By Melinda Young
A top goal in a workplace that embraces the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is to accept and include people however they present.
This includes allowing people of particular faiths to dress in a way that honors their faith and allowing employees to wear hairstyles that are more inclusive than adhering to a particular style, such as styles common among those of European descent. Workplace policies should address only safety issues — not focus on preferences related to gender and cultural biases.
A hot topic in the past decade involves company rules and policies about how people wear their hair, says Erica Bostwick, MBA, MHRM, SHRM-CP, vice president of human resources at The Coordinating Center in Millersville, MD.
The CROWN Act
Nearly half of the states have passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, a law designed to combat discrimination based on hairstyle. The act prohibits hair-based discrimination at work and school. Research shows that discrimination in hairstyle has resulted in Black women experiencing microaggressions and being viewed as unprofessional.1
“Companies are creating policies around being more diverse and inclusive when it comes to different types and textures of hair — even different colors of hair,” Bostwick says.
There also is an understanding that hairstyles that were traditionally acceptable in the workplace were primarily styles created for European-type hair. “If company policy says it’s against [rules] to have locs or to wear an Afro, then it’s racist to say you don’t want me to have my natural hair,” Bostwick says. “They’re starting to put not so many restrictions on how to wear our hair because hair has nothing to do with my ability to do my job.”
Case management leaders could discuss hairstyles with their staff. This can spark conversations and awareness and impel people to confront their own biases. It also could lead to an organization revamping its policies and procedures, she adds.
Clothing Styles, Rules Change
Clothing styles and hairstyles have changed over the decades, and women have benefited from some of these changes. For example, women in the workplace once were universally required to wear dresses, skirts, and heels. Now, pantsuits, comfortable footwear, and even casual dress are common in many business offices.
Once employees understand that current clothing rules can evolve and change, they may be more accepting of trends that some populations — such as younger employees — adopt. Tattoos and body piercings are an example.
“We have program directors with full-sleeve tattoos and part of their head shaved, and they’re exceptional at their jobs,” says Dianne Edwards-Barnes, DEIB coordinator at The Coordinating Center in Millersville, MD. “It’s how you carry yourself in the professional world. You can still be professional and covered in tattoos. One thing does not have to do with the other.”
There are exceptions, such as safety issues involving things like long fingernails or certain piercings, Bostwick notes. “But if it’s not a safety issue, then it’s nobody’s business to tell you what you can have in terms of piercings and tattoos,” she adds. “We want you to understand you can show up as your authentic self in the workplace and that doesn’t have anything to do with how you perform as an employee.”
REFERENCE
- Payne-Patterson J. The CROWN Act: A jewel for combating racial discrimination in the workplace and classroom. Economic Policy Institute. July 26, 2023. https://www.epi.org/publicatio...
A top goal in a workplace that embraces the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is to accept and include people however they present. This includes allowing people of particular faiths to dress in a way that honors their faith and allowing employees to wear hairstyles that are more inclusive than adhering to a particular style, such as styles common among those of European descent.
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