EMPLOYMENT AGENCY REFUSES STUDENTS WITH BEARDS AND BRAIDS

Hello there, good day, and welcome back to The Beard Struggle blog on this fine and dandy day.

Something rather bemusing showed up on one of my many social media timelines just recently, after reading and attempting to debug any initial confusion I had in my mind, I thought it would only be fair to share this with you all in today's blog post, so let us begin...

A student from Birmingham, England who was seeking a employment was left upset and rather annoyed after being refused a possible position by an employment agency, due to the fact that she chooses to sport dreadlocks.

The student named Miss Cheyanne Arnold was turned away by the agency called 'TempTribe UK' based solely on the grounds that her choice of hairstyle was considered unprofessional and lacked meeting the company's uniform expected standards.

Speaking to the media Miss Arnold voiced her upset, claiming that she considered this as a matter of discrimination. ''My hair is a big part of me.'', she said.

The above-named employment agency has provided its services to companies such as Fortnum & Mason, The Body Shop, the UK radio station known as Capital FM and the iconic Wembley Stadium, London to name a few, and boasts to be 'Londons favourite hospitality staff supplier'.

The agency follows a strict ''ultimate guide'' of which all of their employees are advised to abide by, some of the rulings mention that male staff must be cleanly shaven at all times and also bans its staff from having hair braids and ponytails.

However, there are a few small loopholes which permit its staff for falling through such rules, but they are based on religious grounds only and in their discretion.

Once Miss Arnold revealed that she, in fact, had dreadlocks, she claims that she was told directly via the same phone call that her application to work for the agency would not be taken any further from that point forward.

What made the situation more frustrating is that the student had worked for similar agencies in the past without any issues in regards to her braids or such like problems. She even joked that if she was to chop her hair off would this be acceptable, to which the company shockingly replied it would be considered acceptable.

It was also clearly noted that beards are not viewed as welcoming either, and any member of staff working for the company would be expected to remain clean shaven at all times, as this would be seen as being 'fit for purpose'.

In my humble opinion, I feel such rulings and expectations are somewhat outdated and could use some serious revision for the wellbeing of both the employer and the employees. Times have vastly changed throughout the years, as have peoples choice of style and personal image. Judging if someone is fit for work based on their hair, facial hair choices, appearance or dress sense seems a little too 'old school'and rather dated for my liking.

So, what do you guys and girls think of such rules being enforced by employers and temp agencies? Do you think this is fair game? Or do you believe this is a little O.T.T? As always let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments section provided below.

You can also find us on numerous social media platforms, from Facebook and Twitter as well as our Instagram page.

And until next time, Beard on Brothers...