When the busier times of year are approaching and you’re expecting a surge in demand, footfall and customers, taking on some additional staff can help your business thrive until things settle down again. But how should you handle uniforms for staff if they’re only temporary additions to your business?
We explain some of the things to keep in mind when putting together temporary staff uniforms.
What sort of business are you?
When it comes to the kind of uniform that’ll work best for temporary staff, there’s a few considerations to make that’ll help make it effective and fit for purpose. Firstly, what industry you operate in.
For example, if you work in an office environment, and your uniform is comprised of formal clothing, such as a long-sleeve shirt and tie, that matches a certain corporate colour scheme, then employees will be able to put together their uniform of their own accord.
A retail environment might be more relaxed, and the uniform could be a branded t-shirt or polo. This is a single item which can be issued to staff to wear alongside their own clothes.
If instead, you work in an industry where a specific kind of uniform is a requirement, such as in a spa, you’ll need to provide the uniform to staff yourself. This is also helpful when you’d like to constantly emphasise your brand through an embroidered logo on the tunic, for example. 
Saving money with an official uniform?
Providing a uniform to your temporary staff doesn’t have to be expensive either, regardless of how long they’ll be working for you.
If it’s something that the employee can provide themselves, you save money easily as you don’t have to spend a penny. If it’s an official uniform that you require, for example a nursing uniform, you’re able to subsidise the cost through salary deductions totalling the uniform’s value.
However, there are additional benefits to an official uniform that can make the costs even easier to handle for both the employer and the employee. Having an official uniform, such as a traditional nursing or policing uniform means that you may not have to pay tax and National Insurance on them. There are also tax incentives that cover cleaning of official uniforms, helping you to save on the cost of their upkeep.
These incentives help to reduce the amount employers spend initially on temporary uniforms, while staff who pay it back don’t have to spend as much thanks to the lack of tax.
Health and safety considerations?
If you’re in an industry where personal protective equipment is necessary, such as manufacturing or construction, you must provide any relevant safety equipment to your employees at no charge to them.
You will already have made the relevant health and safety risk assessments to figure out what kind of equipment you’ll need to reduce risk, so the next step will be to make sure you have enough on hand to provide for however many temporary staff you’ll take on.
The difference is whether or not the protective equipment in question comprises of items that the employee can take home and wear outside of work.
For example, a hard hat and hi-visibility jacket would stay on-site on a construction site and must be provided freely, while steel-toed safety shoes for a chef could be worn elsewhere, and may be reimbursed through staff salary. 
Helping your temporary staff fit to your business even better
Those busy periods where extra staff are needed to meet demand and continue providing great service may seem stressful, but by introducing a few extra professionals into your team during these times can help you cope.
At Simon Jersey, we provide a range of clothing that that can help you quickly and easily make temporary staff fit the look and style of your business. Our range of shirts and blouses can provide a quick and effective uniform look. All of our uniforms are:
- Styled for everyday practicality – We test our fabrics to ensure they provide durability and day-to-day comfort
- Made with expert knowledge – We have 45 years’ experience providing brand-enhancing workwear of all shapes and sizes
- Easy to care for – Most of our garments are machine washable and made to last
To find the uniform solutions that are perfect for your business and staff can request for a catalogue or get in touch with a member of our team.
