UNIFORMS AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHINGS

Uniforms are issued to most people who work in the hospitality industry. Although there
are many people who dislike wearing uniforms of any kind, they do have their
advantages.

ADVANTAGES TO THE COMPANY

• The staff can be easily identified.

• Uniforms help to create an atmosphere or set the scene, for example uniforms
may be worn either to match the décor or the theme of the outlet.
• Uniformed staff feel a part of the team and their work improves.

ADVANTAGES TO THE STAFF

• They save on money to stitch work clothes as well as the laundry expense.
• Staff can get more involved in a messy job if they know that their clothes are the
responsibility of the management so they need not clean them personally.
• Staff uniforms not only are impressive but also protective.
• Some uniforms give prestige to the wearer.

CHOOSING / SELECTING UNIFORMS

When choosing uniforms, it is important to consider the following:

1) WORK ENVIRONMENT – short shelves are more

practical for room boys/maids. Some uniforms eg. the head wear of kitchen
staff, fulfill an important hygienic function.

2) APPEARANCE / STYLE – while keeping in mind the

environment of the establishment, a uniform should be designed in such a way

that will look equally good on fat and thin, short and tall people. Well stitched
and fitting garments should be used in public area staff allowing comfort
ability during work. They should stay bright and look new even through
countless launderings.
 3) COMFORT – comfort in uniforms depends on the right

fabric, but even more so on the good fit (tailoring). Staff are active, hard
working people hence they may require to stretch, reach, bend, etc therefore
their uniforms should be designed with ample working room so they need not
restrict their movements.

4) IMAGE & IDENTITY – if we want to create a desirable

eye-catching, smart, efficient and professional image for our staff then we have
to provide then with the right uniform fit for their status. Emblems, badges,
embroidery can be done of the hotel logo and their name department wise. The
décor also can be matched with the uniforms and there by reinforcing the
image of the establishment.

5) VALUE – in selection of uniforms, one should seek value,

uniforms that look good, comfortable to wear, maintain their appearance even
after continuous laundering, economical and cheaper but last long.

6) FABRIC – after comfort, perhaps fabric selection is the

most critical of all factors when purchasing uniforms. Cotton outfits are
preferred because they are porous and more absorbent than polyester and
cotton blends, however blends are getting more popular because they maintain
there look, do not soil and crease easily. Wool is important in cold climate any
can only be dry-cleaned thereby proving more expensive.

A LIST OF RULES ABOUT UNIFORMS WRITTEN BY THE HOUSEKEEPING

DEPARTMENT OF THE RADISSON HOTEL

The following standards apply to all employees :

 1. Name tags shall be worn at all times.
2. For uniformed employees, uniforms are to be clean and pressed and in good
repair.
3. No additional personal wear is to be worn with the uniform, i.e. scarves, sweaters,
hats, buttons, or jewellery that would be pinned to the uniform.
4. For non-uniformed employees, tasteful, conservative business clothes are to be
worn and must be clean and pressed. No jeans.
5. Shoes shall be clean, polished and in good repair. Tennis shoes and canvas shoes
are not allowed.
6. The wearing of jewellery should be of conservative fashion. Excessive jewellery
is not allowed.
7. Nose rings or studs will not be worn, in keeping with conservative dress styles, no
earrings are to be worn by men.
8. Daily showers and use of deodorants are strongly advised.
9. Fingernails are to be clean and trimmed.
10. No gum chewing is allowed in public guest rooms, etc.
11. Women’s make-up should complement normal skin tones and excessive use of
make-up is not allowed. Women should avoid the use of heavily scented
perfumes/colognes and nail polish must complement normal skin tones. Hair
should be neat, clean and styled in a conservative fashion.
12. Mustaches, beards and sideburns should be kept neatly trimmed in a conservative
style. No beards are to be grown while working. Otherwise, men’s faces are to be
clean shaven. Hair should be neat and styled in a conservative fashion, so as not
to extend past the length of the collar of fall into the face when leaning over. Men
should avoid the use of heavily scented colognes.

TIPS ON UNIFORM SELECTION

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE NO. OF SETS

When drawing up a uniform budget, consideration should be given to:

Staff turnover, Life expectancy of the garment, Seasonal requirements,
Anticipated changes that may occur in décor and laundry requirements etc. In
general, staff should be provided with at least 2-3 uniforms, depending on the
work they are supposed to do. For example kitchen staff, housekeeping room
attendants require 4 sets of uniforms, front of the house people do not do hard,
 tedious jobs therefore they can have 3 sets. When considering the number of
sets of uniforms required for staff, the following points should be kept in mind:

1) UNIFORM MATERIAL – the life expectancy of a

uniform is between 12- 18 months, depending on the quality of the

material, and the type of job performed during it’s use. Hence materials
chosen should last for it’s expected life span.

2) NATURE OF THE JOB – some jobs in the hotel are very

strenuous in nature. Uniforms of utility workers, chefs, stewarding, room

attendants, maintenance departments should be durable and hard wearing
as it may require laundering every alternate day. While managers, top
executives and senior staff in the hierarchy do not require a change daily
therefore superior quality material should be used which is appealing to
the guest and enhances their image.

3) FREQUENCY OF LAUNDERING - depending on how

often uniforms are sent to the laundry and whether the laundry is in –house
or contracted out would influence the number of sets of uniforms required.

ISSUE AND EXCHANGE PROCEDURE

In case of new employees uniforms are issued against specific authorization letter
received from the personnel department. The employee would be required to sign for the
allotted uniforms and will have to return the same and get the clearance letter from the
executive housekeeper, failing which his pay cheque is withheld.

EXCHANGE PROCEDURE

• For regular employees ensure that they have arrived at the stipulated time.
• Check the uniforms for damages.
• Issue fresh uniform strictly on a one to one basis, ensuring the uniform is for the
same staff by checking it’s label( i.e. Every staff has their uniforms altered as per
their size and therefore it should have codes identifying the person ).
• If the staff does not want to take the fresh uniform in exchange of the dirty then
the linen housekeeper should issue him a uniform slip mentioning the details of
exchange. The issue slip should be made in duplicate, one with the employee and
the other to be retained in the book. In order to put forward his claim, the
employee should produce the slip to the concerned person in the linen room.
• If the uniforms are damaged, they should be mended by the seamstress/tailor
before handing them over to the employee so wear, if major damage has taken
place then the matter should be informed to the supervisor.