How to prevent stakeholder ‘noise’ from rocking the boat when moving to a new staff uniform provider. This is one of the biggest challenges with changing uniform suppliers, but one that can be easily managed if you know how...
The benefits of changing an organisation’s uniform can literally change the way an organisation is perceived. Change can be unpredictable at the best of times. The best way to protect yourself from risk is to be aware of the issues and consider them in your planning.
When an organisation embarks on changing uniforms, or uniform suppliers, there is potential for unrest within the company.
This unrest can have a cascading effect on the entire business. For instance, you may encounter staff who are resistant to change, franchisees or departments that insist on doing their own thing or union representatives who want to have a greater voice in the uniform design process. These risks have the potential to diminish the good stuff that comes with upgrading uniform suppliers.
Thankfully, there is good news. By considering every touchpoint in the procurement and rollout stages, and planning for predictable risk, you’ll be able to avoid the pitfalls that are usually responsible for the most stress.
There is tremendous pressure on procurement managers to make the right decisions when selecting a new uniform supplier. After all, there is a lot of risk associated with switching suppliers – whether it’s financial or stakeholder risk within your organisation or personal risk associated with your choices. To avoid the pitfalls and to ensure a seamless process, procurement managers need to ask the right questions, have the right people involved in the procurement stage and create a clear plan for success.
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Managing Risk in the Uniform Procurement Process
Uniforms are intrinsically linked and important to many aspects of an organisation. There are many perspectives that need to be considered.
1. Company Culture.
How will new uniforms impact my company culture?
Some industries are more sensitive to change than others. Companies with a large percentage of female staff tend to be more invested in what they wear to work and how the garments fit or move with their body shape. Likewise, front-line staff who work longer shifts will tend to be more interested in function and comfort over particular stylish features.
While a new uniform should be an exciting refresh of a brand, there is the risk that some staff may resent being ‘forced’ to change. Those who are uncomfortable with their body shape are particularly vulnerable. Changing uniforms may affect their confidence, and this could affect their performance and motivation and have a knock-on effect to the culture of an entire team. Fortunately, there are several strategies to protect company culture while ensuring your team enjoys their new uniforms.
Dean Templeman, Director at Total Uniform Solutions gives this advice – “Keep your team informed throughout the uniform procurement process, so they won’t be taken by surprise when the new uniforms arrive”.
2. Key Relationships.
How will the procurement process affect relationships within my company?
Change within any business gets noticed. None more so than when it comes to changing the uniform worn by your team.
Some stakeholders may be comfortable with the status quo and will resist changing suppliers. This may be prevalent in franchised business models, where the individual franchisees have established relationships with a local uniform supplier or have a special deal through which they personally benefit.
This type of siloed approach will make managing the quality and consistency of your brand very difficult. It may also have a different cost across the business, resulting in missed opportunities to save time and money across the supply chain.
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3. Union Representatives.
How will union representatives react to changing company uniforms?
If your organisation is part of a union, you may wish to consult with your union representative early in the process. Educate them on the reasons for the change. Engage them to provide any input that could contribute to decision-making. For instance, unbeknownst to you, a proposed uniform may have a feature that could be deemed unsafe, increase risk in the workplace or restrict them performing their job.
Talk to your uniform supplier early in the process to determine what safety standards need to be met for your industry – you may save time and money at the end. Don’t just rely on your union rep to provide specifics on workwear safety requirements!
4. Brand Image.
What are the risks to my company’s image when switching uniforms?
Your team is a visible representation of your brand and there may be potential for staff to refuse to wear the new uniform because of comfort, fit or design. We’ve seen this play out in the media recently with an American airline brand. If staff have access to, and wear the old uniform, your company will not only be in a world of hurt but will have an inconsistent brand image. Likewise, employees publicly complaining about their uniforms, may impact your brand reputation.
Companies with a large workforce should develop a rollout plan for the transition from old to new uniforms. Work with your various teams to anticipate any issues, and determine a date for change-over that everyone is aware of and understands. This is most critical when rebranding your company or when the new logo or business name is different.
