Nurse Is Told She Can't Come To Work If She Doesn't Change Her Thousand Dollar Hair Color
Luckily, she didn't have to undo her extensive coloring.
Hedgehog94 / Shutterstock When it comes to work, there are always rules employees need to follow, and for some employers that includes a strict dress code. But what about hair?
One woman faced that exact dilemma and had to make a pricey choice when it came to her preferred hairstyle or keeping her job
Nurse Jenna G revealed she might find herself without a job if she doesn't change her hair color.
In a TikTok video with almost 4 million views, Jenna (@nurse_jennag) showed off her new hairstyle, which was dyed a bright blue and green. Her followers loved her new look, but her employer wasn't quite as impressed.
“The hospital I start at tomorrow saw my profile picture and asked if I still had colored hair," she said. “And they said that I have to have natural hair by tomorrow or I’m canceled.”
The viewers were on Jenna’s side, agreeing that hair color should not matter in today’s workplace. “I feel like the 'no colored hair' is a very dated part of the dress code,” one user urged. “Honestly I don't understand why companies still do this. I mean I get why but also why?” another lamented.
Jenna updated her followers with an alarming observation just days after her employer's ultimatum. Another nurse at the same hospital had brightly colored hair as well.
“You guys flipped out about my hair but you have employees with blue hair!” she exclaimed. “Make it make sense, please.”
Unfortunately, her co-worker's style did not impact her dilemma and she was still forced to choose her expensive new style or her job.
Nurse Jenna came up with an ingenious plan to keep both her job and her vibrant hair color.
So, what do you do when you want to keep your unique sense of style, but also want to keep your job? You take a page from Nurse Jenna G's book and you get yourself a wig.
Jenna bought a wig from Amazon that would both hide her bright-colored locks and fit her budget.
Not only did Jenna look great with her green and blue hair, but she rocked her budget brunette wig and her employer was none the wiser.
Hair color complaints seem to be a growing trend in workplaces across the country.
Jenna G's incident was definitely not the only time this has happened in the modern workplace. Earlier this year, another TikTok video went viral of Kiara Barnett (@celebertey_taylor) being judged for her hair at work.
Barnett was fired by her manager at Red Lobster over her brightly colored locks.
“You’re going to have no [expletive] workers,” says Barnett, “my hair color has nothing to do with how I work.”
While her hair color likely didn't impact her ability to work, an employer can choose to enforce policy based on what courts have called "extreme" hair colors. “I’m very sorry if you feel I’m disrespecting you,” Barnett's boss calmly asserted.
Whether you agree with it or not, employers have the right to establish what they deem as professional appearance in the workplace. According to the McCune Law Group, it “must be enforced consistently and without discrimination,” but it can be enforced.
Not every employer is the same, however. In fact, some businesses do not care about their employees' hair color.
If expressing yourself through your hair color is important to you, be sure to discuss any dress code policies with HR during the interview process, but if that's not an option, there's always a wig!
Lauren Reams is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news.