new thread
My Boss who's female informed me that I had to have my hair cut by next Monday.
It's currently shoulder length and she said it came from the top and it has to be off the collar by Monday.
I don't understand this new policy.
I've been there two years and this was the first I heard about it.
when I asked her about it she replied "They want a cleancut image".
well, I take a shower every day and use deoderant. why can't one be clean-cut and have long hair too.
incidentally, her hair is almost waist length.
I don't really wanna get the haircut, but I kind of like my boss and I get along with everyone. it's just too bad someone at the top think's I need a haircut. what should I do?
don't cut, go to court, no woman, is worth it either, she isn't even a fact yet. What I mean, nor she nor the job is worth and if they try to discriminate go to court
I would tell him to kiss his ass and quit.
To hell with your boss, show some pride and take her to court. There is two different kinds of religions that require men to have long hair, the names of these religions are Rastafarian and Nazarite Vow, all you have to say is that their is discrimination against my religion and that is illegal. First tell your boss that your religion is one of them and that it is illegal in a court of law to discrimate religion and she might change her mind
> if it has been two Jears without bothering to it they will even try to subordinate jou by any other reason.
If you surrender you will not be surprised to be fired anyway.
I have seen a couple of those Stories here in the last Jears!
Remember: a good Employee that is REALLY NESSESARY for a Firm at the Time is hard to replace and would not be fired and of course not be hasseled by the Management!
My advice would be to respond to this demand with a counter offer, rather than a simple refusal. Tell them you're willing to discuss your hairSTYLE, not LENGTH, for example. The idea is to tell them no, but give them an out.
As an employer, I can tell you that the number one rule of employment is that "Good Help is Hard to Find!" Never forget this in your negotiations. Even if all you are doing is just showing up 40 hours a week, this is something of value, as alot of employees don't. As a human being, however, governed by the petty vagaries of human nature, I can tell you won't get too far if you directly defy them (by telling them to go to hell, or something.) You must give them a way to get out of this feeling like they've gotten something, without having to give up your chosen identity and appearance.
Good luck,
The Rev
First tell your boss you understand her position , second in a polite manner tell her you would like it in writing that this is the NEW Standard for ALL employees. Third, ask her for the companys written Job Description showing all the qualifications when you were hired as well as the new quyalifications that have changed the "Esential Duties" to fullfill the position you currently fill. Then tell her after review you may have to contact a Lawyer to see if your rights are not being violated. After all she issued a Threatening statement by issueing a timeline and this may well be inertupted as Harassment.
Beyond all this as stated by others, either be prepared to A. Quit. B or be terminated.C. Fight for what is right.
Suppose this person is fired and cannot get another job right away?
And when he does apply for another job he is asked by the interviewer if he would cut his hair?
Are you willing to hire this person or to take him in if he should get fired and cannot find another job?
sometimes one needs to make sacrifices And I sure did when I went to work at a resort.
I've been through that "you'll have to cut your hair, because it's more professional and blah blah blah".
I think the best thing for any one person to do is to educate themselves and learn as much as possible that way their knowledge overshadows anything superficial such as the length of their hair.
Go back and ask for clarification.
Negotiate. But before you do, you have to first know what and how far you are willing to go.
If you are willing to cut your hair to save your job, that's fine. If you don't want to cut your hair, then be prepared to leave. Give them two weeks notice and start looking!
For my part I would have to consider that if my employers thought they could make me cut my hair, then what else of mine do they own? After cutting your hair, they would have no respect for you. You would not be the clean cut go-getter but the one they can push around.
Is this the job you want to retire on - or will you move on anyway? Statistically, the average American will have about five different jobs throughout their working years. Are you going to cut you hair for each of them?
It's scary to leave a job, and I wish you the best of luck.
