5 things you need to know before selecting your workwear

You won’t believe how many businesses end up buying workwear in the wrong size which costs them more in the long term!

We offer you some of our tried and tested tips to ensure that everyone in your workforce has a uniform that will fit them.

If you are about to implement a uniform into a company for the first time or have decided to change your current uniform you need to decide what types of clothing will work best for your business.

Uniforms are not a one solution fits all, you need to think carefully about your business and the people who are part of your team.

If your business revolves around an office, then it is highly unlikely that you will be looking at hi-viz waterproof jackets. Likewise, if you are part of a sports team, you probably won’t be looking at hard hats. So consider who will be wearing a uniform and where they will be wearing it. 

Don’t forget to consider any members of the team who work for your company in a different role than your main business. Security, kitchen staff, gardeners and maintenance team for example. They will also need a uniform, but their requirements will differ to a team member who is based indoors. 

You can then start to browse online and make decisions about the type of clothing that will work in your business. You could look at your competitors and see what styles they are wearing. It is at this point that you need to make basic decisions on what style of clothes will make your uniform.

Once you know which styles you wish to wear, you can then look closely at all the different offerings.

For example, you may wish your team to wear a polo shirt. Now will that be 100% cotton, or 50/50 Cotton / Poly mix. Will it be a long or short sleeve? If you need  advice the sales team at  MyWorkwear are always happy to help by talking through the options with you.

For example, if you are buying polo shirts for team sports then those with wicking qualities may be best in comparison to cotton. If however, you are buying them for a promotional giveaway you may be looking at the cost they are available for rather than the quality.

***KEY TIP*** 

When choosing, keep asking yourself – how will this item be worn?

The first and perhaps most important thing you can do before spending money buying workwear online is to get proper measurements of your entire workforce. Once you have an idea of your actual physical dimensions, beyond “large,” “size 10,” or “42 waists,” you’ll be able to make informed buying decisions without fear of buying the wrong items. 

The golden rule to remember when looking at sizing charts is that just like when shopping on the high street,  sizes can vary between manufacturer’s. One company’s size 16 is another company’s size 14.

Once you have taken proper measurements from each team member, you can send these to the team at MyWorkwear and we can help guide you and send samples if need be to get all of your sizes correct.

***KEY TIP*** 

The golden rule here is to properly measure your team’s sizes, as one manufacturer’s large is another manufacturer’s medium.

It’s not always practical to have a professional tailor size your measurements, fortunately it’s very easy to do it yourself. You have to be careful taking your own measurements in a natural posture—don’t suck in your gut, or try to stand up straighter than you normally do—trying to “optimise” your posture or size will just lead to uncomfortable clothing in the end. To get the best results when taking your own measurements get a friend or colleague to help out with the hard to accurately reach places, like the inseam for gents, or the bust for ladies. Do not accept “that’s near enough”!Men, you have a few areas to pay attention to. For trousers, you’ll naturally want your height, waist size, and inseam, but you should also measure your hips and if you have a more pronounced backside, your “natural hips,” or the width around your pelvis across your seat. Having all of that in hand will make sure you know what you’re in for when you buy workwear. 

For shirts, make sure you take your chest size, your sleeve length, and your neck size. Even if you tend not to wear anything on your upper body that isn’t sized in “small/medium/large/xl,” those numbers will be what you need for dress shirts, blazers, and suit coats.

Women, you may have a few more areas to pay attention to. You’ll want to measure your bust—the fullest part of your chest and make note of that. You’ll also want to measure your “natural waist,” or the slimmest part of your torso, not necessarily your actual waist where your trousers rest.

Then go ahead and take your actual waist measurements. It’s not often used in women’s clothing, but it’s good to have. Women’s clothing usually uses hip measurements more often—or the size around the fullest part of your body at the top of the leg, around and across your seat. You’ll also want your inseam for trousers.

If you plan to wear collared shirts and blouses, take all of the same measurements mentioned above and also include neck size and sleeve length. Armed with all these measurements you’ll be in good shape to buy a button-down that looks good.

Once you have your measurements to hand for your team, size charts will be your best friend. You won’t ever need to trust that a “large” is indeed “large enough” to fit you—you can just look at the sizing chart.

Whether you go completely custom or buy off the virtual “rack,” as it were, MyWorkWear.co.uk offer a range of thousands of quality and custom workwear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to make your team look great, feel great and correctly dressed for the role. 

As fellow MITM members, we would invite you to contact us when you are thinking of changing your uniforms. James our MD would be happy to visit you at your location to talk through and show you samples of options that will work well for your business. We want to make it as easy as we can for you to dress your team for their role at work. 

Contact [email protected] or call us on 01952 585881