I work in Tennessee. The store manager has made a rule for the store stating that males may not wear any earrings of any kind, but females may. After reading the company dress code, I saw that there was no rules concerning earrings for either gender. The closest thing in the rule book said that "body piercings or tattoos that are visible are not allowed". Is his personal rule (which is being enforced verbaly by lower management) a violation of federal or state sexual discrimination laws, since it targets only one gender?
Also, is it legal to take action against an employee for a visible tattoo while not taking any action against two other employees with higher seniority that have multiple tattoos on their lower arms (uncovered and visible) even though it is prohibited quite plainly in the formal dress code? Are they allowed to play favorites in that area?
Also, is it legal to take action against an employee for a visible tattoo while not taking any action against two other employees with higher seniority that have multiple tattoos on their lower arms (uncovered and visible) even though it is prohibited quite plainly in the formal dress code? Are they allowed to play favorites in that area?