new thread
When there is a high proliferation of opportunities hair length will not seem to matter as much.
when there is a higher proliferation of unemployed people Long Hair can be an "issue" with many employers.
as I pointed out to "Long Hair in Albany", who stated that he had been with the same employer since 1986 that it was because he got hired on at a time when the economy was booming.
the workers have less leverage today than they did 25 years ago and the guy with the long hair is going to be competing with guys with short haircuts so many HR managers may look upon the long haired guy as not suitable for their corporation because he has long hair when most Men don't and to them short haired Men are more willing to comply with any rule or regulation in the workplace.
does this mean that the Man with short hair will necessarily get the job? no, but it does make him look more suitable because he fits in and looks like another drone in the workplace who is less likely to challenge corporate rules regarding dress codes and corporations prefer to have employees that look alike then have a few that stick out like a sore thumb.
on the other hand , someone with lots of experience and knowledge over others has a better chance of getting hired with longer hair than some guy with long hair who does not have more knowledge or lacks the experience.
if you're the only experienced programmer that has a masters degree in computer science who applies for a position and has hair to your waist and the short haired guys half a fraction of your experience you'll probably get hired, but these are exceptions, not the norm.
customer service oriented jobs and hospitality jobs usually do not require much experience and these are jobs where the worker can be easily trained on the job within a short period of time so they can set rigid dress codes stipulating short hair for Men.
my suggestion for the younger longhairs is to gain as much knowledge as possible. the more knowledge you have over the other guy the better off you are and the less likelihood that your hair will be an "issue" during a job interview.
knowledge is power.
Jerry
This is a good summary of how things are.
A number of years ago, it was often stated that a woman applying for a job would have to be twice as good as the best qualified man to get it. In hard times, and with gender discrimination frowned upon (although it still exists) the equivalent rule would seem to apply to long haired men.
We need to do several things - make sure that we do a great job so that everyone knows that long hairs are good to employ.
Probably not a real option, but it would be fun to start a company and tell all the short haired applicants that they would have to grow their hair to their waists as part of their contract.
Good suggestion... if companies could dictate men's hair to be short they could also dictate men's hair to be long...
Although I'd rather make it that to be eligible for any pay raise/promotion you need some hair on your shoulders.
he meets the minimum requirements of two inches or longer
This is a good suggestion - linking pay to length of hair rather than length of service.
The disabled face the same situation. Discrimination against them is illegal, as is the case with women. But it happens anyway, because it is hard to prove.
When there is a glut of workers, lots will be qualified, and deciding who to hire can get down to who they think will be the most fun to work with. Besides being seen as skilled, you want to be seen as likable. Being different often melts away as a concern if they really like you. Work on that, and remember, antagonism doesn't win you any likability points.
Bill
He does not meet the requirements for two inches or longer
and his hair does not cover any part of his ears or extend beyond
his shirt collar by 1 to 2 inches.
I would allow him to return after his hair grew out after 90 days providing he met the minimum requirement for hair length.
Men's hairstyles:
Hair must be at least a minimum of 2 inches in length and cover some portion of the ears and extend at at least 1-2 inches over the collar.
shaved heads, buzzcuts, fades, flattops, crewcuts. or any other "buzzed" styles are strictly prohibited!
allowances will be made for Men who are going bald from hair loss or for those who have religious reasons for doing so.
other than monks, who would shave their heads for religious reasons anyway?
Outstanding :)
I would love to hear some stories from a business owner who adhered to this policy.
--Val
He meets not only meets the minimum requirements of two inches, but exceeds it.
this would be our new Human Resources manager.......
from this point on he will be in charge of making sure that all Male employees adhere to hair length guidelines!
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He has gorgeous hair. I see he keeps it neatly trimmed at about waist length.
Scott
If I can see your collar then your hair becomes an "issue".
of course this applies to Men only and any male employee who does NOT meet the minimum requirement of two or more inches in length and 2 inches over the shirt collar would face possible termination!!
