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Do’s and Don’ts of Launching a Successful Shoe Program

If you’re thinking about starting a corporate shoe program with Saf-Gard, you probably have a couple of questions. Luckily for you, we have the answers here. Corporate shoe programs allow your employees to pick the style and brand that best fits your workplace and their individual needs. The payroll deduction plans keep your employees safe while saving your company money and time at work lost due to injuries. Without further ado, let’s get into the do’s and don’ts of having your own corporate shoe program.

DO:

  • Get rid of those ugly shoes. When people think of a safety shoe, they often think that it has to be ugly to be functional. In reality, we offer many styles and brands that your employees already know and love, so you can create a culture of safety and style.
  • Offer a Payroll Deduction Program in order to give employees more options on how to pay for their shoes.
  • Let people know about the shoe program! You alone are not an entire corporation, so advertise your shoe program through internal newsletters, breakroom posters, or the occasional email blast.
  • Let new employees know about the corporate shoe program right away, and get them registered for it and your Payroll Deduction Program.
  • Keep the ordering process simple. Employees can order online for themselves or submit their orders through your management team to us. That process is entirely up to you and how you want your shoe program to operate.
  • Sometimes, the shoe just doesn’t fit. Make it easy for your employee to return shoes if they aren’t satisfied. No one wants grumpy employees because their feet hurt.
  • Make it clear to employees which types of shoes are required for their specific job duties. It’s important to know about the potential hazards that each employee might face, so that they can have the safest shoes possible for their job.

DON’T:

  • Force your employees to wear ugly shoes. We can’t stress this enough: safety shoes do not have to sacrifice style for safety! We have plenty of brands and styles that your employees have likely interacted with in the past, so there are plenty of shoes to choose from.
  • Trust that your employees will buy safety shoes just because you told them to. Therefore, you should offer rewards and discounts for those employees who do participate in the shoe program (ask your Saf-Gard account manager for details).
  • Throw away money on workers compensation claims and work days lost due to injuries and accidents that could have been avoided had your employees been wearing the appropriate safety attire.
  • Start a corporate shoe program and keep it a secret. If no one else in your company knows about it, your program is not going to succeed. Selling anything without telling people about the product is not exactly the ideal way to conduct business of any kind.
  • Make it difficult for employees to return shoes that don’t fit, aren’t comfortable or aren’t the style the were hoping for. We don’t need anyone hating your shoe program.
  • Not start a shoe program! Corporate shoe programs with Payroll Deduction Plans are a great way to save your company money while giving your employees the styles that they like and lowering the amount of accidents affecting your employees.

Have any further questions or want to get started with your own program? Feel free to call us at 1-800-221-8843 or visit https://www.safgard.com/corporate-shoe-programs/start-a-program

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Are My Safety Toe Shoes Tax Deductible?

Tax time is here again, folks.

And let’s be real, we all want to get as much money back on our tax return as possible. We’re even more excited to tell you that your safety toe shoes might just be tax deductible!

Yep, you read that right! Those comfortable, stylish and high performing safety shoes you bought for work this past year could be completely tax deductible!

Ready for that refund? There’s something to keep in mind before you claim that deduction:

In order to deduct the cost of your slip resistant work shoes, they need to be specific to, and required for your job and not normally used for “everyday wear’.

If your shoes qualify as “protective clothing” (slip resistant shoes are certainly protective!) and you are required to purchase them as a condition of your employment, and not normally worn outside of work, you can deduct the cost of them from your taxes!

So, if you do claim your slip resistant work shoes as a deduction, make sure you do the following:

  • Keep a copy of your employer’s policies. If need be, you can present written proof that your employer requires certain safety footwear to be worn while working.
  • Keep your receipt! Receipts provide proof that you spent the money on the clothes you are claiming a deduction for. Without one, you won’t be able to claim your deduction.
  • Include your clothing costs with your other “miscellaneous itemized deductions” on your tax return.
  • Finally, check with a certified tax preparer to make sure you claim all the deductions you’re eligible for!

There you have it! That’s all it takes to get even more out of your tax return. Now the real question is how are you going to spend that tax return money?!

For more helpful tips and educational information, check us out at safgard.com

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How to Start a Shoe Program

 

For some employees, getting to a store to get safety toe shoes isn’t an easy task. Between getting to the shoe store, confirming that the shoes meet their needs,  finding a style that is comfortable, and that they will like can be a bit of a challenge.

Shoe programs can be a great solution. In fact, our goal is to help YOU reduce workplace injuries by offering the best safety shoes in the styles and brands that you know your employees actually want to wear.

With the shoe program, we give you everything you need to figure out just exactly what types of results you should be looking for.

So, are you ready to take the plunge and start your own slip-resistant shoe program? Just follow these simple steps below:

Identify Key Issues

The first thing that we recommend you do is corral all of the corporate managers, department heads, and safety directors together and have them work together to determine what problems and issues the company has had with slips and falls. Bringing the leaders of the company together to understand the true extent of the issue is the first step in starting a footwear program.

Tally the Expenses

Next, you will need to factor in what the true cost of safety accidents are and figure out what these accidents have really been costing you. If you’re not sure where to begin when it comes to collecting this information, we are more than happy to help you figure it out, and help you understand the true measure in which slips and falls have affected your bottom line over the years.

Set Parameters

Now that you have determined your company is indeed in need of a shoe program, it’s time to determine what parameters you want your soon-to-be program to have. We are more than happy to meet the needs of your company specifically in order to create a custom program for you.

Get Excited!

Get your company excited about your new shoe program! There needs to be a strong level of cohesion from the boardroom, all the way to the stock room. Without basic buy-in awareness from your company, the program will more than likely fall flat. So put up posters, send emails, and create some awareness!

Are You Measuring Up?

It’s time for the fun part. That’s right, its time to measure your results! This step is necessary to quantify your program’s success. This is how you prove to your superiors that your program is successful! We recommend measuring the progress of your program at intervals of 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, and every year after that.

A successful shoe program isn’t something that just happens overnight. You need a strategic plan, and a little help from your dedicated Saf-GardTM team in order to really make this program a true success.

Ready to start your own shoe program? Click here.