Yellow v orange high-vis: which provides the best protection?

High-vis clothing can help make workforces and members of the public safer. You’ve probably noticed in recent years that orange high-visibility clothing has become as ubiquitous as yellow, but which one actually does a better job of making people visible?

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Why do we need high-visibility clothing?

To get to the bottom of which is the better colour, we need to consider why we use this clothing in the first place. High-vis clothing helps people to be conspicuous, so they stand out and can be easily seen by those around them. For example, those working by the side of a busy road need to stand out so that drivers can see them amongst the many other moving and bright objects that may be around.

Contrast definition

The greater the contrast with the background, the better the person wearing high-vis apparel will stand out to the human eye. In terms of visibility, colours on the yellow-green spectrum stand out to human eye more than orange-red. Although yellow is a brighter colour, orange sometimes offers more contrast against certain backgrounds, especially in the daytime, where it offers more of a contrast in sunny weather. At night, yellow is generally a better choice.

Recognition

A key argument for purchasing high-vis jackets in a traditional colour is that it is familiar. Those looking for help know to look out for someone in yellow at an event, for example. Once upon a time, yellow was the main colour for high-vis clothing and therefore the most familiar and recognisable.

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In recent years, however, orange has become equally popular, and both are now familiar choices. Often, one colour is more commonly associated with a certain job or hobby. For example, refuse collectors often wear orange, whilst cyclists choose yellow. Both are now available in a wide range of designs and styles (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-48512187).

Other uses for high visibility colours

It’s not just clothing that features high-vis colours. Safety vehicles make use of these shades so motorists and members of the public can easily spot them. Chapter 8 Chevrons, for example, sell a choice of both yellow and orange chevrons for vehicles at https://www.vehiclechevrons.com/.

Whichever colour you choose, make sure you purchase high-vis clothing that also features reflective strips, which make the wearer even more conspicuous and therefore more safe.

Do you have to tip?

Tipping is something that makes the British really quite uncomfortable. It makes most of us feel awkward and we are never quite sure when to do it or how much to give. As for tipping porters, most of us would rather risk slipping a disc and carrying all our own luggage than give a fiver to a porter. Tipping for us is more like running away without the change than a confident expression of thanks.

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The customs that surround tipping in restaurants are even more complicated to the British. Many establishments now assume that they will receive a gratuity but it’s never clear who benefits from our tipping gesture: is a tip lining a restaurateur’s pocket or going to waiter or waitress who served us? Despite our discomfort, not many of us refuse to do it. Nobody wants to risk the wrath of a disgruntled waitress or hairdresser, if we ever want to return to the establishment.

Some of our discomfort must arise from the origins of tipping being seen as a master-servant relationship. It is thought that the word tip stands for ‘To Insure Prompt’, a phrase coined as a financial incentive to Victorian stagecoach drivers who delivered letters. But the term is also traced by the Oxford English Dictionary to the early seventeenth century, when it meant ‘the giving of a gratuity to an inferior’. The act of tipping in Britain is then, perhaps embarrassing for us, as it implies a certain snobbery on the part of the tipper, as if we are somehow superior.

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European countries don’t seem to have the same kind of hang-ups as here in Britain. Waiting tables is viewed as a skilled profession that should be properly rewarded. Today, most of Britain’s neighbours make service inclusive in the bill. In France, for example, a waiter’s wage is not expected to depend on the whim of a customer: an extra 15 per cent service charge is automatically added to the price of food and drink. This sum is distributed to the staff, from the chef and the doorman to the hat-check staff. There are moves afoot to introduce this concept into Britain which would make life a lot easier for consumers over the issue of to tip or not to tip. This would still allow exceptional service to be rewarded, but at the customer’s discretion.

The Consumers’ Association supports this idea because it makes life simpler for consumers. Some restaurateurs are not so sure: the change might increase their costs. As it stands, service charges are not generally included in the total price, so owners do not have to pay VAT or national insurance contributions on tips.

What are the general rules?

Taxi driver About 10% of the total fare is usual for licensed, metered taxis. Rural taxis and minicabs usually charge a pre-agreed, flat fare and many people do not add an additional tip. if you are a self employed driver you may need to declare this with your accountant as its an extra earning that you would not of normally got.  If you don’t have an accountant yet you could take a look at a Gloucester Accountants company at links including www.randall-payne.co.uk.

Hairdressers Stylists expect a tip of about 10% and a junior might be given £1-£2 per customer.

Hotels In smarter hotels tipping will be expected. Give a small gratuity (£1-£2) to bellboys or porters if they take your bags to your room. Doormen should be tipped upon checking out if they have helped with taxis or luggage. A banknote may be left in your room for housekeeping.

How to make your office reflect your business personality

Your office is a reflection of your business and its personality and branding. It is for this reason that it is important to make sure that your business environment is truly reflective not only of the products and services that you offer but also the ethos and values that your business carries.

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There are a number of ways in which you can incorporate these into your building decoration and in the choices of furniture such as the Reception Chairs you can find at www.bestbuy-officechairs.co.uk/reception-chairs/ to better reflect your business.

A well designed office space not is appealing to potential clients and visitors but also has a direct impact on your employees. A survey that was conducted back in 2014 found that there was a direct link between employee morale and satisfaction and the environment in which they worked as well as having an impact on their overall wellbeing. Simple things such as having a quiet space or a break out area that your staff can use to step away from their desks for a short period of time will see your staff morale and productivity dramatically increase. It is thought that one of the reasons for this is that you staff feel more connected to your business and instantly feel like you have their best interests at heart.

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When creating a business brand many companies try to make this as unique as possible and it becomes a part of their unique selling point. However, this does not always translate across to their office space and you can often find that these are very formulaic and uninspiring. Now whilst that may be ok for a business that operates in the manufacturing sector, for those businesses that have a creative element, you will want to let your individuality shine through. This may be something as simple as using bold colours on your walls or if you are in a rented office space making the most of soft furnishings such as the cushions on your chairs or the pictures and words that you could display on your walls. Plants are another way to bring some colour into an office and they bring with them the added benefit of purifying the air at the same time.

Why not take a look at your office space and see if there is anything that you can do to add a bit of your business personality into the way that it looks.