The weather in South Africa is mostly ambient, consequently making it easier to design staff uniforms for all seasons. There are, however, some environments that require special attention during the winter. In the Cape area, for instance, the winters are wet and windy, while in midlands of KwaZulu-Natal the winters are bone dry and very icy, thus making it important to invest in the best corporate clothing for winter when it comes to your employees.
At Best Clothing, we understand that this problem is not just as easy to solve by incorporating some bulky jackets and thick fleeces. Corporate clothing for winter must not only be striking but also suited to the people and the tasks they are required to perform daily. Providing your staff with the correct corporate apparel for winter can increase productivity and morale during the cold months because they enable your employees to feel warm and comfortable during the day.
You must consider various factors by analysing the tasks your employees perform every day. For instance, what is the temperature in the particular environment your employees work in? Or what particular movements they should be able to do while wearing winter clothes. Then there is, of course, the matter of comfort and style.
Appearance is especially important for employees who deal directly with clients or are the first point of contact when it comes to new customers. You need to ensure that the brand is represented at all times in the best possible way, and using the services of a professional corporate clothing company for your winter uniforms may be the best way to go. They can not only provide you with a lot of information about the latest styles and trends available on the market, but also allow you to make more informed decisions about which items of clothing you should invest in.
Certain jobs are governed by labour laws in terms of safety, so you have to abide by the legislative restrictions of these rules. If your employees work with certain chemicals or perform certain functions, their work wear or uniforms must provide safety while they carry out their jobs during the icy winter months. According to South African law, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the workwear or uniforms of their employees are not only keeping them safe but also adheres to South Africa’s legislation.
PPE (personal protective equipment) is often needed in addition to the corporate clothing that is specifically designed for winter, and this is something that simply cannot be ignored. The types of PPE they will need to wear differ from function to function and depend on the types of tasks they have to carry out during their working day. Here, legislation is definitely more important than visual aesthetics, and it is crucial that the right work wear or uniforms are provided that do not hamper or have an impact on the performance of the relevant PPE.
If you are unsure which corporate clothing items to purchase, it would be wisest to do a thorough analysis of the tasks required by employees. The people you employ to perform these jobs can also provide valuable insight in terms of what is needed, which types of clothing hamper their performance, and which types of clothing are recommended by the people who actually perform these tasks. It is vital that all corporate clothing for winter is suited to the roles people play within the company.
Take, for instance, the employees working at a ski resort. Here you will need kitchen uniforms that suit the heated temperature in the kitchen but also provide the staff with adequate heat when knocking-off at the end of the workday. A ski instructor, on the other hand, will need something completely different because they spend most of their days outside in the cold weather, which is exactly why they need really warm corporate clothing.
As you can see, purchasing the right corporate clothing for winter for your employees may not be as easy as you would think. If you have doubts about which types of clothing to purchase, give our team at Best Clothing a call and we will help you to make a more informed decision that will provide your employees with all the comfort and safety they need, while still keeping your business on the map.