Can employer to tell you to shave your beard off?

sangie595

ThemeOne wrote: »

I'm curious to know how far it can be taken. Can employers' requirements re appearance be waived only when the employee says they belong to certain named religions (with maybe different rules applying to different religions) - even though there's no way to prove that is your religion - or can the employee simply say "I adopt that appearance, or way of dress, because of my religion" (unspecified) and the employer then has no power to ask them to change.

This one is easy. When you get sacked, see whether the tribunal thinks it was unfair or not.

xapprenticex

If you are willing to entertain going on JSA for a beard then you are stupid.

pogofish

Legal or not, over the years I've found more than a few employers who firmly believe that once you progress beyond a certain pay point, then yes they own you, lock stock and barrel and dictate everything you do.

So its more a matter of your pushing that point as high as you possibly can.

boliston

nemq wrote: »

Can an employer to tell you to shave your beard off? My job involves working front of house greeting customers. If I refuse to shave it, can I be fired and if so I doubt I can claim JSA. Not sure what to do if I have to shave it off then I will but I'd rather not. (Sorry if it's in the wrong section....I can't post in the CAB basic rights at work section).

Does sound an odd rule - do any men at the company have beards? Our company would loose most of its male staff if it introduced this rule, including most of the board of directors

Petethespider

I worked for Sainsbury's late 80's early 90's

Back then the dress code was very strict

No nail polish. No jewellery, no visible tats.

Tights had to be 'skin tone' by which they meant only black girls could wear black tights, everyone else had to wear cream soda or American tan colours

Men could have a beard,as long as it wasn't grown in works time. That meant it was either full grown when they employed you, or you grew it when on leave and it wasn't just stubble in the making on your return. Those with full beards working in raw food situations had to wear a snood

At the start of shift, the HR manager was stood at the top of the stairs checking all staff for conformity. Nail varnish remover and bic razors to hand.

You were told the rules at interview and they were included in the staff handbook plus printed out in the changing rooms. If you couldn't / wouldn't comply, you either didn't take the job or were shown the door

motorguy

Wake_up_call wrote: »

I'm not recommending it either, but if someone decided they were part of a faith, their employers have no legal right to claim otherwise.

And i dont think anyone is saying otherwise, however to say its part of a faith you've just suddenly adopted to support you having a beard isnt going to end well.

Having religious beliefs that compel you to grow a beard is very different to growing a beard then finding a religion that supports that "look"

motorguy

I suspect this has a lot to do with presentation of said beard.

I cant imagine an employer would have an issue with a beard like this front of house :-



Whereas they may well take issue with something like this :-

Savvy_Sue

motorguy wrote: »

I suspect this has a lot to do with presentation of said beard.

I cant imagine an employer would have an issue with a beard like this front of house :-

Drools quietly over computer keyboard ... :rotfl:

CapricornLass

Agreed. I don't think anyone would object to a neatly clipped, thick short beard that clearly has been regularly trimmed, washed and combed. (Don't forget the 'tash either....). Keep it conservative looking, i.e., not halfway down your chest, no plaits, rings, or strange colours, and also be realistic - if your beard is thin and scraggly looking, then it may be better to forget it and shave the whole thing off.

The point is that you are front of house, and you are the public face of the company, the first that future customers see. At the end of the day, its those customers buying your company's services who pay your wage packet, so you can't afford to frighten them off!

LadyDee

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Drools quietly over computer keyboard ... :rotfl:

Oh, I shall be so glad when this fashion for beards fades. Bring back that nice clean-shaven look! Many years ago I saw a TV programme about the 'things' that can live in a beard ..... nuff said.