The Importance Of Respect In Uniforms

You might have heard about a court case that has been postponed at the moment.

In essence, SANDF Major Fatima Issacs is on the defence after being accused of disobeying a lawful order not to wear a hijab under her uniform beret.

Picture credit: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency (ANA)

When writing about respect and office wear, we can’t help but quote Aretha Franklin’s ‘R e s p e c t, find out what it means to me!’ lyrics. Respect is a crucial element when setting uniform standards.

When it comes to uniform standards, respect can be highly controversial at the best of times. There are always two sides of the coin, and we believe respect is a two-way street.

All in all, it boils down to an agreement, and how much compromise can be accepted by either party from the get-go. The challenge comes when either party to any agreement needs to stick by what they’ve agreed to.

At AJAY Apparel, we strongly believe in respect in the overall corporate space, and we believe in fairness being granted to those who think differently to the way we do.

At the end of the day, we stand by compromise and sticking to an agreement.

Here are some tips for each side of a potential corporate uniform debate or discussion:

1. The Employee

As an employee of any company, it is highly important that you read the fine print regarding what is acceptable in your corporate uniform dress code.

The last thing you want to do, especially if you do have specific beliefs within your culture, is to agree to something that you won’t be able to fulfil in the long run.

It might also be worth negotiating with an employer ahead of time to see if you can come to a fair agreement before taking a job that might require regimented rules about dress code.

Either way, we encourage transparency across the board, and a willingness to move on if there is no sense of agreement.

2. The Employer

It is hugely important that employers make sure that staff are comfortable in their corporate uniforms.

We really believe in cultivating a space where there is openness in communication between staff and employers and it is often an employer who would need to take the first steps.

If you are going to employ someone who has a specific belief, it is always advised to really ensure you understand where they are coming from. From your side, communicate your standards explicitly to avoid any conflict in the future.

Respecting someone’s beliefs might look like a fair compromise, and a willingness to negotiate terms of the agreement.

This is one of the main reasons we believe in a good quality bespoke uniform, and one that is fairly flexible.

Get in touch with us today for a quote on your bespoke corporate uniform which can be tailor-made to suit everybody. We know it is important for people to be respected at work.