Local News With Y 2 Jake: The Hairdresser

[Y 2 Jake]

In the news today there is a story about a girl who applied for a job at a hairdressers. One of these expensive, trendy places. The type with all of those ''I'm crazy me'' stylists, with the crappy hair, tattoos & skinny jeans. The places that older people don't go, teenagers can't afford and so on.

Anyway this girl applied, but didn't get the job. She then complained about discrimination. Why you ask. Well, twas because the girl in question wore a burka. The girl might not have been offered the job because she wasn't suitable. We'll never know. But she complained it was because she wore this head dress, which she didn't remove in public.

The thing is, she would have looked totally out of place in a saln like that. She wouldn't have fitted in the look of the place. And the look of the staff is very important indeed. But on the other hand then maybe it should have been based on actual talent. That is if she had any. We just don't know.

So, do you think the manager was correct in not giving a job to somebody who wouldn't have conformed to what the place was about, or should it have been based on merit?

 

[Sparky]

She should of got the job based on How well she can do the job. Not by the way you look, I know the saying is First apearences are everything but just becouse she was wearing a headdress She was probly the best possible candidate for the position You can't Judge a book by the cover. How hard would it be to say "your right for the position but The Headdress would have to go" Unless the Head dress was a religous thing, you are allowed to say that. of course she should of used a brain and wore more respectable clothing something that look's the part. If you are applying to be Sale'sman your not going to wear your oldest clothe's now are you. but it is discrimination becouse it doesnt matter what you look like as long as you can do the job well.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

So you think they should employ a hairdresser that doesn't even show her own hair? Places like that are based on what they look like, they need to be smart and fashionable. You look in the window and you see all these cool people, you then see an Indian girl who looks totally out of place. That could lose you customers. It really would. It is a business after all.

 

[Dark Blaze]

I think the manager made sense with her decision, like Jake said, if you won't even show your hair, people will assume that it isn't combed or cut properly or something and that wouldn't actually scream to someone "Hey, come cut your hair here, we're reallly good", it'd turn them away because with those thoughts they'll be suspicious of the quality of the girl's work and would be unable to trust their hair in her hands, thus losing the business' customers and money, the manager was just thinking about what was best for her business.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

I think it makes sense to deny her the job, but only after you have a discussion about it. Many businesses have rules that they have a certain dress code and you must follow it or you won't get the job (or you'll be penalized if you're already hired). Its profiling, yeah, and it fits into the "don't judge a book by its cover" concept, but if I went to get an attorney and they sent some skinhead looking guy my way, I'd go to another firm. Appearances are the most striking impressions you can leave on people, and most of the time, that's all you'll ever get. The guy at the bar doesn't hit on the girl who looks meek and fragile and hideous in the corner but "hey it looks like she might like the same movies as I do" lol. Cops tend to stop young kids more often than they do older people. So on and so forth. Sometimes it isn't right, but it happens and you have to take that into account.

So with this business, its all about appearances. There are only 2 reasons people get haircuts: 1) Sanitary reasons 2) Fashion. Fashion IS appearance. I know many women that actually pick their hairdresser based on their looks, as well. So how can it help your business if you hire someone who not only looks totally out of place, but also can't garner any respect in the "ooh, I like what she did with HER hair, she must have good taste, so she should cut my hair and offer me some suggestions"?

I'm sure the argument of "its a religious thing and all religions should be respected" is on a lot of minds, but that's tricky as well. Not bothering to dwell on the "you can claim anything is your religion and get away with it" standpoint, there's also the type of stigma going on in the world nowadays. Essentially, Muslim is "the enemy" in the world right now (and I'm not going to get into how much I dislike the war, as that's another thread and another day), but your business could also face a decline based on that. People do get judged based on who they associate themselves with, and guaranteed, there'd be some people out there saying they won't go there anymore based on it. It might be your religion, but its a distraction. If I was the owner of a business, despite my not being religious, I wouldn't mind someone wearing a cross necklace, star of David necklace, etc. But if say, a nudist came in and said "its what I believe in", I'm sorry, you're not getting the job.

Essentially, if she really doesn't want to compromise, and no matter what, she wants to work at a hair salon while maintaining her clothing choices, she has the options of either applying for other places or trying to set up her own business where she can make all the rules she wants. Beggars can't be choosers, and if she only wants to work at that one particular place, she has to make the sacrifice of wearing the normal employee attire.

 

[chasingamy]

Without knowing the full details of her training, experience, and personal characteristics, we can’t automatically assume she was refused employment based solely on her outer appearance.

What I think “makes” a hairdresser is personality. You have to have a friendly manner and enjoy working with people. You need good listening skills so you understand the client’s wishes. Those things go a long way to building and maintaining a loyal clientele. I know several women who have gone to the same hairdresser for years due in large part to the relationship they’ve created.

This girl could have all the technique in the world, but if she’s lacking in the personality department she wouldn’t make the best job candidate. And I’m not aware of any law that prevents an employer from refusing employment based on one’s personality characteristics or rather lack thereof.

 

[Tastycles]

I've actually seen about this case in the paper recently, and it's quite bizarre. She didn't get refused the job, per se, but was told that she couldn't wear a Burkha if she worked there because it was company policy for all of the hairdressers to have a style that was offered by the salon.

Anyway, she sued for discrimination and won damages of about £5000/US$9900/AU$10300/Canadian$10000/6300 Euros, depending on where you come from. These were for hurt feelings and loss of earnings. She wanted three times as much, because she said she'd been put off the hairdressing industry for ever, but in reality she had applied for other jobs.

To be honest, at the risk of sounding like someone who uses the term "pc madness", I think that if you work in a hairdressers, it is not unreasonable for your employers to show off the product, its the nature of being employed in that sort of industry. When I worked in McDonald's I was a vegetarian, and I wasn't provided with a choice for my dinner break, perhaps I should sue too.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I think firstly it needs to not be jumped to the conclusion she didn't get the job solely due to her headress. To me, it seems like she's just moaning she didn't get the job and using the "discrimination" clause to do so. People like this piss me off. She may simply have not got the job because she wasn't good enough, in which case she needs to take her head out of her arse for thinking she's too good to be denied a job.

If it was solely because of the headdress, I also think the company were right to do so. A hairdressers hair is like their uniform. We judge them by it. If I told my boss I wasn't going to wear my uniform to work I´d be fired. Or I wouldn't have got the job in the first place. The look of Boots, the place I work, is professional, where we have to wear the same white tops. I accept that when going for the job. The look of the hairdressers, from your description, is trendy and hair is an extremely important part of that. If she wasn't going to comply with taking the headdress off, she shouldn't have a job.

Everyone has rules at their work they dislike. I can't take my mobile onto the shop floor. I'd like to, but I want a job there so I do as asked by my boss. If I didn't, and got sacked because of it, I couldn't go to court and sue them for it. Just as she can't go to court and sue when SHE is theone breaking rules, or rather not complying with them.