Workwear guidelines

The USQ Workwear range was introduced in 2010 for all eligible employees.  You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with  a number of frequently asked questions about workwear at USQ.

About the range

• Why do we need a USQ corporate workwear range?
• Who is eligible for the USQ workwear range?
• Do I have to wear the corporate workwear range?
• Can my Faculty or Department have its own workwear range?  What about special events?
• What about work areas that have compulsory workwear requirements for safety or other reasons?
• What does the workwear range look like?

Subsidy

• How much subsidy am I eligible for?
• Do I have to spend the subsidy in one lump sum?
• How does the workwear subsidy work? Who pays the GST?
• Can I buy in workwear in excess of the subsidy?
• Who budgets for the USQ workwear range?

Ordering and contacts

• How do I order my corporate workwear?
• What do I do with my old workwear?
• Who do I contact if I have any questions?

Why do we need a USQ corporate workwear range?

The purpose of a single optional USQ workwear range is to provide greater consistency in the representation of USQ by creating an equitable opportunity for employees across all faculties and departments at the three campuses to have access to approved workwear.

A single approved workwear range is a visual tool that addresses the opportunity to build brand recognition with students and within the communities, as well as reinforcing the essence of the brand – being one family; a community feel.

Additionally, the introduction of one workwear range will allow employees to easily move between faculties, departments and campuses without the need to purchase new workwear, thus reducing the financial impact for USQ and for employees.

The USQ Workwear Policy outlines the terms and conditions associated with the range.

Who is eligible for the USQ workwear range?

An approved range of workwear for optional use will be made available to all executive, professional and academic continuing and fixed term staff whose appointment duration is for more than 12 months with a contract end date greater than 12 months from the subsidy release date*, excluding those employees who require compulsory occupation-specific** or protective** workwear requirements.  Note: fixed term appointments must be for more than 12 months in a single contract - consecutive contracts of smaller duration that total over 12 months are not eligible. 

*'Subsidy release date' is 1 January each year.

**‘Occupation specific’ means clothing that is specific to your occupation, is not every day in nature and would allow the public to easily recognise your occupation - for example, the checked pants a chef wears.

**‘Protective’ means clothing and footwear that you wear to protect yourself from the risk of illness or injury posed by your work activities or the environment in which you are required to carry them out – for example, fire-resistant and sun-protection clothing; safety-coloured vests; steel-capped boots, gloves, overalls, and heavy duty shirts and trousers etc.

Employees at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism are not covered under the USQ Workwear policy.

Additionally, a Category 4 Delegate or above may request an exemption for a certain group or groups of employees in their work area where there is a strong case for the request (eg grounds/trades employees where the nature of the work requires a higher level of durability and frequency of replacement than the optional corporate workwear range and funding would provide). These requests are to be made in writing to Human Resources with supporting justification and will be considered and approved or otherwise on a case by case basis.

Do I have to wear the corporate workwear range?

The corporate workwear range is non-compulsory, therefore it is entirely at your discretion as to whether you wear the apparel or not.  However, if you do choose to wear the range, it should be worn as a complete outfit - items of personal clothing should not be worn with the registered range as this detracts from USQ's registered identity.

Can my Faculty or Department have its own workwear range? What about special events?

The intention of the corporate workwear policy is to consistently align all visual and cultural elements with USQ’s brand message and relationship strategy, therefore there will only be one approved optional workwear range for USQ. Having different uniforms for individual work areas creates a mixed message for our students and other stakeholders about who USQ is and the image we present in the respective communities and therefore individual faculties, departments, sections and campuses will not be permitted to develop and provide workwear items outside of the corporate range. Department and section identification for employees can be applied through the use of name badges.

If special event clothing is required which is outside of the optional workwear range, such as those worn at Open Days, requests and approval must be made through the Internal Brand Coordinators, Marketing Services to ensure correct branding. All orders for special event clothing must be made through the Merchandise Officer, Marketing Services.

The University encourages employees to wear the optional workwear range when representing USQ at other events such as conferences and meetings, either on campus or externally, where students, businesses or the community may be present.

What about work areas that have compulsory workwear requirements for safety or other reasons?

Employees who require compulsory occupation specific or protective workwear will continue to receive these uniform requirements through other arrangements outside the scope of the USQ Workwear policy.

