Six Flags: cut your hair or don't come to work

People....this guy works in FOOD SERVICES! I've worked in many restaurants and you have two choices: keep your hair short or wear a hair net. This is not an uncommon policy and it applies to men and women, especiall to those cooking or serving food. Who wants a hair in their food?

OK Mamoosh, so what you're saying is that simply keeping his hair in a hairnet isn't sufficient, and all the female employees who work in food services should be forced to cut their hair too? Why don't they just make all the food service employees in the world shave their heads, so that no hair could possibly fall in anyone's food? The fact that this man has long hair doesn't seem to be impairing his ability to perform his job at all. He worked his way up to manager, didn't he? He's had the same job for several years, hasn't he? And now, all of a sudden, the complaint from corporate has nothing to do with his job, or the way that he performs it, it's about HOW HE LOOKS. It's effectively the same thing as having a policy that no black people can be working in public view, because most people don't want to have to look at any N******! Do you remember when stuff like that was legal? Was it right? Was it fair? So what makes this so proper and justified?

-------------
http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/GayRollerRide/

I really dont see the problem if he keeps it in hair nets while he works, as the article mentioned.

-------------
.:| Brandon Rodriguez |:.
http://www.coasters2k.com

No need to get so worked up about it, irondraggon...but there's the key point. According to the article, this guy routinely tucks his hair under a hairnet, AND puts on a hat. The hair is secured, and the average customer probably never sees it! You take long hair and tie it back, stuff it inside a shirt collar or under a hat, and you comply with appropriate Board of Health requirements. Anything beyond that...well, the park knew about his hair when they hired him, and for the past couple of years they have operated under a seemingly-reasonable compromise, namely that he keep it secured when on the job. I'm sorry, but it sends up red flags to me when something that has worked for years is suddenly unacceptable. Unless there is some legal (as in "regulatory", not as in "permissible") reason...I know there are some new Board of Health regulations relating to food service...that prior procedure is suddenly unacceptable, this situation simply smells bad.

On a somewhat related note from a short-haired, mustachioed, bearded guy, what is it that (outside of food service) parks have against beards, anyway? Before I grew mine I looked perpetually unshaven, and most people who know what I looked like back then would agree that the beard was a distinct improvement.... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Its not the way HE look's it the total disrespect for a company's rules they are there for a reason. As of today its not illegal to ask an employee to groom themselves. Answer me this if he see's no problem in keeping his hair long against park rules, who says he follows other rules like washing his hands after adjusting his hair that has come out of his shirt or coming out of bathroom. I dont trust anyone who wants to break a rule in there favor they think there is rules for them and rules for us.

-------------
Army rangers lead the way *** This post was edited by supermandl on 6/18/2001. ***

Key words in the article
"manager"
"must set an example"
This is not unusual in any industry to have a higher grooming standard for management than for those in labor positions. I think the park is giving him credit for his job performance otherwise he would't be managing two food stands.

irondraggon: This doesn't have anything to do with discrimination. Not a single thing. It's not about race, gender, sexuality or anything even remotely connected to discrimination. It's about appearance. Can they drop you for not wearing a tie to work? For not wearing a uniform? For not conforming to the look they're going for? Of course they can! If the public has an image expectation, and the customers can be turned off by anything that falls short of that expectation, they have to enforce it. There is existing case law about this (don't know the cases off hand) in favor of the employer.

-------------
Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Get a freaking haircut. He can't be to concerned about his job, if he's not going to get his haircut. I want to know where he's going to find a seasonal job for $11 an hour. Most companies have some type of grooming standard for their employees. Six flags is no different.

For that money, I'd cut my hair.

I think they deffinetly need to enforce these rules because I see enough trashy carnies at my local carnival I dont need them at the Amusement Park too. Maybe it's not even trashy, but colored hair, tattoos, earrings, and long hair just doesnt make for a family atmosphere.

