While the uniform has traditional male and female options, employees can mix and match however they like to best suit their own body shape and identity. The uniform range includes a dress, blouse, skirt, trousers, cardigan, jacket, shirt, tie and jumper.
The uniforms were designed by London-based company Jermyn Street Design (JSD) over a series of virtual consultations with Yorkshire Building Society staff.
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Uniform designer Nihal Selimi said it was important for Yorkshire Building Society employees to have as much input as possible in the design process.
She told HR magazine: “This was the first time Yorkshire Building Society had had a uniform designed specifically for them to their own requirements. It was important to them to achieve a fully inclusive range for all their employees regardless of their gender identity.
"Staff are selecting items from the range according to their own taste and style choices and this was really driven by the employees in the focus groups.”
Airline Virgin Atlantic also relaxed uniform policies for staff earlier this year, with introduction of gender-neutral uniforms for employees in September 2022, and removing its ban on cabin crew members displaying tattoos in June 2022.
Liz Booth, business support adviser for the Yorkshire Building Society, highlighted how the new uniforms work for employees in practice.
She said: “Everyone has an allowance and they can choose how to use it. They can select a more casual look, or mix with more formal items. Everything works together and there really is something to suit everyone.
“We had never had a uniform designed specifically for us before, so there was a real buzz around seeing the designs for the first time. Because we couldn’t all meet in person we had to rely on viewing the designs virtually. But we really trusted JSD and they kept us informed of progress throughout, really listened to us and delivered a fabulous look that is incredibly comfortable to work in.”