If having old uniforms in circulation poses a risk – security, reputation or otherwise – consider how you will deal with the unwanted uniforms. Consider a Uniform Recycling Program and responsibly recycle them.
What happens when the strategic direction of a business is at odds with a new uniform?
A brand may wish to update their uniforms to appear more relevant or improve their customer experience. Or they may wish to improve company culture. It is very difficult to get your staff to engage with these strategies if they are feeling undervalued by the choice of uniform provided. If you’re planning on rolling out a new business strategy, make sure your uniform aligns with it. From the choice of materials to the colour selection or the garment’s length – every detail should reflect what your brand stands for and how you want staff and customers to feel.
5. Time and money.
What happens if the procurement process isn’t managed well?
A new uniform rollout is a significant investment of resources. If you don't manage all stakeholders correctly, you can make costly mistakes. Mistakes that may not be evident until it’s too late. Errors and oversights during the procurement process are costly to fix later. Beyond the financial implications, it may affect delivery dates and rollout, not to mention considerable stress on procurement staff. This in turn, may harm your brand’s reputation, staff morale, key relationships and more.
You should also consider how the uniform program and the "look" you have carefully curated is maintained over time. Make sure you have a comprehensive uniform policy.
6. Company Security.
What happens to old, branded uniforms?
The disposal of the old uniforms also needs to be considered in an environmentally responsible way that won't impact security of the business. Do staff need to hand them into managers to dispose of correctly, and recall the uniforms that pose a security risk if they fell into the wrong hands, or do staff have to dispose of the garments themselves?
Thankfully there are textile recycling services available to commercial businesses that solve this problem!
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Some uniform providers only think about the sale, and often neglect the process and the change management strategies that invariably come with it. Look for uniform providers that really understand the procurement process. By working with trusted uniform providers that offer a full service, there is no risk of switching to a new uniform supplier.
Create a rollout plan for your new uniforms. Decide if there will be time for staff to transition from the old uniform to the new one, or if the old one will be immediately replaced with the new one. By working through the details, you’ll know how many uniforms to order initially and how many can be delivered at a later date.
8 Steps To Ensuring Your Uniform Procurement Is A Success
What you need to know when changing uniform suppliers
Whether you’re looking at a simple update or a complete rebrand, early collaboration with your uniform provider will allow room for customisation and creativity.
A professional uniform supplier should have a deep understanding of your business and the role the uniform plays within it. There’s a lot more to consider than a uniform’s colour and logo placement!
To ensure your uniform procurement plan is successful, make sure you’ve considered the following:
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1. Anticipate your team’s readiness for change
For some staff, uncertainty can be very destabilising. To help your team feel comfortable and mitigate uncertainty during the transition, keep them informed and educated throughout the process. Consider creating Uniform Guidelines so that your team knows what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
Uniform Guidelines detail the rules around the uniform, dollar or specific item allowances for specific roles, as well as the styling aspects of the uniform. Not only does it ensure brand consistency, but it also creates a level of comfort when staff know how to dress.
Be prepared for some resistance. Help your team feel excited about the upcoming change by ensuring that their opinion is heard and valued.
Managers should respect the front-line staff and their valuable insights on practicality, appropriateness, comfort and durability. Frontline staff are usually the ones wearing the uniforms – often in varying conditions for long shifts – so they are key stakeholders in the engagement process.
2. Consider the stakeholders
Make sure the switch to a new uniform supplier is a success by considering the needs of your stakeholders. To help decide who your key stakeholders are, ask the following:
- Who needs to make up our project team?
- Who is going to be responsible for which component?
- What value will each role bring to each part of the process?
- What type of skills do we need to look for in other employees if we don’t have those roles in our business?
- When should I engage stakeholders in the process?
Read our handy Designing Your Uniform Procurement “Dream Team” to see what roles may need to be filled.
3. Keep communication with your staff high
Did you know uncertainty creates a threat response in the brain? It takes up extra neural energy, decreases memory, affects performance and reduces engagement?
