Uniform Standards
Requiring employees to wear uniforms strains noncommercial budgets, but morale and service benefit
By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/1/2004
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When it comes to belt-tightening, uniforms often come under fire from noncommercial operations’ accountants. But most operators see tangible returns from the investment.
Few standard policies on uniforms exist. Operators devise creative cost-efficient ideas that are as flexible as elastic waistbands, from full-paid issue (including shoes) to partials (hat and apron) and allowances (in lieu of no uniform policy). Though the search for appropriate uniforms can be frustrating and labor-intensive, operators agree that attire sends a positive message about professionalism, fosters brand identity and improves image.
When the new 250-bed Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital opened in February, other departments of the Nashville, Tenn. medical complex saw green. Foodservice personnel set themselves apart with new shamrock-green jungle prints featuring monkeys, parrots and ferns on shirts, ties and aprons. Worn over khaki pants or skirts, uniforms complement the hospital’s spirit and identity.
“We’re about kids and family,’’ says Carole Bartoo, director of communications. “Often, white uniforms are too threatening for younger patients.’’ The kid-friendly foodservice apparel matches the approach taken by nurses and surgeons, who sport dragon and lion prints.
Finding neon-colored patterns to catch and intrigue a child’s eye took months of searching by a dedicated project manager. Some companies that promised to send samples or color swatches failed to deliver. “Finding a firm that keeps an inventory of colors and sizes proved hard,’’ says Kristyn Lantagne, management dietitian and project coordinator.
In a survey on uniform policy conducted for the National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management (HFM), a Washington, D.C.-based association of independent healthcare foodservice operators, many members report similar frustrations. Quality and craftsmanship are inconsistent. Fabrics shrink, colors fade, seams split and zippers break. Finding replacements in identical dye lots is futile.
“The last thing a manager wants to see is a serving line wearing three shades of teal,’’ says Richard Gallagher, associate director of food and nutrition services at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn.
One cost-efficient alternative is creating a “black-and-white’’ policy. Employees wear black pants or skirts, white shirts and black shoes, says Gallagher. It’s a smart, professional look and such basics are easy to purchase and maintain.
Looking and working smart
In addition to the practical aspects, uniforms meet
psychological needs. They play an important role
in job satisfaction
and performance, says Helen Doherty, director of
food and nutrition
services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
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Fifteen years ago, foodservice employees switched from rental uniforms to custom attire. The investment, between $30,000 and $40,000 annually for 326 full-time staffers and 65 part-timers, continues to pay dividends. “What it does for staff morale goes beyond dollar value,’’ she says. “Put workers in clothing with some style and you can see the difference. They have a sense of pride. They stand taller. If employees look sloppy, they’ll act careless.’’
Finding one design to suit every job is impossible. Doherty honored employee requests for lots of pockets and elastic waistbands. Dark pants, tailored shirts and mid-thigh aprons flatter most shapes.
At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, polo shirts, caps and black aprons with colorful prints are standard issue for front-of-the house employees. A committee of managers and students makes decisions on styles, fabrics and colors. Outfitting 350 full-time employees and 1,000 part-timers with five apparel sets apiece adds up to $100,000 a year.
In the contract
Jim Wulforst turns over uniform responsibilities
to contractors. The director of dining services
for Duke
University in
Durham, N.C., uses 23 contractors at 24 campus
units, with management
companies such as Aramark Corp., national chains
including McDonald’s, and local chains
such as Armadillo Grill and Alpine Bagels operating
in various locations. These companies
supply five sets of uniforms each to crews among
the 300 full-time employees.
Rules are eased at two coffee bars, the only campus outlets that use part-time student workers. They work in common areas and select their own footwear, says Wulforst. Caps and full aprons supplied by the university cover all areas mandated by health codes. Safety shoes, worn in kitchens, are not necessary in the front of the house.
Each brand in the portfolio of Atlanta-based Morrison Healthcare Food Services (a unit of Compass Group North America) has its own uniform. Function defines the style and image for Catering To You, a room-service program.
“Image is important to Catering To You because it’s about personal contact with patients in their rooms,” says Karen Smith, senior director, client programs and services. “The image we want is smart, clean and crisp.’’
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That translates into black vests, pants and ties and white Oxford shirts with gold/green logos and trim. The physically demanding jobs require durable, stain-resistant fabrics.
Providing new uniforms for kitchen workers was part of the foodservice-management contract signed in 2002 between Sodexho USA and the U.S. Marine Corps.
“The easy part is that Marines are into images and uniforms. The tough part was timing,’’ says William Sibbers, director of marketing, defense services, for the Gaithersburg, Md.-based contractor. The company outfitted 2,000 employees at 55 mess halls with 8,000 uniforms in 85 days. White chef’s jackets with red trim at the wrist replaced fatigues and camouflage pants, moss green T-shirts and zippered burgundy smocks.
The benefits of uniforms are a source of regular debate among noncommercial foodservice professionals. The following are among the findings of a 2003 member survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management.
The lowdown on dressing up
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