Which side should you wear your badge? The right side! The reason behind the location of the badge is to allow the person you greet to have easy eye contact with the badge. Unfortunately, this topic has been debated for years and continues to be discussed among professionals.
First, most people are right handed and it is easier for them to place their badge on the left side near their shoulder. While this makes it simple for the user, it also puts the badge in a place where it can go unnoticed. Why would one shoulder matter more than the other? The handshake! Most people greet and shake hands with their right hand. This causes both people to put their right shoulder closer to the other person and put them in perfect view of the badge.
Let’s put look at this from a different point of view. For example, let’s say you are shopping at your favorite store and you are asking a sales person for assistance. Maybe you are receiving excellent service and you discretely want to learn the sales person’s name. You look for their name badge and end up staring at their shoulder. It would be much easier to catch a glance of the name badge in the beginning as you shake hands.
Placing the badge on the right side is more noticeable than the left. The next time you go to a store, try testing the technique. During your investigation try to notice where the sales associates wear their badges. Once you realize it is more visible on the right side, you can consider making changes for your employees and yourself.
Name badges often include the first and last name of the person wearing it, their title and the company they work for. This is actually an excellent way to advertise. Of course, you will want to wear your badge during normal working hours. But, it also couldn’t hurt to leave it on while you go to happy hour or stop by the grocery store when you go home.
When you wear your badge in unusual places such as happy hour and the grocery store, it is more noticeable because people are taken off guard and more prone to read it. It’s a great way to start a conversation related to your company and meet potential clients. When wearing your badge away from work, you will want to wear it on the right side and assure you are dressed respectively so that you represent your company looking your best.