Appearance Standards

5560905

I work for a group of small hotels in New Orleans. Our current appearance standards for most positions indicates that "extreme hair styles" are not allowed. When the fashion trend of braided hair for male employees emerged, we took the position that those employees could wear braids as long as they were concealed under an appropriate uniform hat with no braids hanging below the level of their shirt collar. Thus, Bellstaff, House Persons, Maintenance Employees, Valets, and others were allowed to wear their hair in this style providing they wore a uniform cap or hat at all times.

We have an employee who was recently counseled regarding appearance standards - he had on inappropriate footwear, non-uniform pants that were too long and were rolled up at the bottom and did not have a cap on his braided hair. He is now requesting to speak with Human Resources stating he feels discriminated against because he has to wear a cap over his braids - that it is his ethnic heritage and we should have no problem with it. He cites instances where he has seen employees at one of our sister properties without a cap over their braids. If this is correct, those employees were not in compliance with our appearance standards and we have spoken with their manager to review the appearance standards with his staff again.

Can anyone give me some direction here? We are a small, family owned and operated company with very conservative views. Does anyone have sample appearance standard policies relating to braided hair? Are we treading on dangerous ground by requiring these employees to wear a hat since we are enforcing this policy across the board?

marc

Have you clearly communicated your policy to your EEs? Did they sign an acknowledgement regarding their copy of the handbook that includes this policy?

You get to set the standards for your employees, just make sure they have a valid business purpose and enforced consistently.

By the way, you mentioned other violations besides the cap, did this EE complain that inappropriate footwear and ill-fitting pants were also protected?

I would share our policy, but it is very liberal. We have a youth outreach department with a very relaxed dress code which would not work for your shop.

Judith

I would address all of the appearance issues with the employee, not just the hair. If your policy clearly states that the employee has to wear a hat you should be ok -- I assume you had your policy attorney reviewed prior to distribution. If not run it by your attorney. I would think you are not discriminating if you are applying the rules equally to all regardless of their ethnic heritage, etc. -- sound like you are.
Good luck!

JM in ATL

I'm sorry but can someone please inform me what ethnicity is related to corn rows/braids.

As far as my knowledge of that certain hairstyle goes, it was a symbol for prisoners. One corn row for each year of prison. I could be completely wrong, but that is my understanding behind it. It just so happens that the fashion caught on with the general public.

If your dress code requires that all employees regardless of position present a polished and professional image because of the industry which you are in, then you have every right to enforce it.

You are not asking this employee to remove or change his hairstyle, just that he follows the dress code. If he can not do so, then you have every right to procede with your disciplinary process.

I worked in the hospitality industry and our policy stated that we hired you b/c you presented a professional image, and we don't expect that to change. (in so many words). We didn't allow employees to have radical hair styles, visible tatoos, non-earlobe piercings, non-natural hair color, excessive or oversized jewlery, facial hair, nail-polish other than clear or french-tip (for women only), or any other visible style that didn't protray the utmost professional image.

Everyone repected that policy b/c they knew that their paychecks depended on how they presented themselves.

Hopefully you can communicate this to your ee and that he clearly understands why it is important for him to present himself in the image the company expects.