The survey of 1,000 UK workers, conducted by personalised clothing brand Banana Moon, looked at the modern day perception of wearing uniforms in the workplace.
The results show 20 percent of workers believe that there is a gender divide when it comes to uniforms in the workplace, with more men feeling strongly about the imbalance than women.
Regionally, respondents in Yorkshire (31 percent) are most likely to believe there is an issue in the workplace with gender and uniforms, while those in East Midlands (17 percent) and Wales (14 percent) feel the least affected.
Despite there being prominent issues with gender and uniforms, over half of respondents still believe that uniforms in the workplace are important and just over half of people said that wearing a uniform makes them feel professional.
Looking at the trust among employees and customers, 43 percent of respondents believe that people wearing a uniform are more trustworthy compared to those who are not.
Some 40 percent of people went on to say that wearing a uniform gives them pride in their work and makes their job easier, and 31 percent of people stated that wearing a uniform makes them feel more productive at work.
Alex Grace, Marketing Director at Banana Moon, said:
“It’s worrying that many people in the UK believe there is a gender divide when it comes to workwear, especially when there are many great unisex uniforms on the market.
“As our results show, uniforms can enhance an employee’s pride in working for a business and have a positive effect on the entire workforce, therefore it is important that companies get it right.
“Finding a uniform to please everyone can be difficult, but it is achievable and it is something that companies should invest plenty of time researching. Talk to your employees and see what they would feel comfortable wearing.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