What does the workwear range look like?

The USQ Workwear Range (PDF* 1.2mb) is available in a range of fabrics, styles and sizes to accommodate personal preference, climate and role functions. The items are aligned with USQ’s branding, appropriate for the work environment and durable for continual wear. The USQ logo is embroidered on each workwear item prior to the items being delivered to USQ as required by Ausindustry regulations for uniforms. Workwear items are transferable between faculties, departments and campuses and as such there will be no embroidery other than the approved logo.

Totally Corporate has been selected through a competitive tender process as the University's workwear supplier. The USQ Workwear Range (PDF* 1.2mb) has been approved by the Vice-Chancellor.  The range should be worn as a complete outfit - items of personal clothing should not be worn with the registered range as this detracts from USQ's registered identity. 

How much subsidy am I eligible for?

The subsidy is available in two parts – an initial purchase subsidy and then an annual update subsidy.

Continuing and eligible fixed term employees appointed following implementation of the USQ Workwear range will be eligible for the $400 subsidy upon commencement of employment and will be advised of the process to access the subsidy and attend fittings, normally within the first few months of their employment.

An annual wardrobe update subsidy of $100 will be made available on 1 January each year for all eligible staff - this amount is non-cumulative and must be spent in the year it is allocated.

Do I have to spend the subsidy in one lump sum?

You do not have to spend your subsidy in one lump sum, however any unused subsidy will not carry forward from one year to the next and is thus forfeited.

The workwear range will be available to you all year through the Totally Corporate Online Shop.

How does the workwear subsidy work?  Who pays the GST?

You select and order your workwear through the Totally Corporate Online Shop from the approved range after an initial fitting. Totally Corporate will invoice USQ directly for the cost of employee workwear purchases. 

USQ will pay the GST on all workwear items purchased and individual employees do not directly incur any GST costs.  The amount to be deducted from an employee's subsidy (or paid by the employee when purchases are made in excess of the subsidy) will therefore be the total of the cost of the workwear items excluding GST.  Two examples of how this works are provided below:

Case 1

An employee selects $550 worth of USQ workwear items (excluding GST) from Totally Corporate online ordering system.  USQ will receive and pay an invoice for this employee of $605, consisting of $550 in workwear plus the GST of $55.  The amount to be deducted from the individual employee via payroll deduction/s in this instance is $150 (ie the amount in excess of the $400 subsidy). 

Case 2

An employee selects $390 worth of USQ workwear items (excluding GST) from Totally Corporate online ordering system.  USQ will receive and pay an invoice for this employee of $429, consisting of $390 in workwear plus the GST of $39.  The amount to be deducted from the individual employee via payroll deduction/s in this instance is $0 (ie the employee has not exceeded the $400 subsidy). 

Can I buy in workwear in excess of the subsidy?

You can purchase additional workwear from the approved range in excess of the subsidy. Out of pocket expenditure, in addition to alterations, cleaning and maintenance, is fully tax deductible as the range is officially registered with Ausindustry. However, you should seek professional financial advice in relation to your personal taxation circumstances in regard to the purchase of workwear items in excess of the subsidised amount. You are responsible for retaining the appropriate documentation to enable you to comply with their personal taxation affairs. 

USQ will pay upfront for the full cost of employee workwear purchases from the corporate provider, and you will repay the excess amount to USQ through a payroll deduction facility over a maximum of three (3) pay fortnights. You will use the online ordering system to specify the specific details in relation to the payroll deductions.  Deductions will commence from the first available pay period following confirmation of your order. You will be notified via email when this deduction is to commence.

Who budgets for the USQ workwear range?

A corporate budgeting facility is set up and controlled by Financial Services, therefore faculties and sections will not be required to budget for work wear. No other University funds will be made available for the purchase of employee workwear, and campuses, faculties and sections are not permitted to provide additional funds over and above the corporate subsidies.

How do I order my corporate workwear?

A number of frequently asked questions in relation to the fitting and ordering processes are available for you.

What do I do with my old workwear?

All previous workwear has been phased out over a 12 month period from the date of introduction of the new USQ Workwear range and may no longer be purchased or worn. 

Who do I contact in relation to queries?