To: Publix CEO
Publix: Change Facial Hair Policy
Publix has been known for caring for their employees on a financial level, but not so much personally. I, and many others, are desiring for a change in the facial hair policy where we are allowed to grow facial hair, even if there are limits, such as length and/or beard guards, as other Greenwise Markets have.
Why is this important?
The younger and even some of the older generation are known to be one of the most progressive in recent history, and sticking to traditional policies in our current society is nothing short of regressive and disheartening to males, which also could be argued to be discriminatory on a personal level.
Facial hair has been known to distill confidence in men and give a sense of maturity. It's been helpful to them socially, whether it's finding friends, a date, or any such matter. Taking this away from them is not only degrading on an appalling level, but the equivalent to telling a woman she cannot wear makeup to work. It's an insensitive and rather unnecessary policy, given that a small stubble on a chin should not determine how an employee serves to a guest, verbally and physically.
As of recent, a friend of mine/coworker was faced with this problem to the extent of a department manager putting a disposable razor in front of him AND a customer. Any decent human being would recognize this as desperate, unprofessional, and unsettling. A recent petition has revealed that a very large number of employees (15,000+ currently) are wanting a change in this policy and a Reddit thread for Publix (https://www.reddit.com/r/publix/comments/5l16w4/beard_policy/) has also given insight on how male employees feel.
Discounting these people and their thoughts and feelings will and has a direct impact on an employee's performance. Such behavior under a negative light will eventually result in low quality performances which will harm the brand that Publix claims to protect, ultimately defeating it's own purpose. I am seeing it happen in my store and am experiencing personally.
And again, why are Greenwise Markets allowing their employees to express themselves freely in and outside of the store through their personal policies, but other stores are reluctant to follow this path? The logic behind this? I, frankly, will never understand.
While I may have just wasted my time writing this and Publix will still hold back from making changes, I really hope they will understand what (a lot of) males are upset about in the workplace. It's never okay to take away dignity from a man who is trying to find success, and while that seems like an emotional appeal, it's EXTREMELY crucial to how an employee performs at their craft.
Facial hair has been known to distill confidence in men and give a sense of maturity. It's been helpful to them socially, whether it's finding friends, a date, or any such matter. Taking this away from them is not only degrading on an appalling level, but the equivalent to telling a woman she cannot wear makeup to work. It's an insensitive and rather unnecessary policy, given that a small stubble on a chin should not determine how an employee serves to a guest, verbally and physically.
As of recent, a friend of mine/coworker was faced with this problem to the extent of a department manager putting a disposable razor in front of him AND a customer. Any decent human being would recognize this as desperate, unprofessional, and unsettling. A recent petition has revealed that a very large number of employees (15,000+ currently) are wanting a change in this policy and a Reddit thread for Publix (https://www.reddit.com/r/publix/comments/5l16w4/beard_policy/) has also given insight on how male employees feel.
Discounting these people and their thoughts and feelings will and has a direct impact on an employee's performance. Such behavior under a negative light will eventually result in low quality performances which will harm the brand that Publix claims to protect, ultimately defeating it's own purpose. I am seeing it happen in my store and am experiencing personally.
And again, why are Greenwise Markets allowing their employees to express themselves freely in and outside of the store through their personal policies, but other stores are reluctant to follow this path? The logic behind this? I, frankly, will never understand.
While I may have just wasted my time writing this and Publix will still hold back from making changes, I really hope they will understand what (a lot of) males are upset about in the workplace. It's never okay to take away dignity from a man who is trying to find success, and while that seems like an emotional appeal, it's EXTREMELY crucial to how an employee performs at their craft.
