Guide
How to collect t-shirt sizes from remote employees (without a spreadsheet)
TL;DR: To collect t-shirt sizes from remote employees, send each person a private mobile-first link that asks for size, fit (unisex or fitted) and an optional second-choice size. Aim for 90% completion in seven days by sending one email and one Slack reminder.
Why spreadsheets fail at size collection
Shared spreadsheets break the moment you have more than fifteen recipients: people overwrite each other's rows, fill the wrong column, or forget to save. Privacy is also poor — every employee can see every other employee's size, which is uncomfortable.
A purpose-built form fixes both problems. Each recipient sees only their own row, the size picker prevents typos, and you get a clean export at the end.
The 60-second size form
Keep the form to four fields: full name (pre-filled), unisex vs. fitted, primary size (XS–4XL), and a single free-text note. Anything more and your completion rate drops.
Always include a visual size chart with chest and length measurements in both centimetres and inches. About 18% of recipients will reference it before answering.
Reminder cadence that hits 90%
Day 0: send the invite email. Day 3: post one Slack reminder in the relevant channel. Day 6: email a final reminder mentioning the deadline. Stop there — extra reminders annoy and don't move the needle.
What to do with the missing 10%
Default missing recipients to size L unisex and flag them in the export so the warehouse knows. Following up individually for one or two missing sizes is faster than chasing the whole list a fourth time.
Frequently asked
- What sizes should I offer?
- Unisex XS–4XL covers about 99% of adults in EU and US sizing. Add a fitted XS–3XL option if your supplier carries it.
- Do I need a separate form per cohort?
- Yes. Keep one roster per onboarding cohort or per swag drop so the export maps cleanly to a single purchase order.