By Aaron Tucker
“I come from a real tough neighborhood. I put my hand in some cement and felt another hand”. - Rodney Dangerfield
Odds are that if you’re in the hospitality business, be it the Lodging or Restaurant industry you know just how tough the neighborhood has gotten. The list of locations struggling out there is too great to mention, and in a time where properties are cutting staff and salaries in record numbers it is growing more and more difficult for employers to keep their remaining workforce energized while engaged in their daily routines. What if I told you there was a way you could increase company morale without increasing pay or resorting to long term contracts? Would you be interested? Well if so I believe the answer lies in examining the employee uniform.
It’s no secret that uniforms affect employee’s attitudes. The following anecdote demonstrates this point. A front desk manager and I were discussing the state of his Hotel’s uniform program. The property is a hip three-star location in Scottsdale, Arizona that uses black short sleeve camp shirts for virtually every operation. The program’s design was to project a relaxed image to its clientele while offering utilitarian comfort to its employees. Unfortunately, this one-sizefits-all concept did not mesh with each of the various departments as valet complained about overheating in black shirts while front desk representatives felt the casual appearance clashed with their daily responsibilities. Such examples illustrate that choosing the proper uniform not only has the ability to affect employee’s attitudes, but also their ability to service the guest.
An article written by Kathy Bowen for the Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly solidifies this opinion by analyzing the effect of mandatory uniforms on hospitality employees’ attitude toward their jobs. The author discovered “in talking with employees of theme casino-resorts that decisions regarding employee uniforms are generally made by the management team with little of no input from the employees who wear them.” Further discussions found that managers are mostly concerned about the atmosphere the uniforms help to create than the functionality or appearance of the garment on the employee. The result of a uniform that doesn’t function well or looks bad was proven in this study to actually have a negative effect on employee attitudes and, perhaps lead to customer dissatisfaction.
If you’re in the Hospitality Business and either own or manage a property or restaurant then you understand the importance of a mandatory uniform program and have carved out a portion of your annual budget to address this issue. Whether the goal is replenishment or complete replacement the number one technique you can use to raise company morale is to involve your staff in this uniform decision making process. Hold workshops for each department involved and ask the employees to address three areas of their uniform they believe are critical to successful job performance. These ideas should be written on a whiteboard and together the group can narrow the requirements until a consensus is achieved. A meeting of this nature should last between 1-2 hours depending on the size of the department involved and if run correctly will yield fantastic insight into areas that are often overlooked by management. A property may either utilize internal resources to facilitate these meetings or solicit the help of a firm with industry experience to compile the results and provide solutions. Our team at Killer Chef & Hospitality has found that businesses which use suppliers to conduct their exploratory workshops can often earn this service free of charge for the simple privilege of being on property. Apparel is the most personal of commodities that emotes a unique feeling each and every time an item is worn. Take the time to solicit the opinions of your staff when vetting the uniform process and you’ll enjoy the reward of employee loyalty especially while navigating through today’s “tough neighborhood”.
“I come from a real tough neighborhood. I put my hand in some cement and felt another hand”. - Rodney Dangerfield
Odds are that if you’re in the hospitality business, be it the Lodging or Restaurant industry you know just how tough the neighborhood has gotten. The list of locations struggling out there is too great to mention, and in a time where properties are cutting staff and salaries in record numbers it is growing more and more difficult for employers to keep their remaining workforce energized while engaged in their daily routines. What if I told you there was a way you could increase company morale without increasing pay or resorting to long term contracts? Would you be interested? Well if so I believe the answer lies in examining the employee uniform.
It’s no secret that uniforms affect employee’s attitudes. The following anecdote demonstrates this point. A front desk manager and I were discussing the state of his Hotel’s uniform program. The property is a hip three-star location in Scottsdale, Arizona that uses black short sleeve camp shirts for virtually every operation. The program’s design was to project a relaxed image to its clientele while offering utilitarian comfort to its employees. Unfortunately, this one-sizefits-all concept did not mesh with each of the various departments as valet complained about overheating in black shirts while front desk representatives felt the casual appearance clashed with their daily responsibilities. Such examples illustrate that choosing the proper uniform not only has the ability to affect employee’s attitudes, but also their ability to service the guest.
An article written by Kathy Bowen for the Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly solidifies this opinion by analyzing the effect of mandatory uniforms on hospitality employees’ attitude toward their jobs. The author discovered “in talking with employees of theme casino-resorts that decisions regarding employee uniforms are generally made by the management team with little of no input from the employees who wear them.” Further discussions found that managers are mostly concerned about the atmosphere the uniforms help to create than the functionality or appearance of the garment on the employee. The result of a uniform that doesn’t function well or looks bad was proven in this study to actually have a negative effect on employee attitudes and, perhaps lead to customer dissatisfaction.
If you’re in the Hospitality Business and either own or manage a property or restaurant then you understand the importance of a mandatory uniform program and have carved out a portion of your annual budget to address this issue. Whether the goal is replenishment or complete replacement the number one technique you can use to raise company morale is to involve your staff in this uniform decision making process. Hold workshops for each department involved and ask the employees to address three areas of their uniform they believe are critical to successful job performance. These ideas should be written on a whiteboard and together the group can narrow the requirements until a consensus is achieved. A meeting of this nature should last between 1-2 hours depending on the size of the department involved and if run correctly will yield fantastic insight into areas that are often overlooked by management. A property may either utilize internal resources to facilitate these meetings or solicit the help of a firm with industry experience to compile the results and provide solutions. Our team at Killer Chef & Hospitality has found that businesses which use suppliers to conduct their exploratory workshops can often earn this service free of charge for the simple privilege of being on property. Apparel is the most personal of commodities that emotes a unique feeling each and every time an item is worn. Take the time to solicit the opinions of your staff when vetting the uniform process and you’ll enjoy the reward of employee loyalty especially while navigating through today’s “tough neighborhood”.
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