Dan writes me, saying, “I’ve run into some what I feel is an unfair treatment in my work place recently,” with the following picture attached:
I couldn’t agree more, and he explains,
I work at a grocery store as a cashier and have been working there for almost two years. I was hired with my lip pierced, and up until recently has never been a problem. We recently received two new managers and a lot of things have started to change — one of these things is the enforcement of a “NO FACIAL PIERCINGS” policy. We are forced to take them out or cover them up while at work. Taking them out is not a convenient solution since I have seamless rings, and as anyone who has used them in the past, they are a bitch to remove. I am forced to cover my rings with a disgusting band-aid or medical tape. This draws even more attention to them than not covering them at all. The band aid barely even covers anything and irritates my skin terribly. I feel that they are trying to humiliate us into taking our piercings out. I talked to the union and human resources about the issue and apparently the piercing rule was in the employee handbook that we signed when we were hired, though I have yet to see one of these handbooks.
You know, outside of “right and wrong” issues, and in my view of the world, the store is very much in the wrong here, there’s a real aura of idiocy that embraces this policy. As Dan points out, a couple piercings with an obnoxious bandage placed over them is far more upsetting looking to customers (whether they like or dislike piercings) because it sends the message that there’s something wrong with the piercing. And, as he also points out, being forced to do this daily endangers his health, so it’s ridiculous, offensive, and counter-productive on every level… but, sadly, in most States, it’s a fact of life for all-too-many people.
Finally, Dan asks,
I just wanted to know if anyone else has had similar problems in the workplace with their mods, and if anyone else has any more ideas that I could try to sway their policies?
