Beard today, gone tomorrow

2 minute read  |  June 27, 2017

The company sent a letter to its staff detailing the reasons for their decision, but immediately incurred the wrath of Britain’s biggest union, Unite, who described the move as “penny-pinching stupidity”.

‘Elf and Safety’

Health and safety has its place in the construction industry, perhaps more than any other, but is this a step too far?

Mears has attributed the ban on facial hair to ensuring that face masks are able to achieve the required seal around the wearers mouth, something which facial hair actively blocks. They would rather their workers shave their beards as opposed to putting themselves at risk to potential lung injuries in years to come from inhaling dust and other potentially hazardous particles.

The big question

The question on the haired lips of many employees is whether a company is within their rights to enforce a rule where their staff are required to be clean shaven.

The short answer is yes. The long answer requires some explanation and caveats…

In general, employers can set whatever rules they want in the workplace, so long as they treat all employees fairly and without discrimination. For example, if they decided that only the workers in their Manchester branch needed to be clean shaven, but the staff in their Leeds office were free to grow facial hair, that would be indirect discrimination.

Employers can argue against indirect discrimination if it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

In Mears case, the banning of beards would be a proportionate means of achieving the aim of ensuring the health and safety of all employees.

The morale victory

Before enforcing such a measure, an employer should think about the impact such a decision could have on morale in the workplace. A company’s employees are its best asset and measures may risk alienating them over a decision that is unnecessarily strict or onerous.

If you need to implement something that could be received in a negative way, communicate every step of the way. Make your employees know your reasoning behind the decision and listen to their concerns. People will respect a decision more if they feel valued, regardless of the outcome.

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