Exploring the relationship between uniform and perceived employee happiness and productivity

Project Team

Prof Louise Moody (Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities)
Ann Muirhead (School of Art and Design)
Angela Armstrong (School of Art and Design)

Project Overview

Whilst we are all aware that what we wear affects how we feel and how we act, there has been limited research exploring the impact of uniform or workwear on employee well-being, happiness and productivity at work.

This project sought to understand the employee perspective on the impact uniform has on their happiness and productivity in their role, with the aim of placing the employee at the centre of the design and development process.

Project Objectives

A survey completed by 2560 employees from a wide range of uniform-wearing companies has explored perceptions of:

• Happiness at work: How wearing a uniform makes staff feel
• Productivity at work: The perceived ipact a uniform has on their ability to perform well at work
• Uniform design: Priorities for uniform design amongst different employee groups

Impact statement

Potentially there are financial as well as employee well-being benefits to be gained by employers, by understanding how work-based happiness and performance can be improved through uniform design.  This research explores employee perceptions of the impact of a well-designed uniform, as well as establishing key design requirements to guide future uniform design for different employee groups.

Project website

https://www.murrayuniforms.com/impact-of-uniform-on-a-persons-wellbeing-the-findings/