Welcome to the communities.

What an interesting idea from your Execs (and if I had been in the meeting I would have asked them for some proof or evidence) and almost certainly one from the 1990's Japanese handbook of management practice. Its certainly going diametrically opposite where most organisations are heading. Your best bet is googling the case studies from the launch of the Nissan car factory in the North East who I believe introduced exactly this policy - but that was on a green field manufacturing plant. 

Indeed whilst there is little research, most of what there is suggests that (a) people are more likely to leave an organisation with a strict dress code (maybe 1 in 10) (b) People tend to be more productive and engaged when they feel comfortable and (c) people like being involved in making the decisions that affect them the most rather than having them done to them.

I too agree with you that this is unlikely to have any impact on silos and I really dont see it helping portray you as a premium organisation. If you think of those organisations where most people wear uniforms there are at least as many non-premium non-aspiration ones as the other way.

The other joy you now have coming your way is policing this nonsense :-) . Gradually people will try and personalise their "uniforms" and you are going to have to decide how/if you draw the line. Good luck! (If you look at many of the organisations who have uniforms very few have single status uniforms - virtually all of them differentiate staff by way of badges of rank or status - from the Army to MacDonalds!)

If it were me I would be attempting to stop the immediate roll out. Go back to basics and get a group of staff involved in both agreeing what an appropriate dress code/uniform was (and this might be as simple as just polo shirts etc), agreeing how this could be as appealing to a wide and diverse workforce as possible (what items of clothing are necessary) and getting them to help choose manufacturers, material etc etc. With sensitive handling, the wiliness to compromise and to listen it is possible to roll this out but not like this.

Alongside this I would be looking at how I could address the real issues of the organisation. You have an additional hurdle to jump because you have to a greater or lesser extent got off on the wrong foot, But what is the people and operational strategy that is really going to break down barriers? Whats your talent and development approach that will help to move you to a premium organisation? Etc

(PS and I cant recall but am sure someone will be able to - arent there tax implications of providing staff uniforms where they arent really necessary? I might be mistaken)

Keith is dead right. There's no evidence to support the Board's belief and plenty to suggest that it will have the opposite effect, driving away talent and discouraging innovative thought.

My current employer used to follow this approach with some flexibility (it was uniform above the waist for everyone). But we've recently done away with this and the reception was very positive.

Long ago, I worked for an organization famous for its uniformity of dress and although we were all quite proud of it, it still felt very weird to be in a role that mostly involved working on a computer, in an office, but wearing camouflage and combat boots...

In reply to Keith:

Hi Keith, thank you for your voice of reason. It is good to hear that you agree.

Unfortunately I personally am not in a position to directly affect the course of these decisions, but I am asking employees to use the appropriate feedback methods to voice their opinions too. Hopefully with enough feedback, there can be no other course of action other than to address the issue that the employees have with this policy change.

In reply to Robey:

Hi Robey, I agree this may have a very negative affect on sourcing and retaining talent, as well as stifling individuality and entrepreneurial mindsets. I personally feel that we are now taking one step backwards away from being an employer of choice.

In reply to John McIntyre:

In some ways I was at my happiest working for a company where we all had the same polo shirts and had to wear smartish trousers/skirts. No difficult decisions and easy to wash.
Part of their logic was security ie easy to recognise/challenge anyone wandering around not wearing the Company uniform.

I also have experience where one site paid for their own because they had chosen it! This reinforces the consultation argument and that the current approach is probably going backwards rather than forwards

In reply to Peter Stanway:

Hi Peter, I too have worked in various organisations wearing uniforms and I never thought ill of the organisations for imposing uniforms, and this is why I personally have very little issue with the change.

I do though have a bit of a disagreement with the reasoning; i;m really not sure this will aid in cross functional working and portray us as a premium brand either, but again, this is just my personal opinion.

I assume there was absolutely NO consultation? I think I'd be causing management distress if it happened to me.

As for improving team work. What a joke!