In the last decade, it has become popular for employers to reduce dress code standards to casual wear. In fact, this is often touted as a perk of employment. But, while employees enjoy the freedom of wearing their favorite band T-shirts, flip flops and jeans to work, this doesn’t convey a professional image to the rest of the world. A solution that works well with the growing crowd of younger employees is the use of embroidered polo shirts.
You can have your logo and tagline embroidered on shirts that match your corporate brand. They are comfortable for employees to wear and easy to replace as needed. The polos come in a wide variety of sizes and unisex styles, from casual to dressy. Best of all, these shirts present a uniform look that promotes your company’s brand.
How Embroidered Polos Increase Corporate Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is becoming increasingly important as companies try to stand out from the competition. According to ThriveHive, a brand reputation impacts everything your business does, as well as how it grows. Brand reputation is both external and internal. The external aspects are what most people consider to be critical, such as the company website, blog, social media networks and promotional efforts. But, from the internal perspective, the image portrayed by employees as they interact with each other and clients has an even greater impact.
Logoup.com, an award-winning company that specializes in branded corporate wear, has first hand knowledge of the way embroidered polos impact customers and employees alike. Brian Roberts, the Co-Founder of Logoup.com, says, “Many customers tell us their entire staff love the ease of knowing what to wear to work daily. They also experience the sense of being part of a real team”.
Corporate-Imprinted Polos Promote Employee Productivity
From a psychological aspect, embroidered polos are an effective way to bring teams together because they signify uniformity and attention to corporate standards. No one is above another employee – everyone looks the same and is treated with respect. And no one is judged on how they dress by peers. Wearing a branded shirt with a collar also puts employees into a work state of mind, which enables them to remain focused on company goals.
A recent debate over dress codes on the Society for Human Resource Management blog mentions research that was conducted by a team at California State University-Northridge and Columbia University. It was discovered that the wearing of more formal business attire enhances the cognitive ability of employees. Brand awareness is important to the way employees experience their work life and how well they perform.
Employees Benefit From a More Uniform Look
Another advantage of giving employees corporate-branded polos is that they don’t have to think about what they will wear to work each day. This removes much of the stress and worry over personal appearance. It also eliminates the office “fashion show” that can become a nuisance in some companies. All employees are dressed appropriately and ready for work in minutes, which can even reduce employee tardiness.
Taking It One Step Further
As already stressed, the brand outreach that embroidered polos can create matters a lot. Employees who work in public-facing roles feel confident when wearing branded shirts. In addition to the polos, corporate-imprinted hats and jackets can complete a streamlined look. These items also make nice gifts to hand out to sales prospects and customers. The costs of providing corporate-branded items may be reduced by ordering in bulk and maintaining a stock of the most popular sizes and styles.
To recap the benefits of embroidered polos (and other branded apparel):
- They promote the company culture
- They bring people and teams together, which increases productivity
- They make it easy for employees to prepare for work and get into the corporate mindset
- They look uniform and clean, which helps to create a professional image
- They help employees to feel included and focus on work instead of fashion
- They come in many colors, styles and sizes to suit all workers
As you evaluate your current workplace dress code, consider the above factors and explore how you can use embroidered polos, caps, jackets and other imprinted merchandise to promote your unique brand.