Study: Uniforms give firms an edge in tough times

When the going gets tough, companies would be well advised to consider outifitting their workers in uniforms.

That's the wisdom that UniFirst Corp., a Wilmington supplier of business uniforms and work-wear, said it has gleaned from research by the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University.

How companies use colors and emblems "to personalize their employee apparel" can truly get them noticed, "a fact that takes on added significance during tough economic times," the company said in a press release. (The image above this story was taken from the company's website.)

The press release included a statement from Adam Soreff, UniFirst's senior communications manager.

"It's what researchers refer to as 'identity signaling,'" Soreff said. "Personalized employee uniforms provide a more professional business image, along with visual clues about a company's overall business mission. As a result, such apparel helps provide front-of-mind consciousness and confidence. And that's where every company wants to be when spending gets tight."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)