Do you think an employer should have the right to dictate hairstyles worn in the workplace?

Question

If yes, to what extent? Do you think hairstyles commonly thought/known to be worn by people of particular races should be a consideration? Do you think exceptions should be given to "ethnic hairstyles" to avoid accusations of discrimination? Do you think that employer preference, with regards to hairstyle, is ever an indication of racial discrimination?

I'm in the middle of answering a question concerning this issue, so I'm just curious as to what y'all think about the matter.

To what extent (if any) do you think an employer should be permitted to dictate hairstyles worn by employees?

Explain your opinions.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, because of safely and health reasons. You got to be careful around equipment and I personally don't like hair in my food.

Answer 2

Depends completely on the type job that it is and the work environment. If it's a laborer job, appearance wouldn't mean too much but safety may be a factor especially if working around machines. Food service people because of disease. An office job might be determined by the amount of exposure to the public. If it's a job that is highly exposed to the public and the company image is a factor, then absolutely. Race should not be a factor. The rules or policies should be written stating the standard and apply equally across the board with no exceptions. When I was in the Army, the regulation was "no fadish hair styles" and that included ethnic hairstyles. I've escorted many of my male soldiers to the barber shop to get re-cut and it didn't make a difference what color they were. I had more problems with my white soldiers over this issue than any of the other races. Didn't have much problem with the female soldier, they kept pretty straight. I really think that employers have that right to dictate appearance, but they must do it equally and fairly across the board.

Answer 3

Well, in a sense no. As you know, I am VP of HR, currently on maternity leave. But this is a hot topic and it has to be handled with kid gloves.

Even if a person owns their own company, they can be sued over a hairstyle. The EEOC is very strict and any company that operates in the USA, including Hawaii and Alaska have to adhere or face serious penalities.

Now if your hair can cause personal injury, then an employer can govern that. For example, if you work around machinery and have long hair, the employer can ask you to put it up to keep it from being caught. Hospitals can ask that women keep their hair back and food industry can ask to keep their hair covered. In some settings, certain hair adornments cannot be worn or any hair color that is not seen as natural. Blue, purple, green in a professional setting.

Here is where it gets tricky, any hairstyle that is part of religion or naturally grown cannot be governed or the company can face a lawsuit. Sometimes scarves can be considered religious and no job can stop you from wearing that. That is when you get into constitutional rights. No employer or HR department worth their salt would want to get into that legal mumbo jumbo.

If a person wears an afro, cornrows or in some cases dredlocks, it cannot be legally governed. Hair textures cannot be decided by an employer. Someone mentioned a mohawk above. Even with a mohawk, if a person can show that it is part of their religios expression, not even that can be governed. They can at most ask that it be kept as neatly as possible during the work day. You cannot even turn down employment if for hair. Many places do not allow faddish hairstyles. The bottom line is, if it is naturally grown, or a hairstyle that is in respects to someones religion. You can try to mandate it, but in the end you can be sued and many people have won cases like this.


** When I first got into the HR field, it was a question. If an employee decided to come to work and he was soiled and dirty, would you give him disciplinary action. I said yes. The answer was not all the time. You can send him/her home. Apparently a case many years ago, an employee claimed that his religion stated that he could not shower or get wet for a certain amount of time. When told that he must shower to return to work, he filed a complain. They could not legally discipline him, because it was his constitutional right. They could give him leave, but with NO reprecussions.**

Answer 4

Obviously, in some instances elaborate "extras" pose a threat to the overall health of the employee. With some jobs people cannot wear ties, loose clothing, dangly earrings, etc. I think a fancy hairdo would also fall into that category.
In other instances, I think that excessive accessories may not pose a threat, but would cause someone to be less effective in their job: i.e. if a woman has really long, false nails and she's supposed to prepare food quickly, that might not work.

If someone is working with the public in a customer service-type position, I think the employer has every right to dictate that their employees look a certain way. They want to retain their customer base and not have thier patrons taken aback by someone's appearance. If you are referring to some black females and super-high or unnaturally brightly-colored false hair, I have no qualms with the employer setting guidelines about that.
All right, all right. I'm sure someone will say that it's self-expression and whatever. But, many employers make people take out piercings and cover tattoos...those are also forms of self-expression.
Like it or not, a company is often judged and or rated by the image that its employees present. If a company wants to show the public that they have certain standards, they have the right to tell the employees what is expected of them. If the workers don't like it, they don't have to work there. They can work somewhere else.

