attire. By opting for a professional service, you’ll won’t have to worry about design regulations that are required for your working environment that have been set out by governing bodies; as the responsibility will fall with them. Not only this, they’ll likely organise a consultation with your business to fully understand the requirements of the job and how the uniform needs to be designed to meet them.

Branding

As competition on the high street increases, brands are having to change the way that they present themselves to customers. With reports suggesting that the high-street is experiencing a dramatic decline, stores are trying to become more innovative to improve customer and staff retention. Uniforms have recently become a big focus for many businesses. To connect with customers on a personal level, more organisations are allowing employees to ‘dress-down’, to encourage uniqueness and to show shoppers that they’re able to adapt with the times.

If you enjoy a coffee on your daily commute to work, you might have noticed that Starbucks have recently changes their uniform requirements. Previously, baristas would wear buttoned-up black or white shirts with name badges and black or khaki pants, accompanied with their signature green apron. But now, rules have become lax surrounding what they’re allowed to wear beneath the apron.

Starbucks staff now have the opportunity to express themselves through their workwear in a way that traditional uniforms never allowed. The Starbucks employee lookbook states that baristas can wear black, white, grey, navy and brown shirts as a solid or for a subdued, small-print, low-contrast pattern. However, sweatshirts, hooded shirts, cap-sleeve and short-sleeve V-neck or T-necks are forbidden. Although you may remember some baristas wearing caps with a Starbucks logo, their options have now varied too, with flat caps, trilby hats and beanies becoming an option. Employees are also allowed to wear scarves, but they must be tucked behind their apron!

Uniforms: An employee perspective

Rather than looking at uniforms as an additional expense, businesses should think of them as a long-term investment. Not only will uniforms allow you to stay within workwear regulations, it will also reduce the time you spend monitoring clothing if staff do choose to wear their own styles for work.

Although employees might enjoy the idea of wearing casual clothing to work, it could raise problems when you consider other expenses and factors. These could include rent, groceries as well as general clothing. If they have the responsibility to also purchase suitable workwear, this will be another deducting factor that comes out of their wage.

Having a set uniform for your business would help create a strong brand image and unify your employees.

When you’re designing something that will help better market your business, it’s important to get it right first time. As you’ll likely be printing in bulk, one mistake can impact the entire production line and leave your end-product unusable. Together with Direct Letterbox Marketing, providers of leaflet distribution services, we investigate the best design techniques to make your print effective — from call to actions to bold lettering. We’ll also address what you shouldn’t do with your designs by looking at some of the biggest mistakes marketers have made with their printed materials.

The impact of print marketing

Surveys have found that 89% of people remember flyers they received through the door. On top of that, almost half of those who responded admitted that they keep leaflets in a drawer or on a board for future reference and 48% claimed to have visited a store, bought a product, or sent for information because of door-drop advertising.

Print marketing has a longer life than its marketing counterparts. The likes of social media might be great for short-term advertising, but the online world is a fast-paced environment. How often have you clicked away from a page to never be able to find it again? With print marketing, you’ll always have a hard copy at hand unless you physically get rid of it.

Think of the last time you picked up a magazine or brochure – or indeed any physical piece of print. Chances are you spent more time looking at this than you would at any online content. Print copy is certainly more engaging than digital.

There are also many forms of print marketing, whether it’s a leaflet, brochure, roll-up banner or any other form. This means you can grab your customers’ attention in a variety of ways, be it in long or short form, colourful or plain. It also helps your brand stand out from the crowd when used correctly, helping to build long-term trust and gain repeat customers. This is crucial as nine out of 10 customers would buy a brand they recognised if presented with two of the same offers.

Design must-haves

Designing the appropriate content is crucial. Every layout must engage the reader. After all, if it doesn’t draw the audience in and grab their attention, then you have failed and ultimately wasted time and money. You shouldn’t just settle for dull images – you want to stand out and make people take notice. At the same time, you want to guide the reader’s eye so it’s key to avoid images that distract from your message. Instead, pick images that will help guide them to the content your promoting. It’s necessary to have a pleasant balance of used and unused space. You don’t want to overpower your audience with too much activity, but you also don’t want to waste your opportunity to get information in front of them.

