Staff Uniforms

[otomous]

Ok maybe not a business style suit, but something just as smart.
As I said the European railways seem to manage fine, so I don't see why Britain should be any different.

Drivers I've seen on the continent frequently dress very casually, and the guards uniforms I've seen seen are not dissimilar to our own. Eurostar is different, maybe because that's an airline style operation in much more controlled environments.

 

[otomous]

I liked the reply from Mintona. I think it is useful for drivers to be distinguishable from platform and train staff, although they should always be prepared to answer customer queries to the best of their ability, even if it is only to politely direct customers to those who know.
All staff should be dressed smartly and exude efficiency. They should get a decent clothing provision and should be encouraged not to be obese. A healthy body and all that.

When the company itself is not very professional, there is a trickle down of attitude. However, on the obesity issue, well, unfortunately that goes with the territory. Irregular shifts much you up royally, affecting sleep, metabolism, propensity to obeseity and diabetes etc. Breaks away from home depots so bringing decent food can be tricky, breaks at silly times. It's almost unheard of to get a break at the "normal" mealtimes. Sometimes if you want to maintain any normal eating pattern at all you have to grab something quick when you get a lapse between trains rather than at the break - which may be at say 11 am or 11pm - too early for lunch, too late for dinner etc.

 

[DarloRich]

Uniforms need to reflect the environment in which the wear has to work not the desires of those looking in from the outside world.

If drivers need to be getting in and out of cabs and onto the ballast they need to be dressed appropriately. That isnt a suit and a top hat. It is lightweight, tough fabrics that don't constrict movement, don't over heat the wearer and will take a bit of dirt but can be easily cleaned at home.

Guards need to be a bit more visible but also need a hard wearing outfit that is comfortable, cool, breathable, made with good fibres ( not polyester!) and easy to care for at home to maintain a good level of presentation with the customers. Again it doesn't need to be some polyester suit. It needs to be visible.

A decent coat to keep you dry in the winter would also help!

 

[pt_mad]

Railway staff don't work on building sites...
Construction workers aren't customer facing, you can't do customer facing work in any old casual uniform as it looks really unprofessional.
I have to say, some of you guys need to work in the real world, as I don't see any real arguments why platform staff, guards, drivers etc shouldn't wear suits and ties.

However, supermarket staff are customer facing. And a lot of those wear polo shirts and practical trousers, as do a lot of other high street retail staff.

So going on that logic, why can't guards and platform staff have a polo neck as standard? And jumpers rather than suit jackets where suit jacket and waistcoat is still the standard on some tocs? West Cost now have a polo neck for customer facing so why is this only an exception for them and other tocs can't seem to adopt this?

If you went to a well known DIY retailer, such as a red branded one with '&' in it, you wouldn't be likely to find them wearing suits in their customer facing roles. BEcause its not particularly practical even though some of them will work the till a lot of the time. And the same principal applies to guards and platform roles. It may look extra smart but its not the most practical option, and in 2018 well presentable options are available in practical fabrics and styles that keep well with home washing and ironing and don't need pressing every night to keep looking ok.

 

[randyrippley]

How is it relevant that some workers spend MORE time in the open air than rail workers? So dress them suitably. Same as us - not asking for privileges or pampering, just appropriate clothing for the role.

Point I was making is that my experience of working outdoors is enough for me to know that anyone who says caps are no use is talking bunkum. No more, no less. I wasn't talking about any other clothes, just caps. If they are designed correctly, and fit, they keep your head dry and don't blow off. Anyone claiming anything else is ..............wrong

 

[EM2]

The original mention of caps in this thread was from Tobberz:

Simply bringing back into widespread use the BR-style flat or peaked cap would be a good start in my view.

The BR-style caps were neither designed correctly nor fitted well. Therefore, as I originally said to Tobberz, they would be no use on a windswept platform.
In my experience, I've never seen staff that are working in windy wet conditions at any station wearing a cap.
Could you link to, or post a picture of, the kind of cap that you're referring to?

 

[DunfordBridge]

I personally prefer to wear a shirt and tie in my work. If I am without my tie, I do not feel fully equipped, as odd as it seems, wearing the tie puts me in the right frame of mind for work.

