Sphere
#39
2015
14
<<
Cover Story
The proudest on Earth
Enhancing staff esteem is vital in delivering
exceptional customer service. This is
embedded in the Group’s uniforms which
deliver a message to match the nature of the
type of customer care expected by clients.
Employees who are proud of their work take
pride in their appearance, and so on, in a
virtuous circle that is felt by management,
staff and clients.
Customers who require technical assistance
from the Northern Gas Networks in the
UK are impressed when the emergency
response engineer arrives in his or her smart
uniform – a light-blue shirt with a dark-blue
tie. Those who have to roll up their sleeves
and get out their tools have their own
stylish yet functional long-sleeved polo shirt
uniform. Customers are suitably impressed
when presented with engineers in steel-toe
boots or shoes for safety and non-slip shoe
covers made of plastic to avoid tracking
dirt through clients’ homes. Both exude
professionalism and clients feel they can
trust these experts in their most personal
space – their homes.
Northern Gas Networks’ engineers are
also given practical and presentable cargo
work trousers, waterproof jackets and
safety vests with coloured trim matching
the company’s corporate colours. The kit is
delivered in kitbags to encourage those who
wear the uniforms to keep workwear clean.
Hongkong International Terminals staff
working at the port in Hong Kong even have
their names embroidered in their uniforms,
lending to a sense of pride. With reflective
strips also built into the uniforms to improve
visibility, staff know their colleagues
are looking out for them, even from the
lofty perch of a container-moving crane.
Input from staff via internal contests and
suggestions have resulted in the women’s
uniforms having a two-piece design for
more convenience, and everyone enjoying
appropriate materials for working in the
sweltering Hong Kong summers.
Frontline workers dealing with customers
have different needs. Across the Irish Sea,
3
Ireland staff wear t-shirts or shirts in
either blue, white or pink, with khaki
Hongkong Electric
Extreme weather and work conditions
demand rigorously well-crafted uniforms
for maximum protection.