Joseph,
I am sorry to hear about your dilemma...that really sucks. It also makes me extremely angry to hear that people are being given ultimatums about their hair..it is absolutely ridiculous. I think longhair guys are cool as hell (well many of them)..they don't conform! There is the key...conformity conformity....I'm only 23 and I pretty much do what i want with my hair...color, perm, short, or longer...I just don't care about that...I think it's awesome that you have long hair.
Don't cut your hair....if they fire you, you can probably slap a lawsuit on them. I don't know what happens to so many people after they get out of college....if the conformity robots take hold and they want to be like everyone else....One of our student workers (I work at a University) had longer hair which he had differnet shades of blue, green, and whatever, but he was probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Then he comes in two weeks ago with brown hair, it looked fine, but he informed me that he wanted to apply for professional jobs.
Guys, if I ever have the capital, I will create a company for longhairs, punks, dreadheads, We will call it "The Non-Conformist Land".
Joseph, keep the hair...
sorry about the bitching...i'm done now!
have a good one
Joseph, I wish you luck in this, there are some good recommendations here. I would just remind those in positions of authority that the clean-cut look didn't save Enron or keep Arthur Andersen's reputation intact. If you're in a career that typically expects the conformist look, maybe you need to rethink that and go back to school/training to do something where it's not an issue. Generally government workers, including teachers, cannot be treated in this manner. There was a court case some time ago related to that, and being in a union also helps. Good luck.
Tom
if your religion states that you have to have long hair, does that mean they are not allowed to fire you?
Yo man, check out the thread that was started by Bill not long ago. He just went through the same situation. Lots of real good advice there! Fight them tooth and nail, my brother!
Was it Medicine Horse (not sure) who said he had great luck with the line, "Well, I won't be cutting it, and I am willing to stay on until you find a replacement. Just tell me when my last day is, when you know." He said this worked very well when the position was one for which they had to find a replacement. Replacing him was a lot of work and was just not a squeaky wheel with him already doing the job. His "last day" never came.
This is not the line to use, of course, if you wish to fight to keep the job. It is a very unconfrontational and possibly successful way to deal with it if you are willing to go.
It's tough enough to get a knockback from an interview because of long hair, but after two years in a job where you have had so far good relations is really bad.
My advice is along the same lines as others who have posted regarding your dilemma, that is, to try and find some sort of "compromise" that avoids submitting to a haircut.
Maybe they would be happier if you were to change style, or perhaps wear it in a ponytail etc.
Of course, this is no guarantee though, and you may still be forced to make some difficult decisions.
I sincerely hope it does not come to this.
I personally wouldnot do it. I have the best job of my life right now, and if they ask me to cut my hair, I would tell them hell no!
I would tell the bitch, to go and shave her head! I rather starve than cut my hair!
Well, assuming this is not a troll. (Which may be a big assumption.
There are so many of these "my boss/mother/principal is forcing
me to cut off my hair" posts and they always get a lot of responses.)
But, assuming this is not one of those trolls, my advise FWIW,
is:
1. Don't assume that people on this board who give you legal advice
know what their talking about (e.g. all you have to do is say
you're a Rosecrucian and they'll let you have long hair. Taint
so! It will be easier to fire you than to go to court.
2. Don't think you can simply take them to court. You might even
be in the right but you can still lose unless you know the law
or have a good lawyer with you. And lawyers cost money. That's
why they drive Porsches.
3. People who are doing a good job rarely get fired for stupid
reasons. If you're doing a good job, make an appointment to
see the person who doesn't like your hair and negotiate.
4. Don't cut your hair. If you're doing a good job, they probably
won't fire you anyway. If you're not doing a good job, they're
probably using your hair as an excuse.
5. If you're not doing a good job, quit. Go to school. Get another
job. Work harder. There are thousands of longhairs in this
country in great jobs who will never be asked to cut their hair
because they're too valuable to lose. Be one of them!
What do you mean by "troll"?
