The Importance Of Functionality When Designing Hotel Uniforms
The first thing a guest sees is your employees’ uniforms. Influencing the perception of your hotel and how professional your staff appear is vitally important to the overall experience of visitors. A high-quality and well-designed uniform ‘can instantly elevate the perceived professionalism of your staff – and by association, your business.’ But form over function doesn’t have to be the case. Failing to consider the functionality of a hotel uniform can lead to future issues with staff morale, productivity and their ability to successfully accomplish their responsibilities. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the e key functional elements you should consider when designing hotel uniforms – and why each of them are important.
Key Things To Consider When Designing Hotel Uniforms
Comfort & Ease Of Movement
In the hotel industry, long hours are the norm. With sporadic shift patterns, late nights and extension periods of time of standing around, working in hospitality can be extremely demanding. One of the main points to consider when designing uniforms for your staff would be how comfortable they are. With such an exciting, yet challenging environment, it’s vital that a uniform can stand up to the test.
In such a customer facing role, ‘instituting policies and practices that prioritise hospitality employees’ physical and mental health’ is a must. Custom uniforms can help support your staff where they need it most. When designing branded workwear for the hotel and hospitality industry, fabric is one of the main considerations. The material used will have to be breathable, allow for unrestricted movements and assist staff throughout their shift.
A uniform that all your staff can feel relaxed in will not only benefit them in a physical sense, but also mentally. Being able to attend work happy and physically comfortable will boost overall staff productivity and result in the team being more happy overall. Also, uniforms are proven to boost morale and create a sense of belonging in any workspace.
Durability
With the hotel industry, there are many different positions, including front desk personnel, housekeeping staff, restaurant servers and chef or kitchen staff – just to name a few. No matter what their responsibilities are, employees deserve to have uniforms custom made to what their role requires of them.
In hospitality, uniforms are bound to come into contact with many different stains and spills – damage to workwear is not uncommon. As experts in the hotel uniform design sector, we understand the importance of creating branded workwear that is optimised for the job. High-quality custom uniforms are known to be more durable and ‘this means that, due to less wear and tear, uniforms will last longer and are able to withstand more mileage’. Not only does this mean that a business will save on time, money, but it also prevents more fabric from ending up in landfill.
Pockets
When designing hotel uniforms, pockets are an essential. In many hospitality roles, pockets are often overlooked and a non necessity, but for hotel staff, this can be a practical and important feature. Take for example, front desk staff. Often the messenger of the hotel team, an employee on the front desk is the first person a visitor will meet and is regularly tasked with carrying information between team members and guests. Having their hands free is essential and pockets offer them a practical way to carry necessary equipment such as pens and notepads. Another example is maintenance staff, who will regularly need small tools to fix problems as they arise. Well-designed pockets are the simple and perfect solution to improve efficiency, boost morale and make the jobs of hospitality staff all the more easy.
Customisable Uniforms For Different Job Roles
As mentioned above, a hotel needs many different team members to ensure it functions smoothly. These job roles can be varied and will include a variety of tasks throughout the working day. For housekeeping, the day usually starts early and the work is rapid. Whereas front desk staff will work long hours, greeting guests and catering to their every need. No matter what the responsibilities are of the employee, the end goal of everyone is to ensure all guests are satisfied. In order to achieve this, multifunctional uniforms are often required to support the team acting as one cohesive unit.
A core uniform can have modular elements which, as well as achieving brand consistency, can also adapt to every role’s varying needs. Multifunctional uniforms are best described as ‘as versatile work clothing designed to account for a lot of different variables, in anticipation of your team being placed in a variety of different environments and situations.’ This becomes all the more important in the hotel industry, as whilst a house keeper may not do the same job as a front desk member of staff, they will still belong to the same business and should be recognisable to guests.
Prioritising safety and visibility
Alongside having a visible brand identity, it’s also important for health and safety that your staff stand out. For staff working outdoors, this can be in the form of high-visibility panels incorporated in their branded workwear or, for kitchen staff the need for wearing appropriate footwear, such as clogs or crocs. A well-design uniform will be able to include all the key safety aspects, whilst also maintaining a consistent and professional brand image.
Why Should Sustainability Also Be Considered Alongside Functional Design?
In addition to being more comfortable for staff, a custom made uniform can also be a more sustainable step for hotels to take. For employers, ‘it’s important to make sure your employees have the right guidance on how to care for their uniforms to extend their life.’ Giving instructions for how best to care for their uniforms can also increase their longevity. Alongside this, custom workwear is often more high-quality and will have a longer life-span. Designed with better, more appropriate fabric, bespoke working garments are created with a specific job role in mind, meaning it won’t be as susceptible to wear and tear.
Producing sustainable workwear is at the heart of everything we do here at JSD. To help businesses spend less money resources and to save more fabric from ending up in landfill, we are also extremely focused on our end-of-life strategies for uniforms. This can include the collection and recycling of new fabrics to the re-using and upcycling of old uniforms. We also believe that sustainability when creating uniforms starts with the design. During our process, we utilise 3D design and development tools wherever possible, to avoid wasting sample fabric, which could also end up in landfill. Our design techniques combined with your specific needs will reduce the impact on the planet, whilst also ensuring your staff are as happy and comfortable as possible.
Looking For a Functional Hotel Uniform Range That Also Prioritises Your Brand Image & Sustainability?
The look and feel of your uniform is important not only for your business, but also your brand perception and consistency. Having all staff members, no matter their job role, in similar yet functional workwear is a way in which your company can support your team ongoing. A well-designed uniform will make your staff feel valued, improve their ability to do their job and improve their overall experience at work. A happy team ensures an even more satisfied customer.
If you are looking to create a uniform which perfectly balances aesthetics, adaptability and sustainability, then we are the best choice for you. Get in contact with our team today to find out more about our sustainability promises, how we design custom workwear and what we will do to support your team.
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