Hair rules at work

I have to agree that the employer has a right to demand
certain standards in appearance from his employees.
After his haircut, the man looked like a bank employee,
someone you would feel comfortable dealing with as a
customer. Before he did not. I must say though, that, in
terms of personal appearance, there are double
standards. He told me, during the haircut, that his new
boss, a woman, had waist length hair which she wore
loose, and she was the one who told him to cut his
hair!

He was obviously in shock after the deed (after all I had
just cut off about two feet of hair - leaving his hair very
short) and this made me very glad that, as a woman, I
would never have to face this situation. I would never
cut off my long hair for anybody.

It's my understanding -- and perhaps I'm mistaken -- that employers generally reserve the right to dictate appearances in terms of clothing and hair *styles* ... but if hair length guidelines differ based on gender then a (presumably) male candidate could claim discrimination on the basis of gender, not entirely unlike other methods of discrimination that used to be used all too often against women. Regardless, a potential employer considering two otherwise equally-qualified candidates may well choose the one whose appearance is preferred by the hiring authority, and the slighted party has little chance of receiving a sympathetic ear in the courts.

Ally, you said, "The employer is looking to maintain a particular image and thereby ensure that the company appeals to the right market and is profitable." I understand that companies want their employees to project a particular physical appearance which lends to their image, but the consistency between that image and appeals to the "right" (i.e. target) market and the projected image is based on the extent to which people want to see themselves as matching that image. To presume that this is the only method of appeal is to take an extremely narrow view of the potential of marketing, for effective marketing appeals to a diverse populace. And in that narrow approach to marketing how in the world can this hypothetical company ensure maximum profitability? The company that respects diversity in its customers AND its employees has the best chance to ensure maximum profitability. Many major corporations are beginning to understand the power of recognizing and accepting diversity, and those who insist on enforcing rigid codes of conformity run the risk of failing to reach maximum profitability and incurring the wrath of shareholders demanding to know why this rigid company is failing to keep up with its competitors.

I think that making this guy cut his hair was wrong. In my opinion that is like invading a persons privacy. If a person wants wear their hair a certain way and feel that they look good with their hair that way then who is an employer to say he must cut it off. Did they hire him because of his qualifications and that he would perform the job well or for his looks. They made this guy cut his hair against his will in order to get a job that he may have badly needed. That is akin to forcing someone to pull out all their teeth and get dentures because a couple of their teeth are crooked. I am a guy and have my hair bobbed just below my ears with bangs and I am in a professional position in an office. Many people would not accept that hairstyle on a guy but my coworkers and bosses do not mind or say anything. Don't take away a persons freedom to choose how they want to look and their freedom to express themselves.

This situation is well known to me. It never was a question of rights. The first hair cut request came to me at the age of 18, military rules (from hairlength about 40cm). After that I could grow it out during university studies and had to cut it short to get a job in a research institute. There was no freedom in choice, the only possible alternative would have been to look for another job. In this case the haircut was the only possible way, but I remember also that some of my aquaintances had hidden their long hair with wigs. Today the things have changed a little bit, recently I got a new job without getting a hair cut, although the members of the staff all have very short hairs (computer development area, my hairlength now is about 18 cm). To get a job in a bank without a haircut I can not imagine (my location is Germany/Munich).

wolfgang