Some of are assuming he had the hair when he was hired. You are also assuming that nothing has been said to him in the past. Does anyone know for sure if this is the case. SF themselves said they are starting to enforce the rules more strictly. So it is possible that he along with other employees have been spoken to before but there was no follow up enforcement, and thus no issue. As for a 17 year old making 11 an hour get a clue and cut your hair. Your not going to get that money anywhere else at your age. He is a manager and should set an example by following the policies of his employer. Reason being, how does the manger go and tell someone they can't do something when they are not following the rules themselves. This is a conflict of interest. If he cannot lead by example then he should not be doing the job.

IronDragon: I'm merely telling you what my experiences have been working in the food industry. The women I worked with either wore their hair up, or in a net, *OR* cut it short. Not crew-cut length, obviously, but short.

Since the only people involved are SFWoA and this employee I suggest everyone stop making assumptions about the actions of either side.

The thing that gets me about the story is that, "He wears his hair in neat braids that extend to the bottom of his shirt collar. At work, he tucks them under a hair net and hat."

The article says he follows the sanitary laws as prescribed by state and local ordinances by wearing a hairnet I have no problems at all about his length. Indiana Beach has several employees that would not have the right "look" for Six Flags, but I found the majority of them to be fast at their jobs and friendly on a day when the park was understaffed for the crowds it had. I have a hard time saying the policy makes sense when it does not accomplish anything.

Adam

If he likes his job, he will cut his hair. SFWOA can replace him in a second! Sounds like he better grow up!

-------------
REDWINGS FOREVER!!!!!!!!!

I think SFWOA should worry more about cleaning their bathrooms and less about their employee's hair. That park has serious problems...fighting with their employees, especially the one's showing up for work,is a pretty blatant waste of time.

irondraggon has it just right. It is descrimination based on sex. Women are allowed to have long hair, men are not. It couldn't be more obvious.

Both sexes hair grow to same length. Why is only one sex required to limit the length? There isn't any scientific reason, it's just because of conservative ideals.

I realize it's a standard thing in numerous companies to do this. I'm just saying I think it's wrong of those companies to do.

edit: For over a year I made 14.80 an hour answering email for one of the worlds few profitable dot coms. If that company had required me to cut my hair, given me drug tests, or intruded in my personal life in any other way I would have quit on the spot.

The only reason I left was for school.

I gaurantee you that I don't look like a girl either!


-------------
http://jetstar2.8m.com *** This post was edited by JetStar2 on 6/18/2001. ***

Maybe he is afraid it will hurt

The double-standard will continue, no matter how much noise you/we make. ***sarcasm*** After all, everyone knows that long hair on a girl is pretty, long hair on a guy means that he is a dirty, pot-smoking hippie who will violently lash out against society at any chance he gets. ***end sarcasm***

If SFWoA IS allowing the visable tattoos, excessive earrings and pink hair, but NOT allowing this guy's long hair, that rubs me the wrong way. If the rules are in the handbook (no long hair on guys, no pink hair, no tats etc.) then it should have been enforced since day one. The sudden "crack down" just means that upper management was not doing their jobs correctly in the past.

It is real easy for people to say, "Just cut it, dude." I guess people who said that have probabaly never been FORCED to cut their own hair.

-------------
-Soggy, who would not cut his long, flowing locks for anything less than $30 per hour.

Ok, I have been reading the remarks, and a lot of people have really interesting things to say about this issue. Personally, i think that all Six Flags wants to do is, make a change in the way that their company appears. If they started by telling the regular workers that have "pink hair" and "excessive earings," then they would get remarks like "why should i get rid of my earings, and my pink hair if Jonathan over there doesn't cut his hair, and he's a manager!!"
All I am trying to say, is don't bash on SF just yet.

Six Flags is not handling things very well. They should tell everyone at once. I would think that this is quite simple to do. Alkl you need is a meeting of all the upper and lower managers, tell them the new ruls and have them pass it on to the other workers. On top of that, the (new) rules could be posted in the break room and a letter can be sent out to all workers. I am sure that would do the job.