Sometimes people tell outrageous stories just to get people's blood
boiling and to see how many will take them seriously enough to post
a response. It akin to trolling a lure through the water and seeing
how many fish will bite.
As I said, this probably isn't a troll. But there have been so many
stories like this that you begin to wonder.
thayer. you have provided the most rational response to this thread that i have read. i have considered sounding in on this one but have little to say beyond throwing my moral support.
joseph... in general, my response is along the lines of 'keep your hair but also keep your dignity- dont burn any bridges.' i cant justify sitting at my computer and advising you that jobs are readily available just because i have one. i have not experienced quite the level of bs that you have. it's up to you as to whether or not your hair is worth it.
being nasty toward your boss isnt going to help matters and will only reinforce negative stereotypes about longhairs. if this is indeed some new policy from upper management she could be little more than the messenger. if that is the case she will be a useful ally when you need a reference for your next job.
It's a real pity about your female boss as you both sound as though you get along fine, but as it's coming from the "top" it also sounds as though she's looking after her job first so it's hard to blame her for that I think. If you feel inclined however you might try getting a specific name of this "top" person just in case there's someone above him or her who could overrule this extremely dictatorial and stupid decision.
But sadly it seems that whatever the outcome of all this respect on both sides has gone for good now and once that's gone 9 times out of 10 it's usually downhill all the way. Primarily because you're bound to always harbour a strong feeling of disrespect and resentment etc. in return no matter how hard you try to conceal it. And the quality of your work might also suffer. And if they can be so disrespectful towards you once then they can be so again and again....only next time you won't have your long hair.
Conclusion ? Leave as slowly as possible whilst always keeping your hair. Drag it all out to give yourself time to find something else.
First and most important you get to keep your hair. Second you won't have wasted 2 or 3 years of your time, effort and money. Third you're publicly seen to be sticking to principles which like it or not they will all have to admire you for, (especially your female boss if she's got waist length hair !) Fourth you keep your own self-respect, something incidentally you could clearly reflect in your future C.V. ? Finally as a result you will be far better prepared at your next interviews to keep your hair as long as you want to.
I really wish you good luck. :-)
P.S. As an emergency or back-up measure and whilst you're trying to find another job ever thought about some sort of temporary job in any local Hair Salon ? To keep some pennies coming in....?
Don't do it. If they are stupid enough to fire you for it then you have one sweet-ass lawsuit against them.
Rev. Erik
Sorry to hear bout your situation. In my job (engineering) I tie my hair back in a ponytail and then slick it down with water (gel works well, too-I don't like it, though). Try discussing hair style with her, rather than length. It's easier for u to obtain the "clean look" if u have long hair that u can tie back-not if u cut it (she SHOULD know this)!
What job do u have and where?
Let us know what happens!
A couple of questions...
Does your company have an HR department? Have you talked to them? "Clean cut image" is rather nebulous. What specifically does that mean?
Is this policy in writing (or is it just spur of the moment)? If it is not (or does not include an explanation as to why this is so important to them), they are asking for trouble.
What is your current (and historical) level of performance on the job? How does the length of your hair affect your performance of your job? If they cannot make the connection (i.e., safety), they are on very shaky ground.
This does smack of discrimination because she is allowed to have longer hair. It is a challengable situation, if you have the fortitude for it.
I am in HR (a trainer), my hair is past my shoulders, during work hours it is in a ponytail. I also sport a small earring - usually a stud. My performance is consistently above expectations, so while my boss (former military) may make humorous comments about my hair(we have worked well together for over 12 years), there is nothing else he can do, legally.
Many years ago I worked for a company that had a "no mustache/beard" policy. When I interviewed, I was told it was a position that traveled all over the U.S. and would periodically work in a religious environment where facial hair would be offensive to the client. With this easily understandable explanation, (I didn't want to offend my company's clients, or affect the company's reputation) I nixed my mustache until I changed companys.
Unless you are in that kind of situation, your company is treading on thin ice.
Good luck.