The BR style caps did look quite good on occasion but they are not always the best of head-gear causing perspiration. I have been known to wear a baseball cap in combination with my shirt and tie when I have been working as a guard on a heritage railway, branded of course.

The casual uniform does not do it for me. Once I was stuck on a train for over a hour due to an animal strike. The driver was to be replaced. Some time later, a man in full uniform proceeded down the aisle towards the cab. I was quite relieved as I knew the man had come to save us all from our travel misery. If a man dressed in the Northern uniform of polo-shirt and shorts had turned up, we would have been none the wiser and I would have thought that it was just some random passenger dashing to the loo due to the amount of time spent on the train.

 

[atraindriver]

<deleted>

 

[Rail Blues]

So you believe casual uniform isn't appropriate but then say you choose to wear items of casual clothing when it suits? Hmm.
(Baseball caps are modern and casual, and therefore entirely inappropriate for a heritage railway).

And a complete mismatch. The overall effect would look odd to me and would undermine any attempts at smartness. Also it is an unfair comparison, to people who work on the railways. Doing something on an occasional and voluntary basis is veery different to doing it day in day out as an employee.

I personally prefer to wear a shirt and tie in my work. If I am without my tie, I do not feel fully equipped, as odd as it seems, wearing the tie puts me in the right frame of mind for work.

The BR style caps did look quite good on occasion but they are not always the best of head-gear causing perspiration. I have been known to wear a baseball cap in combination with my shirt and tie when I have been working as a guard on a heritage railway, branded of course.

The casual uniform does not do it for me. Once I was stuck on a train for over a hour due to an animal strike. The driver was to be replaced. Some time later, a man in full uniform proceeded down the aisle towards the cab. I was quite relieved as I knew the man had come to save us all from our travel misery. If a man dressed in the Northern uniform of polo-shirt and shorts had turned up, we would have been none the wiser and I would have thought that it was just some random passenger dashing to the loo due to the amount of time spent on the train.

Well horses for courses. I have never felt wearing a tie has fundamentally shaped my performance at work one way of the other. Even if it did, I wouldn't mandate them on that basis.

Surely the fact that a) the man entered the cab and b) the train started moving shortly afterwards were enough clues, even if he wasn't dressed up like a cinema comissionaire

 

[pt_mad]

a) the man entered the cab and b) the train started moving shortly afterwards were enough clues, even if he wasn't dressed up like a cinema comissionaire

Not my image.

 

[whhistle]

We're in the midst of becoming less corportate though.
The likes of Virgin and Richard Branson's "I hate ties" business have always been that way - yet those who work in the offices still wear shirts, work trousers, jackets...

Other companies seem to think wearing a smart uniform promotes professionality.

If someone is wearing a more casual uniform, I feel they're a bit like me (the customer) and then I'm likely to do what they say/see them in a good light instead of part of a profit driven business who wants to steal my money.

Couldn't care less if drivers or back office staff wore jeans or whatever they wanted.

If I could wear something less smart, I'd be more likely to do a better job as I'd feel more comfortable. I understand the need for a bit of uniform somewhere, but if you're in a ticket office, it's different to dispatching or guards on the train.

 

[Warwick]

I see photos of staff on Japanese Railways and see that standard as being the one to aim for. It doesn't need hats though, as airlines have recognised. What's wrong with airline standards of dress? It exudes competence.

Because the railways don't insist on uniform size and shape people. I was appalled at the size, shape and appearance of the guard on the train that I took last week from Angmering to Barnham on my way back to my luscious lady friend's. The person looked like a sack of potatoes in a set of ill fitting clothes - not a look I would imagine a TOC would want to impress it's passengers with.

 

[LowLevel]

It's only in the last few years that the railways have really bothered looking at recruiting by personal standards like airlines.

We have plenty of old hands who don't meet the airline stereotype. This is not surprising as until they were moved into alternative roles they were largely involved in conveying parcels, stone and coal around which doesn't require you to dress nicely around it or speak to it politely.

The railway has changed around them without them asking it to and while they can still meet the basic requirements of the job I'm sure they will be around for a while yet.

They tend to be rather handy when things go wrong as well.