With this information, be sure to include a call to action. It’s no use producing an eye-catching document that has no end purpose. Without prompting an action from a potential customer, the marketing campaign hasn’t done its job. Another must-have, which may sound obvious, is correct spelling and grammar. We’ve all seen the signs or advertisings that have poor punctuation, and this is a sure-fire way to diminish your brand’s credibility.

Alongside a captivating logo, make sure you include your complete contact information. Without this, how do you expect your audience to find you? They are not going to go out of their way to search for your details if they are not on hand. Include this alongside your social media logos to give the audience all the relevant avenues to research your brand.

Print marketing mistakes

Print is here to stay – there’s no getting away from it. However, you don’t want to end up in the recycle bin or be just another sign. Many companies have fallen foul to an array of mistakes when it comes to print marketing.

Some companies forget to think about their audience when creating content and don’t ensure that it’s easy to read and has a simple message. Sometimes, graphics can explain your service better than words for those who have limited English skills. In an ideal campaign, you’ll cater to each audience and tweak your campaigns to suit the needs of each targeted mailing list.

However, such tweaks need to stay within consistent boundaries. It’s extremely important to use the same logos and styling throughout any campaign. This will allow you to speed up the revising and updating process and save you money as you won’t be reinventing the wheel every step of the way.

It’s also crucial to remember any logo and branding you choose will have to go across other marketing forums, such as online. Make sure that any logo and colour scheme you choose will work well across the board. This will make it easier for any potential customers to recognise and relate with your brand.

Sources

http://foundry-press.co.uk/why-is-print-marketing-still-important/

https://www.directletterboxmarketing.co.uk/faqs/

http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/5-print-marketing-mistakes-you-should-avoid-at-all-costs/

https://www.gwayprint.com/resources/the-ideas-collection/5-must-haves-in-every-layout/

https://www.allegrahamilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ALG36067-Mktg-Must-Haves-hires.pdf

To run a business efficiently, most companies, both small and large, will have several employees to support their processes and ensure that the quality of their services is high. However, managing employees can be difficult, and business owners may find that they experience a range of problems when it comes to ensuring employee happiness and motivation, which are vital to the success of your business.

1.   Personal Injury Claims

If your business does not have a sufficient health and safety policy in place to support your employees, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a personal injury claim made against you. Common workplace injuries that occur range from slip and falls caused by hazards such as wet floors and loose wires, as well as office-related injuries such as repetitive stress injuries like carpel tunnel syndrome. If a personal injury claim is made by your employee against you, Aston Knight Solicitors has a history of helping both employees and employers to negotiate the right solution for them, whether that be in terms of compensation, or defending themselves in court. If you want to prevent personal injuries in the workplace, you should create a strict health and safety policy and training regime for every staff member, which you should refresh on a regular basis and which should include elements such as the correct way to lift heavy objects.

2.   Motivation Issues

However, for many employees, their issues are less physical, but, as a business owner, you should be no less aware of these. With a third of employees feeling unmotivated, motivation issues in the workplace can occur for a variety of reasons, including a lack of praise or unsuitability for the job, as well as a lack of promotion. To ensure that you are able to motivate your employees at all times, you should set up rewards for hard work, such as seasonal events like summer barbecues or Christmas dinners, to celebrate your employee’s achievements throughout the year. You should also consider pay rises and promotions in order to show employees that they are valued. You could also set up prize schemes for those employees with the best stats, such as holidays and days out.  

3.   Skills Gaps

One of the major problems for managers dealing with employees is the skill gap, with many employers struggling to find employees who suit the needs of their company. However, even if you are unable to find employees on job boards that match your requirements, it is possible to combat the skills gap easily. To do this, you should create training schemes for your employees on a regular basis, as well as invest in exterior training courses or qualifications, which could boost your employee’s skills and strengthen their weaknesses. You could also consider investing in personal development by giving employees an afternoon off regularly to focus on improving skills that they are interested in, which they can then reinvest into your business.

4.   Human Resource Problems

Along with the skills gap, human resource issues are also becoming problematic, with many businesses unable to find the amount of staff that they need for certain tasks. To find a solution to this, you should consider out-sourcing employees to find the talent or amount of employees you need for a certain project, especially if they are only needed on a temporary basis.