Since the 1990s, businesses globally have undergone profound transformations, including attitudes towards clothing that staff wear to work. An interesting study was undertaken by a scholarly team at Central College (CC) in Iowa, USA, to observe the impact of clothing on staff and productivity. The college, established in 1853, is a private, four-year liberal arts college.
Here we take a deeper look into the study.
Work Clothes Study Background
- Dress Codes Affect Behaviour And Productivity
There have been big changes in work clothes, uniforms, logo printing and branding with switches from formal codes to casual to business casual, and, sometimes, back again. The CC study drew upon extensive research and analysis available and concluded that dress code policy has a correlated effect on employee behaviour and productivity.
One of the studies the CC team quotes from is Bowman & Hooper, 1991, p. 330. It states: “Dress is clearly a significant means of self-identification and role definition. Personal styles have great psychological implications for both the wearer and the person interacting with the wearer”. This is something that the Brand Makers believes is important – getting buy-in from your team.
- Dress Style Affects How Others See You
Other studies that are referenced are by Black & DiNardo, 1994, & Peluchette & Karl, 2007, that refer to an organisation’s dress code and the effect it has on each team member’s personal assessment of their performance quality. It also reports that an individual’s choice of dress style had a direct influence on how colleagues, clients, and upper management judged and evaluated them.
- Dress Codes Reflect A Business’s Culture
There are endless research facts that we could overwhelm you with, such as: “Dress code policies are one visual expression of the culture of an organisation. Therefore, workplace attire is a key component in establishing the company’s desired organisational culture (Maysonave, 2001; McCarty, 2010; Wood & Benitez, 2003).”
What Research Taught Us On Work Clothes, Logo Printing & Branding
Dress codes set the tone that a company wishes to create. If your aim is to establish strong teamwork and unity values, then a key factor is to reduce status gaps by standardising the dress code. This is difficult to achieve without the involvement of uniforms.
A casual dress code has become increasingly popular with the aim to communicate a fun and friendly brand culture. This may increase the feeling of empowerment (Peluchette & Karl, 2007), but frequently non-scientific assumptions have been made regarding this dress code and employee productivity.
Initially, the market was wild about the concept, but research has shown it increases staff distraction over time. A survey of over one thousand HR executives reported nearly fifty per cent of the businesses experienced “a significant increase in tardiness, absenteeism, and flirtatious behaviour” (Egodigwe & Alleyne, 2003) with a casual dress code when uniforms were not implemented.
Conclusion
Research shows that the professional presentation of each individual drives up self-confidence, team spirit and competence.
When establishing a dress code and uniform, you must consider your mission statement and values and the image you wish to portray.
Boost team spirit, professionalism and productivity by using our top logo printing for clothes that make up your professional image. Logo printing on clothes is one of our specialities. Give us a call today to find out more!
