Tag Archive for: Service Uniform

7 Ways Your Uniform Puts in Overtime

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Your uniform works just like you, the same hours, same jobs, same situations…right? We’d like to argue that your uniform puts in overtime daily for your business. Uniforms are seen by everyone you encounter on your commute, lunch break and business meetings, exposing your brand to thousands of people daily.

colorado uniform rental

  1. Brand Exposure

Outfitting employees with customized uniforms creates excellent brand awareness for your business. Just think about it! Every where your employee travels outside of work when they have their uniform on is a chance for you to grab a new potential customer: on the train to/from work, at the fast-food joint after work, and even soccer practice.

  1. Safety

Are your employees working outside or on the street? Construction and Utilities uniforms put in overtime for your employees by alerting motorists they are working nearby. There is a very good reason these types of uniforms are brightly colored, and they are vital to your employees safety. In a welder’s shop, protective face gear ensures uniforms work overtime to take the heat instead of your employee.

  1. Increased Team Spirit

When your employees are required to dress alike, there is no room for competition in the workplace. In conjunction, when no one is competing with one another, there is increased team spirit and unity. Employers wrack their brains trying to get their employees to get along so they don’t have to deal with petty squabbling day-to-day. In this case, uniforms do their job of exposing your brand with an added bonus of making your employees happier.

  1. Raised Productivity

In conjunction with making employees happier, uniforms help increase productivity in your business. When employees are happy where they work, they are much more productive between the hours of nicen and five–it’s a fact! So, while your employees are working full-time, your uniforms are working overtime to create a better working environment.

  1. Promoting Company Pride

While uniforms help decrease the amount of competition, they also help increase a sense of pride workers have for their jobs. This sense of pride can convert employees into “brand ambassadors” outside the workplace. Just think of all of the soccer moms who might be interested in your business if they know another Mom works for the company and loves it!

  1. Monetary Benefits

When you provide uniforms to your employees, it saves them money. Whether you decide to provide uniforms as a part of a rental program or a required purchase upon hire, the uniform works overtime to ensure your employees have no job-associated shopping costs, making your employees happier and ensuring you are in control of the appearance of your business to your customers.

  1. Creating An Attractive Business

Not only do uniforms help create brand awareness, instill a better work ethic in your customers, and help keep your employees safe, they also work overtime to make sure your business looks attractive. For better or worse, we tend to judge people by the way they dress. When you choose the employee uniform, you ensure that the public gets the right idea about your business as soon as they see an employee.

A History of the Uniform: Automotive Industry

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It’s no secret that uniforms can be a game changer in a variety of industries, including restaurants, doctor’s offices, and distribution centers just to name a few. One fascinating industry that has almost always used uniforms is the automotive industry. Men and women who work on cars have constantly changed their styles over the years, so let’s take a look at the progression of automotive uniforms.

automotive uniforms

As far as we can look back at mechanic uniforms, men and women have always needed one thing: a durable, protective garment. The fabric of these garments has changed ever so slightly through the years, from denim, to thick cotton, to the modern Touchtex, which helps mechanics stay cool and has soil release properties to stay looking sharp.

Throughout the years, the necessary elements of the automotive uniform have not changed much. A mechanic’s uniform needs pockets to hold tools used over and over during the day. Classic name embroidery and company logo embroidery has also stood the test of time. Sometimes we see the name and company logo on a patch, sewn on to the work shirt, and sometimes we see the embroidery placed right on the shirt itself.

When we take a look back at automotive uniforms of yesteryear, we see a lot of “coverall” style uniforms. Or, more accurately stated, the mechanic’s jumpsuit. These early uniforms were created to protect an employee’s arms, legs, and underclothes from getting grease, oil and other automotive-related byproducts on them. We still see this style of uniform in many automotive garages today, as these coveralls protect an employee’s underclothing from the grease and oil workers are exposed to when working on cars.