~peace love and light~

Answer 5

An employer should not have the right to dictate hairstyles worn in the workplace. Not unless you need the job. It is amazing what people will do for money.

I went to an elementary school that insisted girls wear skirts. I got enough accidental looks at panties to feel bad for them. No complaints from me!

You are talking hair but I see little difference. I see hair as dress code!!! No pun intended.

I had long hair in my teens, and a principal told me to cut it short tonight or be out of school tomorrow. My teacher overheard it and told he privately that he had no such right.

But I did cut off my hair overnight. I valued my education. If you value your job, and the money he pays, don't fight your boss on this one.

I grew up wearing jeans, but got a job at a place where they demanded a suit and tie. I never resented the demand, as some guys did, because I decided it was my uniform.

All the female employees dressed in dresses, in those days, and I figured some one was demanding that of them, but fortunately for them, time changed on that one. Dresses eventually became optional appropriately!

Answer 6

I pay the bills - I make the rules. Bottom line. But personally, I'm not all that strict. Can't really say what that means - no employee has ever really tested the limit for me to develop boundaries related to hairstyle.

Snowchild - what you have said here makes absolutely no sense and is EXTREMELY victim mentality. How in the hell does having a professional hairstyle mean you are fitting into white America? Who, exactly, said you could not have a conservative black hairstyle? What English do you speak that you read this in anything found here?

Poor mistreated you. I can assure you anyone that ever hires you is doing so purely to save the money they will waste defending the frivalous lawsuit you will bring for invented discrimination than because you add any value to..well...anything.

If you don't like "white" America then take the hand out money white America provides for you and start your own damn business....I'm sure it will fail miserably, but at least you may be more inclined to make rational sense after your venture.

Answer 7

hi, i think employers can dictate hairstyles at workplace depending on the place.
eg; for a cabin crew job all air hostesses need to tie their hair in a bun.
for a chef, he needs to wear a head cover to avoid hair getting into food.
for a hospital a nurse needs to tie her hair neatly.
a waitress too cannot have her hair hanging and dangling all around what shes serving.

however...
people working at boutiques,saloons,accessorie shops,convient stores etc should not have such rules..... these occupations dont require strict hair grooming rules.

i think a good employer should make these dress codes and grooming rule very clear at the interview so that later there is no misunderstanding and employees have a choice if they want to work under those rules or not.
on your part it is also necessary to let an employer know at the interview what aspect of dressing/grooming is against your tradition or religious beliefs and you want to avoid.

Answer 8

What I'd like to know is: Who gets to determine what is and isn't professional looking? If I have a nice, clean hairdo in my natural blonde, I'm sure it would be accepted. If I had the same hairdo in blue, which I much prefer, it would not be. Yet people dye their hair all the time... black and red and such. I don't see how blue hair is any less natural for me than black or red or brown.

There is also a sexist element to hair styling. In some places now, a male could get hired with a tame variety of mohawk, but never a female. Also, men can opt to shave their heads usually. If I shaved mine, I would get asked about my cancer treatment.

Answer 9

To a point. If an employee is dealing with the general public every day and their hairstyle is over the top, then I guess the employer would be right to ask them to tone it down for work.

BUT if an employee is not dealing with the public, and the employer took them on whilst they had that hairstyle, then no - I can't see how they can dictate that the style should change.

Answer 10

i think of a lot of it has to do with wellness and protection themes. human beings utilising particular forms of power kit fairly could save their hair removed from their artwork. comparable element interior the nutrients industry, who likes looking a hair of their mashed potatoes?i think of ethnic hairstyles could could be netted or disguise by a hat whilst working decrease than those situations. All different data aside, no longer each and every hair regulation is a controversy of prejudice. Like Freud pronounced"sometime a cigar is purely a cigar" you frequently supply you the prospect to no longer artwork for that company,and as long as his determination isn't in keeping with a secure functionality which includes race, faith, etc. it somewhat is his determination on what meets a groominmg code.

Answer 11

It really depends on the type of atmosphere and the company you work for.
The company I work for the CEO is an African American male and every though he's black, he don't want any of his employees (black or white) coming up in there with these "hair show" hairstyles.
I feel club hair styles should be for the club and not for work.
I work in an office environment, and there's no female there that'll have the off the chain hair styles. It's just not going to happen.
(but that's black and white female it's not just black females, because I have been places, different cities, ETC where the white females have some off the chain-club hair styles also)
~wink~