Friday’s are no longer the only casual day in the workplace. Clothing that was once considered strictly “active wear” is now spilling over into the business world.
This reveals a larger trend: The size of the athletic clothing market — or as retailers refer to as “athleisure,” has grown an average of 5% per year, rising from $54 billion to $68 billion over the past 5 years.
In fact, CEO’s are wearing sneakers to board meetings. Fashionable leggings are worn any day of the week. The idea of being comfortable has changed the culture in the American workplace.
Today, there are comfortable wardrobe lines run by big celebrities and popular name brands, allowing retailers everywhere to take note.
For the first time, consumers are mixing comfort with style. In 2015 alone, Americans spent close to $44 billion on “active wear.” That is up 16% from 2014, while denim sales are dropping by 5% or more per year, since 2013.
The sales numbers indicate that athleisure is not simply a fad. As the athleisure trend continues to grow, this takes us back to it’s relevance in the workplace.
When it comes to workplace apparel, it is very common to see co-workers and employees wearing yoga pants or joggers with hoodies. But how can you use this rising trend to your advantage in the office?
In this article, we are going to take a look at how athleisure items can be used to boost company morale, what it means for your productivity to have even happier employees, and we’ll recommend three athleisure items that can be used for employee incentives and company perks.
Let’s dive in.
Using Athleisure To Boost Company Morale
Every company has contests, incentives, and perks throughout the year to promote a healthy competitive and supportive culture.
What better way to enhance those experiences than with items that your employees already love? Yes, that is where athleisure comes into play.
It’s proven that the more useful a promotional item is the happier the person is to receive it, even more so if they are an employee.
Click here to read more about If Promotional Products Are Really Kept?
That’s why you will see an extra lift in enthusiasm during one of your company’s next activities. The specific type of activities that athleisure items are perfect for include:
- Sales Contest
- Internal Competitions within different departments
- Quarterly and Yearly Awards
Happy Employees Do More
The days of paying employees a LOT of money to make them more productive is out the window. Although, pay does have a part in it, it’s the happiness factor that really determines how productive an employee is.
A study conducted by economists at the University of Warwick, found that happy workers produced a 12% spike in productivity, while they saw a 10% decline in unhappy workers.
Companies like Google have made large investments in employee support and employee satisfaction. In return, Google saw a 37% rise in productivity, suggesting that pay isn’t the only factor in producing productive employees.
We are not saying you have to invest like you are Google, but simple things like giving employees more of what they want and like…will, without question, make them happier.
Comfortable employees make for happy employees. Athleisure provides that extra bit of comfort, ultimately boosting happiness and productivity in the workplace.
What Athleisure Items To Use
There are hundreds of items to choose from when you are thinking of making your employee comfortable, but where to start?
We have put together a few popular items in the athleisure category that will make anyone feel relaxed and fashionable at the same time.
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Women and Men’s Athleisure Polo’s
Buttoned-down doesn’t mean boring in this stretch, energized polo. This jersey with stay-cool wicking technology has the OGIO heat transfer label for tag-free comfort. It’s also fashionable with a self-fabric button-down collar and a stand 4-button placket with metal buttons.
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Women and Men’s ¼ Zip Pullover
Stay-cool both physically and fashionably with this pullover by OGIO. The jersey body with poly/spandex mesh panels provide a reflective taping at the zipper and the back panel to help be seen at night. The mesh at center back and underarms give your body the ability to breath. The OGIO Endurance heat transfer label gives you a tag-free comfort. For the colder months, the modified raglan sleeves with thumbholes provide the extra warmth you need.
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Women’s Eco Mock Twist Locker Room Pullover
The pullover uses recycled and washed polyester/cotton fabric. It has raglan sleeves, a slight high/low hem and slits on the side seams. The hem is ribbed. Not only is this pullover comfortable, but it looks good too.