Imagine interviewing for a role. You have the job experience, and you tick all the boxes in terms of the work culture. The hiring manager laughs at all your jokes, almost welcoming you to the company. Suddenly, they bring up their clean shaven policy.
Do employers have a right to ask you to shave your beard? Do you have any say in the matter? It’s a gray area depending on your industry, but generally, they can indeed require you to shave. However, you can request an appeal based on a few factors.
Clean Shaven Policies
Every company has an image it wants to retain. Employers are within their legal right to set grooming standards and dress codes. Some policies will usually focus on attire, smell and appearance. Hair is more subjective, considering its cultural significance for many people.
While a federal bill has been passed to forbid employer discrimination on hair texture and style, there’s no specific law for beards yet. Thus, companies may uphold a clean shaven policy regarding facial hair.
Workplaces typically enforce these roles for client-facing jobs to improve presentability. Employees who have to wear personal protective equipment are also a key target for being clean-shaven to uphold beard safety.
OSHA Facial Hair Regulations
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s main concern about beard safety in the workplace is respirator leakage. A respirator is an essential piece of equipment for filtering out chemicals and pollutants from a working environment. It features a fan to blow clean air for inhalation and an exhalation valve for your breath to exit.
Respirators are important for people working with paints, gases and other hazardous environments. They can also be critical tools when dealing with fire. OSHA guidelines dictate that almost all industries must conduct fire safety training in a controlled environment. Aside from learning to use an extinguisher, wearing a respirator can be the difference between life and death.
While there are many designs, full-face masks are ideal for zero exposure to toxic air. Unfortunately, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health finds that facial hair under the sealing of a respirator can result in up to 1,000 times more leakage.
Chin hair is usually the culprit of crossing the respirator seal and creating air leaks. Jobs requiring the use of respirators or other similar face masks on a regular basis can require you to keep facial hair contained for your own safety. Naturally, shaving is the simplest solution. There are also clean-cut facial hair alternatives like minimalist mustache and sideburn styles.
Beard Safety and Hygiene
OSHA standards aside, a clean shaven policy may also allude to the need for proper hygiene. A beard can contain multiple pathogenic microorganisms in its strands. If you’re applying for a job involving food and beverages, it can make sense to shave your facial hair.
Working in a pharmacy or hospital also requires utmost beard safety and hygiene. Keep bacteria out of such spaces, especially if you face immunocompromised patients who need clean indoor air quality.
Shaving is still definitely on a case-to-case basis, though. Some places allow facial hair to be a certain length. If it exceeds these limits, you get a warning and notification to trim. Other companies may require using a beard net instead.
If you keep part of your beard, adopt grooming practices for maximum hygiene. Shampoo and rinse thoroughly as often as possible to eliminate any bits and pieces. You can also use an exfoliating scrub and conditioner to get into the nitty-gritty.
Societal Perspectives
A clean shaven policy can also stem from wanting to look more professional. Appearances matter, especially in a corporate setting. While times have changed, companies still think it’s better to be safe than sorry. Some individuals haven’t completely shifted their views, either.
It’s not always a bad thing. Beards are often a sign of maturity and masculinity for men. Younger job seekers who want to give off an impression of being experienced and authoritative can benefit from facial hair. Just make sure it isn’t unkempt.
That said, there are downsides too. For example, most people stereotype bearded men as more angry and aggressive than their shaven counterparts. Others may also sense they are less trustworthy. The perception still stands despite being rather baseless.
Balancing Employee Rights and Duties
Employers can require you to shave your beard. Do you have to follow the clean shaven policy? Generally, you must abide by the rules to secure a job and stay at a workplace. However, there are some areas where you can appeal to management.
Requesting consideration from your employers makes the most sense if your role doesn’t involve certain working conditions. Medical reasons, religious faith and gender identity can also be grounds to justify your request for consideration.
Medical Reasons
Some men cannot shave their beards because it irritates their skin. Pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB, is a chronic condition that entails inflammation in the skin caused by shaving. Up to 60% of Black men can experience this, which may result from their tightly curled hair.
In some cases, PFB is viewed as a disability, which can warrant your beard protection from the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, it depends on the severity of the lesions. Request a doctor’s note and submit it to employers for evaluation.
Religious Faith
People of certain religions cannot shave or cut their hair. For example, Sikh men don’t shave their beards because it’s seen as a blessing. To cut their hair would be an act of turning their back on their religious faith.
There was a recent court case where Sikh men were denied entry to the Marine Corps unless they shaved their facial hair. A court recently ruled they can serve and train under the force even without shaving as a sign of respect for their belief.
Gender Identity
Facial hair can serve as gender affirmation for trans men and other nonconforming persons under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. It is possible to use the right to gender expression as a core argument for your appeal against a clean shaven policy.
However, it’s important to recognize that identity may hold less weight than other reasons. Employers may argue that their rejection is to avoid any bias between cisgender and noncisgender employees, applying their guidelines to both parties instead.
Shaving for the Workplace
How you present yourself in the workplace matters a lot, especially to employers. Some companies are lax, while others enforce a strong clean shaven policy. Try to find a compromise in your situation to maintain your individuality and adhere to the grooming guidelines.