Thanks for the great response to my suggestion! My policy would be to "have and maintain hair at least long enough to wear in a ponytail for the duration of the employment". Exceptions for medical and religious reasons (monks and some of the stricter Buddhists). And that would apply to the female workers as well, so I'm afraid we'd have to suspend Ashley for a few months!
When shall we start the revolution? We already have a Human Resources Manager, even if no company to run, but what the heck.
I have issue with this
first does this apply to Men only or both sexes?
my rule is not as strict. the CEO of Damon's company would be borderline, but would not face suspension just a verbal warning to get his hair up to regulation length of two inches and at least 1-2 inches over the shirt collar.
as I already stated:
If I can see a male employees collar his hair becomes an "issue".
if not, it's not an issue!
Exceptions for medical and religious reasons (monks and some of the stricter Buddhists). And that would apply to the female workers as well,
I already told Ashley women would be exempt from my rule since they currently can wear their hair as long or as short as they want
I have issue with that. she's been very supportive of you guys and in my company she would be safe. I would even give her a LARGE bonu$$$!
however, female workers, regardless of hair length(including long haired female employees) who even "hint" that a male employee might need a possible trim could face termination on the spot!
in the EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK it would state something like this....
GROUNDS FOR TERMINATION include the following:
any worker, regardless of gender who makes a suggestion or even hints that a male co-worker needs even a slight trim.
any co-worker who pulls on another co-workers ponytail or hair without his or her consent
any male employee who intentionally defies the company hair rule for Men by coming to work with any type of buzzed "style" such as a Flattop, Fade, crew-cut, marine corps 'high and tight', general buzzcut or any other military type style.
coming to work inebriated which would make a corporation which employs long haired males look bad in the eyes of the general public.
any type of unprofessional conduct by any employee which makes the company look bad including using 'gangsta' talk/slang at work or especially with clients.
referring to female co-workers as 'bitches' or hoes' or any other derogatory termonologies
coming to work inappropriately dressed which would include
any type of baggy clothing such as baggy shirts, baseball caps, or sagging pants which is not conducive for a professional work environment.
When you get the money to start up a corporation!
have you considered what type of company it is going to be and what equipment you'll need for your business?
also , how much you'll need to pay for rental space, electricity and money put aside for repairs and workman's comp.
But there are justifications for gender discrimination. To give but one example, women are able to take maternity leave on the company's time and money.
Having long hair does not compromise your work ethic or ability in any way. The only exception I can think of is the people working closely with dangerous machinery, where hair could get caught.
I would point out if you live outside of the US of A there are countries where leave is granted to both parents.
You bring up a number of good points, i would mention though
that a lot of hiring for jobs is based on who you know ("networking").
I got the job i've had for the last 26 years becuase my wife
worked for the company 26 years ago and recommended me.
And as they say the rest is history.
He flagrantly violated the dress code for Men's hairstyles by getting an extreme short flattop which is prohibitive.
he would not be allowed to return to work.
as you can tell, he appears angry after being told why he's been fired.
rules are rules and my rules would stipulate that you need hair a certain length to work in my company!
instead of "get a haircut" the motto would be
GROW SOME HAIR!!
then people would be yelling from their cars driving by......
"GROW SOME HAIR AND GET A REAL JOB!"
Is it legal to fire someone for cutting his hair? That does seem like reverse discrimination, I'm afraid your company may face a legal challange. I like long hair on men as well as the next guy, but I did think he looked fine.
Tom(Hairboy)
Why is it o.k. to fire someone for not getting a haircut, but someone who tells someone to grow their hair out because they feel that shaved heads aren't appropriate for their business and might face a "legal" challenge?
that is hypocrisy!
if you can show this in black and white to me under U.S. law then I think the next long haired Man who faces termination has a case for some legal repercussions!
Would I be fired for getting a pixie cut like Keira Knightley?
No, you would not be fired Ashley.
since women are currently allowed to wear their hair as long or as short as they want in most workplaces the same rules would apply in my company.
you could keep your hair that short indefinitely if you wanted to and since you've been so supportive of the guys on this site I would give you a BONU$ in your next paycheck! ;-)
However, if I saw one male with hair that short I would call them into my office immediately and write them up and give them up to 90 days to get it up to the regulation length of two inches minimum and 1-2" over the collar in back!
