How to onboard new staff without uniform admin headaches:

Onboarding new staff is always busy — paperwork, training, compliance, and getting people job-ready. But the new uniforms and PPE often create extra admin nobody has time for: wrong sizes, delayed orders, missing items, and endless follow-ups.

And once you’re managing uniforms for multiple staff members, small mistakes quickly become expensive. A manual process involving email chains, spreadsheet updates, and reorders can drain your businesses time and budget during onboarding.

The good news? Uniform ordering for new staff doesn’t have to be painful. With a simple process – and the right process behind it – staff onboarding can become easier to manage. Westpeak’s Workpack Express is a system, designed specifically to help NZ businesses with uniform and PPE management. Watch video here.

Why uniform ordering for larger teams gets messy

Most uniform headaches don’t start with the product – they start with the process. As a team grows, a manual uniform ordering process doesn’t scale with it.

Common causes of onboarding uniform ordering chaos:

• Ordering via email/text/spreadsheets that require manual entry
• Staff sizes unknown or not recorded
• Too many products / too many options
• Inconsistent branding across multiple suppliers
• No clear order tracking or reporting

It’s not a uniform problem — it’s a process problem. When ordering isn’t centralised, ordering becomes harder to manage as your team grows.

Workpack Express gives you one central uniform management system with ordering, tracking, and reporting all in one place. No more scattered data or manual admin.

The cost of “winging it”

When the uniform ordering process isn’t working, the impacts show up everywhere.

Businesses often experience:

• Admin time lost chasing orders, confirming details, and fixing mistakes.
• New staff waiting days or weeks for correct gear.
• Inconsistent brand representation across the team.
• Extra costs due to incorrect orders and replacements.
• Compliance risk if the right PPE isn’t available when required.

Uniforms are supposed to support the job – not slow down operations and create extra work for supervisors and office admins.

Workpack Express improves visibility through order history and reporting per staff member, making it easier to stay on top of your business uniform spend and reduce avoidable reorders.

A simple uniform ordering process that works

If you want a uniform ordering during staff onboarding to feel easy and repeatable, the key is creating a process that reduces decisions and removes manual steps.

Step 1: Create a workpack per role
Start by brainstorming what uniform and PPE items each role requires. This might include roles such as:

• Administrative teams
• Sales Teams
• Site Teams
• Warehouse Teams

Role-based workpacks create consistency and reduce confusion during onboarding. You can build workpacks by role using Workpack Express, so new staff can only order what items are approved for their role – so they receive the correct uniform and PPE every time.

Step 2: Lock in approved products

Approvals are where many uniform processes fall apart. If too many options are available, decisions slow down and mistakes creep in.

Benefits include:

• Faster ordering
• Less “what do I buy?” confusion
• Better budgeting and cost control

Workpack Express allows you to approve each item available for your team – keeping ordering consistent, controlled, and aligned with your uniform standard.

Step 3: Record sizes during onboarding

Guessing sizes leads to reorders – and reorders lead to delays. Capture uniform sizing during onboarding so the first order is correct, and future ordering becomes easy.

Never forget a size with Workpack Express. This system stores staff sizes and ordering details on file, so reorders are fast and consistent without needing to chase measurements every time.

Step 4: Use one central ordering system

If uniforms are ordered through multiple channels (emails, texts, spreadsheets), it’s easy to miss details or accidentally duplicate orders.

A single ordering system helps reduce errors and gives clear visibility over what’s been ordered and what’s still pending. Workpack Express provides a central ordering system with easy tracking and reporting – so you can manage orders without chasing updates across multiple tools.

Step 5: Make reorders fast and consistent

Staff turnover happens – and uniform needs change throughout the year. Reordering should take minutes, not days.

Consistency matters most when you need to reorder quickly.

Workpack Express keeps order history, approved items, and staff sizing saved – so reorders are simple and accurate. It also features allocated budgets and product limits, helping you control your businesses uniform spend.

How Workpack Express keeps uniforms consistent long-term

Workpack Express is Westpeak’s online uniform management system built to simplify uniforms for NZ businesses. It keeps everything organised in one place, so uniform ordering becomes smoother, and removes admin friction and creates consistency across every order.

With Workpack Express, your business can manage:

• Workpacks set up per role
• Approved items locked in
• Staff sizes saved on file (“Never forget a size”)
• Order history for easy reordering
• Budget allocation and cost control
• Tracking and reporting for visibility
• Branding consistency – your logo is kept on file for embroidery/printing

Download PDF of Simple Uniform Ordering System Checklist

Ready to simplify uniform ordering?

Uniform ordering doesn’t need to be complicated. With a system that is consistent, you can reduce admin time, avoid mistakes, and get new staff sorted faster.

Learn more about our industry-leading uniform management system, Workpack Express

Or contact Westpeak to set up a smoother uniform ordering process for your business.