A job applicant loses a job opportunity because he refused to cut his hair...
Have you ever been told to change your appearance for a job?
The job market is anything but stable thanks to the pandemic There have been many people who have lost their jobs, while others have been overloaded with responsibilities as they are afraid to lose theirs.
But nonetheless, there are many jobs out there with eager applicants trying to make their best first impressions and polishing up their CVs. So it's difficult to see people who are shunned away from a job because of their exterior appearance.
As graduates and students we are told that when applying for a job, there is a certain protocol that you should ideally follow. Some choose to follow these steps and coincide with the rules, while others stick to their personal forms of style and rebel against the conformation.
Whichever category you fall under, it is the principle of being matched with the job that is meant for you. Whether that is solely because of your outward appearance or your experience, that is up to the employer sadly. But not in all cases. In some cases, applicants have the courage to stand up for their choices and call out companies for being discriminatory.
In this case a black job applicant has opened a lawsuit against a company that he alleges discriminated against him because of his hair.
"Jeffrey Thornton filed a lawsuit against Encore Group, LLC., an event production company, last Monday." (Business Insider)
He applied for the technical supervisor position and alleges that he was advised by the hiring manager that he was "fully qualified for the job, and that if he wanted it, he would have to conform to certain dress and appearance policies," including cutting his dreadlocks so that his hair was off his ears, eyes, and shoulders." (Business Insider)
This was not a case of just tying his hair back though, it was more than that. He shared that by altering his "hairstyle, and thus his appearance," he would be shifting his cultural identity and therefore his racial heritage.
Because he refused to conform to this, he therefore did not get the job and incurred financial loss.
I wouldn't be able to come to terms with sacrificing my disciplinary journey and what it symbolises.
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We regret any miscommunication with Mr Thornton regarding our standard grooming policies — which he appears to fully meet and we have made him an offer of employment. We are continuously looking to learn and improve, and we are reviewing our grooming policies to avoid potential miscommunications in the future.
Whether or not Jeffrey will take the offer has yet to be revealed. But one thing is for certain, his standing up and making his voice heard has definitely got people's attention when it comes to ridiculous grooming standards.
Hair discrimination and appearance discrimination is a real thing. Of course, not many people talk about it, and it is rarely given the spotlight as to the reason applicants are unsuccessful, but acknowledging it is part of the process of dealing with it. Because if you don't know you are doing it then of course it's not going to be an issue...
Image Courtesy of Unsplash Website