When an employee leaves or you change your uniform design, your company has unneeded uniforms that bear your brand identity. It might seem like a simple problem – just bin them. But that overlooks some disturbing possibilities. Tossing old uniforms in a bin can compromise your brand identity and security. Uniform destruction is the best way to protect your company.
The one thing your company cannot buy is goodwill. Every company should have a proactive policy in place to ensure that staff represent the company properly when they are on the job, and that they clearly are not representing the company when they are off duty. One rogue employee who is rude to a customer or behaves badly in public while representing the brand can do incalculable damage. But your branded uniform falling into the wrong hands can be even worse.
A person who isn’t an employee posing as one can cause a whole range of problems from annoying to criminal. Someone donning your uniform for a Halloween costume and then posting photos on social media of themselves partying isn’t going to do your brand any favours. If uniforms are disposed of intact, it is also possible for someone with far more sinister motives to get them. Criminals can use your brand’s uniform and good name to gain entry to someone’s home or commit any number of scams by posing as a member of your staff. Even if you have a new uniform design, not everyone will be aware of it and people could be fooled by a criminal in your old uniform.
The bottom line is that we shred documents at home and at work precisely because criminals have gone through the trash looking for financial details in order to rob and commit fraud. That’s a long-established reality. Your branded uniforms are as valuable and as useful to criminals as banking details. Uniform destruction is the safest option to preserve your company’s assets.
Your strategy to protect company and brand identity should include shredding uniforms once they are no longer necessary, to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Whether you have a full uniform or simply a shirt or hat, when an employee leaves, every element of the uniform should be accounted for. Hi-viz jackets are a particular concern. These are popular for many purposes aside from work. Anyone who walks or cycles has a use for hi-viz clothing for their own safety. Walking or cycling in the evening or early morning or on country roads can be dangerous. Wearing hi-viz gear makes it safer. But do you want it to be your brand’s hi-viz gear?
The solution is to keep a strict inventory of branded uniforms so you know where each item is. When an employee leaves, it is imperative to get all branded uniforms and other gear back from them. Even if that employee leaves on excellent terms and has a legitimate use for the gear, as long as they are wearing it they are still representing your brand – and you have no control over them lending or giving away the branded uniform. Cyclone Shredding offers a certified uniform destruction service that helps you ensure your company’s security is preserved. If you’re looking to protect valuable information from being stolen, whether they are on paper or on an electronic format, document shredding and hard drive destruction are the way to go. Get a quote here or contact us for more information.
