She has something on her eyebrows, on her nose, and on her lips. No, I’m not talking about makeup. I was referring to the body piercings of the woman I saw earlier this morning. It reminded me of the controversial case between Costco and its employee. Said employee wore a facial piercing and was asked to cover it while at work. However, she did not want to cover it up and the situation ended in court, as she claimed that she was being discriminated against. As managers and entrepreneurs, we do not want such sensitive situations to end up in court. So how do we work with people who wear body piercings at work? Let me give you 10 tips that could help you in such situations.
1. Set the Right Expectations
When you meet an employee for the first time, it is important that you set expectations with them. For example, if today is Employee A’s first day on the job, why not arrange a short meeting to discuss what your mutual expectations are? This gives you the opportunity to learn more about the new team member. By simply talking to them, you will discover not only their motivations, but also why they wear body piercings and how they feel about the company’s dress code. This meeting gives you an opportunity to explain the rationale for the policy and why we cannot exempt people from following it. Keeping communication open from the beginning is a great way to strengthen working relationships. Other than that, asking them to follow the policies later on won’t be that difficult as expectations were already set.
2. Base the policy or dress code on business reasons
Having a policy on the appearance of employees is not enough. It is important that it is based on business reasons. For example, if you work in the food or medical industry, it is mandatory to have a dress code for health and safety reasons. Other companies, on the other hand, simply want to protect their image (like Costco). Whatever the reason, as long as it affects the business, you can incorporate this into your dress code. It is recommended that the policy be written in a positive way.
3. Coordinate with your recruiting team
If you are looking for someone to represent the company, of course you need someone who is well groomed, right? But then we don’t want to discriminate against those who wear body piercings during the hiring process. You can work with your recruiting team to hire the right person for the job. Aside from job suitability, we must also consider whether the applicant is flexible and willing to remove body piercings during work hours. You can tell your recruiting team what kind of person you want for the job. You can also participate during the interview process to select the best candidate. By doing so, you minimize the chances of encountering dress code issues with a potential candidate.
4. Communicate the dress code to everyone in the office.
Most companies have new hire orientations. This is done to ensure that everyone understands the company’s policies and procedures by explaining and entertaining questions from participants. However, if there are changes to the policy, it is very important that it is communicated immediately to everyone to avoid confusion. Having a team meeting helps a lot. It allows you to talk about the dress code and the opportunity to take the “pulse” of the employees. Knowing what they think about the dress code helps you understand where they come from. This will help you manage change more easily. A team meeting is a fair approach as you will speak to everyone and avoid unnecessarily upsetting anyone because it is a general discussion and not an attack on a certain person.
5. Provide feedback and guidance
If a team member is violating the dress code by wearing body piercings, the best thing to do is train them. I believe in the power of feedback. Being a coach is difficult, but it helps other people improve. Whenever I coach a member of my team, I talk less and let them talk more about their behavior by asking questions. Although asking why is easier, asking what is less annoying for the coachee. Usually valid if they know what the policy is before jumping into anything. If they don’t know the dress code, then it might help by telling them. However, if that is not the case, asking more questions would help you determine what kind of approach to take. After you get their opinion, it would also be good to ask if the dress code benefits them. You can explain how business-related reasons affect the employee as an individual. Employees generally want to know about WIIFM or What’s in it for me? Once they understand why it benefits them to follow the policy, they are more likely to comply with it.
6. Be consistent in enforcing the dress code
If you want people to follow you, you must lead by example. Have you heard of the saying: “No one is above the law”? The same goes for company policies. No one should be exempt, so everyone is expected to follow. A policy won’t be very effective if someone gets away with it. We want to be treated fairly in the workplace and exempting anyone from following the rules is definitely unfair. This also makes it more difficult to ask everyone to comply.
7. If necessary, make reasonable accommodations.
There are some people who wear body piercings for religious reasons. In some cases, they are prohibited from removing earrings, studs, or hoops. You can offer reasonable accommodations for these employees. Don’t get me wrong, we won’t exempt them from following the policies. If you are not allowed to remove your jewelry, we may ask you to at least hide it during working hours. Covering it with a band-aid or hairnet are just some of the suggestions. Have you tried to seek the participation of the employee in question? How do you want your piercings covered? You will never know if they have a better way of doing things. And if their idea sounds reasonable, it’s even easier to ask them to comply, since it was their idea anyway!
8. Follow due process
Okay, let’s say you’ve already trained someone but they’re still violating the dress code, what are you supposed to do next? If you are the person’s immediate supervisor / manager, you can issue a demonstration cause notice. It is a formal, written way of asking why you are not meeting expectations. Request a written response from your employee. Once you receive the answer, read its explanation. Is it reasonable? If not, does it deserve any disciplinary action? Just be sure to follow due process carefully to avoid violating any part of the labor code. When in doubt, consult a human resources specialist.
9. Consult a legal advisor on more complicated matters.
It is better to ask an expert if someone feels discriminated against by the dress code. There are laws that protect both the employer and the employee. Knowing is winning half the battle, so knowing the rights of the company and employees is one of the keys to solving this problem. Furthermore, this matter must be taken seriously, as these situations have already been seen in court in the past. Remember that not only lawsuits cost money, losing an employee and replacing them is also a cost to the company.
10. Value diversity and respect the individual
Imagine a workplace where everyone is the same. If they were all cut from the same pattern (same educational background, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.), where would the new ideas come from? Actually, there are some advantages to having unique employees. There are things we can learn from people who wear piercings. It may sound strange, but it is true. Have you tried asking them for their opinion on your company’s recent marketing strategy or what they think about the new company logo? Also, if they are following the policies and doing very well in their department, isn’t that proof that their looks aren’t getting in the way of the business being a success? Your appearance should not prevent us from recognizing a job well done. Valuing diversity and having respect for the individual not only increases employee satisfaction, but also reduces employee turnover.
If you notice, most of the tips are about communication between the employer and their workers. It is really better that we maintain open communication between our employees, as it helps to resolve conflicts, reduces confusion, minimizes burnout and strengthens working relationships. This just goes to show that talking is not cheap at all!
