How to have a unified look when half your staff are working from home

We all know the importance of image and why it matters. The oxford dictionary defines image as “the general impression that a person, organisation, or product presents to the public.” We now live in a time where corporate offices are less common and more comprised of dining tables, bedrooms or the kitchen bench and meetings are often via video call. Your brand and company image are being represented often through this singular lens.

A Zoom meeting is still a meeting and regardless of whether we are at home or in the office, projecting professionalism has never been more important. In a world where human connection and interaction has changed from handshakes to virtual-online introductions, it is even more important to build a sense of who your company is and what they represent with this obstacle in place. It has never been more vital for your team to tell the story of your brand through what they are wearing and for companies to take some control back around this messaging.

A team uniform is no longer just about what you wear to the office, in a retail store, or fast-food chain. A team uniform is a powerful tool to ensure there is connection between your brand, what you represent and all the individuals working for you. It is a marketing tool that forms as a connection to your values, culture, and brand messaging. Its significance through these times can not be understated and for those corporate offices who had a relaxed dress policy or for those who do not have a work from home uniform now is the time for the policy to be reviewed.

Working from home is here to stay and whilst your team may or may not enjoy this change, they are certainly in need of some leadership and direction around creating rituals and routines that represent going to work. Dressing for your day is extremely symbolic and with the loss of in-person interactions and the confinement of home many have lost the passion and excitement that is a very important part of dressing up for an occasion.  The ritual of getting dressed in preparation for the day ahead really sets the tone for your workday. What your team are wearing also helps with that critical connection they are trying to form through the screen and creates the right mindset to ensure for a productive day.

The clothes we wear influence our mood and if you are working from home understandably a full corporate outfit would make little sense. There are, however, plenty of options outside of turning to activewear that are practical and professional. A work from home uniform is a powerful tool to connect your team and is a subtle daily reminder and reinforcement that they are all part of the one team with the same shared objectives.

As a company whose core stems from the importance of dressing well, as uniform experts, we are possibly more attune to the slow but obvious deterioration of care around dress and we have decided to start talking about it. There is very little that can be done to control the work environment and surroundings with remote working, however creating a work from home uniform is the simple action that companies can take to ensure consistency and connection of their brand through what their team is wearing.

Common sense is not common and like the importance of dress codes in a retail shop or corporate office, companies need to start implementing and managing dress codes for working from home – particularly for video meetings to ensure there is a united message and common understanding of values that projects itself no matter where you are.

Written by Pamela Jabbour. Have you read?
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