Shaving policy

[therigwelder]

is the name of your state?mississippi.I work for a large defense contractor, with over 10,000 employees. They have a shave policy. due to people who weld, grind and cut,for a respirator policy(which they do not enforce).many departments In this company weld,cut and grind.my department is consistently singled out to be clean shaven,many men have beards including management. I have a mustache and goatee and am constantly being told to shave or I will be sent home. How can the company legally force some to shave and not others? The company I am confident will not enforce the wearing of a respirator policy,they know in the Deep South wearing a respirator especially in the summer months will decrease their productivity. is it legal for them to enforce a shave policy on some but not all employees?

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

As long as they are not making the distinction based on an illegal reason (race, sex, age, national origin, religion...) yes they can.

 

[xylene]

Shave or drag up.

 

[quincy]

Here is a link to an article published in The National Law Review on "Regulating Appearance in the Workplace..."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.natlawreview.com/article/regulating-appearance-workplace-employer-s-guide-to-avoid-employment-discrimination-?amp
See Part II (B) on facial hair regulations - what is legal and what may not be.


(PayrollHRGuy, I think you are missing a "not" in your post )

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

No, I'm not. .......... now

 

[quincy]

It is amazing what a difference one tiny little word can make.

 

[not2cleverRed]

is the name of your state?mississippi.I work for a large defense contractor, with over 10,000 employees. They have a shave policy. due to people who weld, grind and cut,for a respirator policy(which they do not enforce).many departments In this company weld,cut and grind.my department is consistently singled out to be clean shaven,many men have beards including management. I have a mustache and goatee and am constantly being told to shave or I will be sent home. How can the company legally force some to shave and not others?

Perhaps because different people have different job descriptions.

If one could argue that its for safety reasons, then that is reasonable.

It is not uncommon for management to be less "hands on", and therefore would not reasonable be expected to wear a respirator.

The company I am confident will not enforce the wearing of a respirator policy,they know in the Deep South wearing a respirator especially in the summer months will decrease their productivity. is it legal for them to enforce a shave policy on some but not all employees?

OSHA might have a problem with that.

I suspect that the company is covering their own derriere by requiring those who are supposed to wear a respirator to at least keep their face clean shaven, and provides those respirators, whether or not yo choose to use them. Should someone choose to violate basic common sense safety measures and suffer adverse consequences, it then becomes their problem, not the company's. At least, that might be the company's understanding, whether or not it holds any legal water.

Let me put it this way:
1) Yes, it is legal to require that employees abide by OSHA regulations.
2) Yes, you could also be sent home for refusing to use a respirator.


P.S. Mustaches are disgusting snot collectors and goatees are just stupid looking.

 

[adjusterjack]

Mustaches are disgusting snot collectors

I resent that. I manage to intercept my snot before it gets to my moustache.

 

[commentator]

Moustaches do hinder respirators. Make it tough to scuba dive. But as a story, one of the corporate raiders who had bought out a large business in my area called all the company management in to a corporate meeting. With the announcement came specific instructions. No facial hair. (apparently the head honcho felt as Red does.) For males, suit of certain fabric and color to be worn, shirt and necktie of certain color. Walk here. Go there. Do not do this, this, or this. Anyone who did not wish to comply with all these requirements was to consider themselves to be terminated as of that day. Why all those specifics? They wanted to find out who was willing to comply with the whole agenda. They weren't interested in anyone who did not want to. It was perfectly legal. Play our way or get out.

In some manufacturing establishments, one of the number one management training axioms they teach is "make the employees wear their safety glasses" and "make them wear the respirators if required" because if you find someone who is consistently unwilling to follow the small rules, chances are that you have a jerk who doesn't want to work hard, questions everything and is generally not a team player. Their refusal to wear safety equipment or refusal to shave is an easy rope to let them hang themselves on. Warnings, then out you go, legally. Shave or quit the job. Don't worry about what others are allowed to do, don't give your supervisors any guff if they tell you that you have to shave. Just do it or leave.

 

[quincy]

I resent that. I manage to intercept my snot before it gets to my moustache.

A recent study out of Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic found that men's beards carry more harmful germs than the fur of dogs.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

because if you find someone who is consistently unwilling to follow the small rules, chances are that you have a jerk who doesn't want to work hard, questions everything and is generally not a team player.

Muck like Van Halen and brown M&Ms

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-out/

 

[FlyingRon]

I had to shave my beard when I became a fireman for a similar reason, bad seal on masks. I can tell you it is legitimate. I chewed through a lot of air due to bad seals (the masks are positive pressure) before I shaved.

 

[adjusterjack]

A recent study out of Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic found that men's beards carry more harmful germs than the fur of dogs.

My dog appreciates knowing that. He says he won't lick beards anymore.

 

[justalayman]

A recent study out of Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic found that men's beards carry more harmful germs than the fur of dogs.

Maybe the men in Switzerland need to wash their beards more often than they wash their dogs

 

[justalayman]

I too can say no beards with respirators. Any respirator I’ve used had no issues with a mustache but if you have a mustache that goes beyond your mouth in width it could be a problem.


Whether a respirator is required will vary based on the type of welding along with whether there is adequate ventilation or exhaust systems. Op hasn’t provided enough info to determine whether osha would require a respirator or not.


None of that matters though if the company has a policy of being clean shaven. Op is upset about management having facial hair. I wonder how many of those in management weld or grind.


Op needs to comply with the policy or risk punitive action, including termination of that is where the employer wishes to take it