A little later in history, mechanics graduated to a long-sleeve work shirt made of thick material to protect them from the messy automotive environment, worn with thick work pants or jeans. The graduation from coveralls to a work shirt allows the company to save a little money on uniforms and gives mechanics the freedom to wear pants that are most comfortable to them.

Today, many mechanics don’t feel the need to wear long sleeves to protect them from their working conditions, and a short-sleeve work shirt has become a more comfortable uniform. Though short-sleeves offer less protection for the arms, they still offer effective protection while working on cars. Almost all automotive uniforms today still include an embroidered name patch on one breast and a brand logo patch on the opposite breast of the shirt.

Today, mechanics can choose from a wide range of uniforms including industrial work pants, short and long-sleeved shirts, coveralls and work jackets. Just as short-sleeved shirts provide a certain level of comfort in summer months, lined and unlined work jackets protect mechanics from the elements of their jobs while keeping them warm in the winter months.

It’s our job at Service Uniform to make sure your employees are protected and comfortable, that’s why we offer a variety of automotive uniforms that suit every need. And, while you’re shopping for uniforms for your automotive garage, don’t forget to pick up shop towels, fender covers and anything else you might need to keep your shop clean and running smoothly.

May the 4th Be With You

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A uniform can sometimes reveal a lot about who you are as a company, and what you stand for. Is your look polished and clean with polos and khakis? Or, does your business character show a more laid-back, get the job done in a t-shirt message? Today, May 4th is the unofficial Star Wars Holiday, and as we take a little time to practice our lightsaber moves, we also take a look at a few of the uniforms in the movies and how they symbolize the light side and the dark side of the Force. May the 4th be with you!

May the 4thBe With You

The uniforms throughout the Star Wars series say a lot about what side of the Force each character is on. From military uniforms, to rebel uniforms, to a lack of uniforms on some characters, the light side is characterized by white, gray and sometimes brightly colored uniforms, while characters on the dark side wear black or very dark colors.

Luke Skywalker, the main character of the original three movies, or Episodes 4-6, undergoes major character growth as he transforms from a farmer boy into the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. As Luke undergoes this transformation, his uniform follows suit. When we first meet Luke on Tattooine in Episode 4, the first film ever released, he doesn’t even know about the Jedi Knights. His costume is a white tunic, with white pants, and a cumbersome utility belt. Here, white symbolizes Luke’s naivety, and his purity, letting the audience know he’s a good guy.

As Luke progresses through Episodes 5 and 6, his uniforms gets noticeably darker. In Episode 5, he heads to the Dagobah system to train as a Jedi with Master Yoda, wearing a sand-colored uniform. Only a slight color variation from the previous film, Luke has fought the Galactic Empire, and watched his mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi die. Luke’s darker shade of white shows the view that he has undergone transformation, but that he is still aligned with the light side of the Force.

By Episode 6, Luke has been told that the most evil man in the galaxy, Darth Vader, is his father which makes him believe Obi Wan lied this him about his heritage, he’s fought Darth Vader and lost an arm, and he’s lost his best friend Han Solo to Jabba The Hutt. These events lead Luke through a serious amount of inner-turmoil which is depicted in his uniform in Episode 6, a black tunic with black pants. Is he on the dark side now? It would seem so if the viewer relied solely on the first scenes of Episode 6, where Luke is talking low and controlling the minds of almost everyone he meets on his way into Jabba the Hutt’s lair.

In this third film, Luke walks a razor-sharp edge and could turn to the dark side at any moment to join his father. In the last scenes of the film, after Luke fights the evil Emperor and almost dies, his father, Darth Vader throws the Emperor into a deep pit, saves Luke, and ends up getting severely injured in the process. It is only when Darth Vader makes the ultimate sacrifice for his son, that Luke makes his final decision to stay in the light, which is depicted by a flap of his black tunic falling open to reveal the color white.

jedi-luke-flap-white-underneath

Image from www.inafarawaygalaxy.com

The little we see of Luke Skywalker in Episode 7, he wears a gray tunic and large gray cloak, and even his hair is white, symbolizing his alliance with the light side of the Force.

