At Australian Workplace Discrimination Representatives we receive a number of phone calls by employees who are unhappy with their employer’s request/demand that they take out an earring or body piercing.
Employees must keep in mind that they have no given right to wear such a piercing to work.
Piercings can be offensive to customers or clients, or tarnish the appearance or reputation of the business in some way. The business is not all about the employee; if the employer does not want an employee to wear a piercing for some reason then they are entitled to request that that piercing be taken out. In general, employers can make reasonable requests in regards to their employee’s appearance.
In the current economic climate, and the new industrial relations landscape, the question remains: Are you willing to lose your job over a piercing? Are you going to stand up to your employer about your choice to wear a piercing and risk losing your job? At the end of the day, it is your choice.