Avoid uncertainty by keeping communication channels open. Managers can create a perception of certainty by being transparent about “why” the changes are happening, providing detailed plans, and breaking down the changes into more manageable bite-sized pieces. Transparency is the key to creating certainty.
The roadmap to change starts with communication:
- Give early consideration to how you’ll internally communicate the change.
- Map out the process and the key milestones.
- Make it clear that staff are encouraged to share their opinions and feedback at various parts of the process. If staff know what the roadmap for change looks like, they will feel more confident and excited about it.
- Don’t forget to involve your HR, Communications or Marketing teams early in the process. They can distribute information through their channels; supporting the implementation process and answering questions, complaints or suggestions.
4. Consider the uniform size range
Staff want to feel like their uniform is designed for their body shape. After all, nothing kills confidence like an ill-fitting or poor quality shirt, dress, pants or skirt that clings to the body in all the wrong places!
Before selecting a uniform, make sure to allow for variances to the size grid that your chosen uniform items come in. If your workforce is made up of people with a petite body shape or plus size, choosing uniforms that cater to those sizes will be a must! Or you may need to consider custom sizing or pattern redesigns.
Remember, staff that are comfortable in their uniform are more likely to be confident in their working environment – and this is proven to reflect positively on work performance!
Sizing is hands-down the biggest issue when it comes to dressing a large team. There are a range of ways this can be managed, and will be dependent on how your business wishes to operate. For more insight into your options, read Solving the Sizing Challenges in Staff Uniform Rollouts.
5.Consider the fulfilment stage
How your uniform supplier manages the ordering process is a key consideration when transitioning to a new uniform and/or uniform supplier.
- Are staff aware of the uniform rollout milestones?
- How are backorders managed and communicated to your team?
- What communication is there around delivery of the goods?
- What do your staff do if there is a problem with their delivered goods?
- How will managers track and report on uniform expenditure?
It’s critical your uniform supplier has an established process in place, and don’t be afraid to ask for current client testimonials!
No two businesses are the same. Likewise, no two business strategies and solutions are identical. It’s important to analyse your needs, timeframes and budgets to determine what is your most effective strategy.
6. Identify project champions
Identify individuals within the organisation to act as "champions" for change. They are the team members who naturally lead and positively influence the team around them. They could also act as a front-line advocate and feed valuable insights back up to the decision-makers. Your ‘change champions’ can be a critical factor to maintaining a positive team culture throughout the procurement process. Recruit champions within your organisation and ensure commitment from the wider team.
7.Engage your workforce
Keep your staff engaged and informed. Surveys are a very flexible and effective tool to use to gain front-line insight from your staff in a useful and anonymous way.
Surveys can be tailored to help shortlist options based on popularity or in the later stages, to forecast and guide decision-making around stock-holding quantities.
The best uniform providers will offer stakeholder surveys as a service to their customers. Working in partnership with your uniform provider on this research can yield much richer results, and provide greater insights, than executing it internally.
8: Trial the garments
As we mentioned earlier, sizing is a key issue when it comes to fitting a team correctly. Consider ordering samples to make them available to staff and change champions.
Through a ‘Wearer Trial’ you’ll gain firsthand insights into the uniform’s fit and functionality.
Wearer Trials can last a couple of weeks, or a couple of months, depending on the business and your goals for the trial. Wearer Trials should always be accompanied by a Survey. Aim to find out what your team thinks of the fabric, if the uniforms helped or hindered their performance in their workplace or how they like the fit. Choose a uniform provider who offers a sophisticated and comprehensive service should this strategy be appropriate for your business and budget.
In Summary
Every business is just as unique as their company uniform. It’s important to analyse what your company’s needs, timeframes and budgets are to determine the most effective strategy to find your ideal uniform supplier.
By following the advice above, you’ll discover that the process of procuring new uniforms is as exciting as seeing your team wearing it.
Oh, and in case you missed them, check out these useful resources:
Designing Your Uniform Procurement “Dream Team”