As you can see, uniforms can really tell a story about who you are. When designing your custom uniform, whether that includes embroidery stitching or a customized image stamped on using heat sublimation, think about what you’d like to portray to the world about your business. Are you on the light or dark side of the force?

5 Ways We Conserve Water

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Earth Day is coming up on Friday, April 22nd. At Service Uniform, we believe that the environment is one of our greatest investments and continue to find more environmentally friendly ways to do business. Water conservation is a big initiative here. Learn more about how we do it:

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Debunking 3 Myths About Uniforms

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The stigma behind uniforms may deter you from seeing the benefits of such programs. Below are some common myths that surround work uniforms and how they can be proven wrong.

debunking 3 myths about uniforms via service uniform

  1. Uniforms mean a lack of individualism. Some people feel that wearing a uniform takes away the individual’s ability to express themselves. There are ways in which this can be true—if a uniform is uncomfortable or tight, or if the employee does not feel confident in the uniform, then the negative impacts of the uniform may end up affecting employees more than the positive ones.
    At Service Uniform we believe in providing uniforms that will do just the opposite: uniforms can help employees feel more part of a community and connect them in a personal way to the company brand, if the uniform is comfortable, appropriate and practical. We know that uniforms can positively benefit the workplace and we are dedicated to providing uniforms that boost morale.

 

  1. Uniforms mean a lack of creativity. It is absolutely true that clothing gives people a way to express themselves. What we wear is a huge part of who we are. But it is actually this fact that gives companies a good reason to consider uniforms. It is so much easier to wake up in the morning knowing what you are going to put on, and knowing for a fact that it is going to be comfortable and work well for you in your specific work environment. Uniforms don’t have to mean telling people exactly what to wear; they can be extremely helpful when it comes to ease of physical movement and mental focus. Wearing uniforms means that employees won’t be distracted by alternating clothing that hasn’t been worn in their work situation before. Tried-and-true uniforms can actually encourage creativity by allowing employees to focus on their task rather than on their wardrobe. This kind of focus is what enables the best and most creative work.

 

  1. Uniforms mean your company won’t stand out. On the contrary, the ideal uniform will represent your company and your values in a way that casual clothing can’t. Your employees will stand out as professional and effective when they are wearing clean, comfortable uniforms that aid them in their jobs every day. At Service Uniform it is integrated into our work to keep the uniforms of your employees clean, free of rips and tears, and comfortable to wear. And they will always arrive back to you on time: your employees need never be without clean uniforms, eliminating the stress of “What should I wear?” every single morning and ensuring that their appearance will help customers identify your business. Let uniforms represent your brand and keep your image sharp and professional!

Not only are all these myths busted, but it’s clear that uniforms can actually help your business! A study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates showed that both consumers and business people prefer to see uniformed employees at the companies they deal with. Read more about the study here and contact us about improving your company’s image.

Mud Season Isn’t Only in the Mountains

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Mud Season CleanGuess what? Mud season isn’t only in the mountains. As the ice and snow melt, mud will result anywhere there’s dirt—and that’s a lot of places. Are you prepared for the onslaught of mud this season? Here are a few ways to prepare!

Wear the right shoes. Do you own waterproof shoes that you can splash around in freely? It can be tough to splurge on shoes that will hold up in the sloshy mix of slush, snow, and mud that happens in mud season, but it is worth it. One less thing to worry about while you are walking down the street for a coffee!

Drive carefully. As everything melts it can seem like your chance to take on the roads again—but you should prepare to be careful, because the mud can be just as dangerous as ice when it comes to getting stuck on the road. Make sure you look out for muddy corners and don’t park anywhere that looks like it could get you “stuck in the mud.”

Have fun! Prepare yourself with the right attitude: mud-stomping can be fun! Once you accept that mud will make you dirty, you can dress yourself accordingly in old clothes and layers. Enjoy the mud season and make sure you get outside to revel in nature. Don’t let the mud stop you!

Contact us to order an entryway mat today and stay clean!