Meet the new CEO of our company....
one thing he does not like is unprofessionalism and he has stated that shaved heads, flattops, buzzcuts, and fades may be acceptable in the military, but not in the business world, so you better straighten up and grow some hair if it doesn't meet the minimum requirements of two inches!!
because this is one company I would definitely apply at!
Here's a pic of the REAL CEO of the company I work for - a huge energy company with over 16,000 employees.
The pic was taken only last year; his own hair isn't exactly long but the company does have a very relaxed policy on dress code and on male employees having long hair. Long hair is not exactly common but there are a few of us around, including at least one manager who always wears his in a ponytail. At least the policy is relaxed inside the office - not sure about customer-facing employees.
I don't think they'll ever INSIST on male employees having long hair though! :)
Damon
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Tom(Hairboy)
This man would not face termination or suspension in my company, but I would give him a 90 day probation since his hair is borderline. it isn't quite long enough, but not short enough to face suspension or termination.
I would give him 90 days to grow his hair to a length that falls more clearly within the guidelines which stipulates that hair must be AT LEAST two inches in length and extend beyond the collar at least one to two inches.
his hair is barely on the collar so he needs a bit more length on the back and sides.
I don't think he'll be moving to your company. He's on a salary of £840,000 where he is and got a £2million bonus last year. ;)
But I think he'd probably be more than happy to grow his hair longer if he didn't have to worry about being elected CEO of a public company on the London Stock Exchange. I remember him encountering a long-haired linesman in the company last year and saying how much he admired the length of the linesman's hair on his blog. He sounded quite jealous!
Incidentally, he used to be an accountant at a big firm. Not all corporate men are narrow-minded clones. ;)
Damon
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True. you guys are lucky you have him as your CEO, but if he should ever step down or leave for any reason and be replaced by some guy with a buzzcut I would be concerned about what might be requested among you and your male co-workers with long hair.
Too true! He's the only one with longish hair on the board; the rest have short hair. We can never know what lies in the future.
Damon
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sounds like the U.S. today.
during the 1970s that was considered Short hair over here. some executives actually wore it much longer than that!
some of the older members on this board may recall having bosses who had hair much longer than the CEO of your company back then.
and if he should ever be replaced with a guy with a buzzcut and you guys are given 90 days (or whatever time they allow you to make the change legally in the U.K)to get your haircut at least as short as his what would you do, comply or quit?
Sad to say, in the present economic climate and in my current financial situation, I'd swallow my pride and comply. I would be literally devastated (my hair means a LOT to me) but faced with the options of being either short-haired and housed or long-haired and homeless, I would be forced to choose the former.
I can grow my hair back one day, I can't face being on the streets.
Damon
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Thought I would have to travel (scroll down) to the center of the earth to find out what you were talking about but the journey wasn't that bad (lol). Actually, 2 inches is pretty lenient. In some countries, males will be stopped at the border if their hair doesn't comply with the regulations. And if they are bald, 2 inches won't be enough. You will need about 3 inches to cover up the balding. So if any North Koreans want to work at this place, they would be out of luck since (according to their lustrious leader) their brains won't function as well with longer hair.
Anyone know if anything has changed now that North Korea has
a new leader?
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The IT field is longhair friendly. If you sell insurance, not so long hair friendly. (Athough I would buy insurance from a longhair agent with no hesitation.)
Among jobs involving dealing with the public, Trader Joe's and Costco have no restrictions on longhair men. (I gave an MLHH invite card to the manager of Trader Joe's. His hair is just reaching shoulder length.)
There are stores on Haight St. in SF that sell tie dye shirts, blacklight posters, and glass pot pipes that would be less likely to hire a short hair conservative looking guy. Most of the employees in those shops have long hair. A good percentage have multiple piercings and colorful tattoos as well.
Scott