See these two articles from the web site of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Yes they do!
My senior year (1989) in high school I was a checker at Safeway in Moraga California. I decided to maybe grow my hair hair, and one day my manager said, "your hair is touching your collar, go and get a hair cut on your lunch break."
My hair was not even close to long, and was just *barely* touching my collar. Anyway, I went to lunch with my girlfriend, didn't get a haircut, and my boss suspended me for three days.
They suspended me for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. When he told me the days, I didn't even try to hide my excitment. It was to be my first weekend off in a long time. He realized the punishment was lost on me as I skipped out the door.
By the way I never cut my hair for that stupid job. I went off to college, and grew it to my butt, and now am growing out again.
Kilgore
Way to go Kilgore!!!
My hair is down to my butt now too. I fought the good fight over facial hair. Back in 1970 I got told to shave my beard by an employer. I refused. I got fired. I got a job with the beard from the git go. Have worn it ever since.
Even as late as 1992, interviewing with a beard I was told that the company would like to hire me but that I would have to shave my beard. I politely asked for my application saying I'd forgotten to include something. He handed it over and I walked out the door with it giving him a pleasent 'no thank you' while he sputtered about my not being able to take the application with my. Sorry sir, it IS my application and I'm withdrawing it.
Once in a fit of insanity I agreed to shave my beard off in exchange for a position as a low level management type at local branch of a security guard firm. They insisted I shave my beard of before I applied for a state security guard license with the state police. I countered that I'd shave AFTER the license cleared and the position was officially mine. We wound up arguing the point, I realized how stupid I was being, and politely declined their offer.
In todays economy THEY need us. Saw an article in a tattoo magazine about an article in a human resources magazine which told the personnel folks they'd best be looking past tattoos and piercings and long hair and beards if they wanted good employees.
I work at a job where the owner of the company has hair as long as mine. He proudly decorates this pony tail ties with expensive jewelry.
Great jobs await without having to sacrifice our hair for some anal retentive corporate twit.
Funny how business does better with employees who have a sense of who they are and are not afraid to confront management, rather than corporate clones and drones.