Employer demanding I remove piercings

I've been working in a music store/phone store with serious delusions of grandeur for nearly a year. I have had a number of piercings since day one. Tonight I got a text telling me that I was not to wear any piercings of any kind any more. He told me if I didn't like it to find another job.

Can he do this? I could understand if he had said it when hiring me but nearly 9 months later demanding that I do this. Anyone have any info regarding this situation or been in a similar one?

Mr. Presentable

Yes he can do this. When in retail you are representing the company and it may not suit their image to have a person with piercings. In much the same vein as some companies requiring staff to wear uniform or suit. I just wonder why it only came up now - perhaps there's something else bothering him

I have to wear a shirt and slacks also now. I think it's very unfair that he suddenly changed his mind and then texts me about it. He could have at least had the decency to say it to my face when I was in the shop earlier today. II was always inder the impression if an employeer hires you with piercings and does not mention it being a problem at the start cannot decide at a later stage to demand they be removed.

garthv

Theres f*ck all you can do about it,
Considering you are working in a music store you aare easily replaceable (no offence but theres millions of students out there without piercings who would jump at the chance to work in a music store). Either take em out or get a new job

daiixi

tbh I'd want a copy of the old policy on piercings in writing and a copy of the new policy on piercings in writing. If it was always policy and they're now just enforcing it I'd tell them to go shove it and that they shouldn't be discriminating on grounds of piercings. But that's just me.

Melion

You should have an employee handbook, it will state it in there whether or not you are allowed to have piercings.

The place i am in Shannon airport doesnt allow any male piercings but they are ok for females, very irritating.

There is no company hand book. Hell I don't even get a pay slip which I believe is illegal. There is no policy in operation, he just changes what is and is not acceptablewhen it pleases him.

AckwelFoley

I've been working in a music store/phone store with serious delusions of grandeur for nearly a year

LOL.. made me smile.

Remove them or get another job.

I say get another job.. where piercings do not matter.

Although puncturing the skin freak me out.. its your image and you are haappy.. so roll with it

truthinwords

He can't change the working conditions after 9 months without consultation and agreement. Also demand a payslip and if he doesn't produce one I'd take legal advice because he could be evading taxes.

xtruthx

jhegarty

truthinwords wrote: »

He can't change the working conditions after 9 months without consultation and agreement.

yes he can...

TelePaul

Deleted User wrote: »

Hell I don't even get a pay slip which I believe is illegal.

Quit already dude

Shelli

http://www.employmentrights.ie/en/

Call or email the people at NERA (link above), they're brilliant, they'll tell you exactly how to deal with your unreasonable boss.

hairyfairy00

If there are females working in the store and they also have piercing but he has not asked them to remove theirs you could throw the 'ol sexual descrimination card at him

Thanks for all the advice. I would love to quit my job but I am going back to college in September and need the money. I've sent an email to NERA so hopefully they will have some advice.

longshanks

also if something has been an acceptable practice all along, then i think there could be some kind of rule stating that it cant be changed without compromise or consultation.

DILLIGAF

truthinwords wrote: »

He can't change the working conditions after 9 months without consultation and agreement. Also demand a payslip and if he doesn't produce one I'd take legal advice because he could be evading taxes.

xtruthx

fact

I can back this one up. Employers must state any special conditions prior to employment. If you have a tongue piercing in for the interview and they take you on they cant ask you to remove it a year later. stop listening to the nabs here who say your helpless.know your rights mate,this is one of them

DILLIGAF

DILLIGAF wrote: »

fact

I can back this one up. Employers must state any special conditions prior to employment. If you have a tongue piercing in for the interview and they take you on they cant ask you to remove it a year later. stop listening to the nabs here who say your helpless.know your rights mate,this is one of them

You have a link to any evidence of this. I'd like to be able to hand him proof that I am entitled to keep my piercings in.

tricky D

You've been there a year you say. There is the argument that this is now a change in working conditions/practices which, despite not being explicitly listed in any contract, do actually impicitly form part of that contract 'by practice' (that's the legal term you're looking for). Essentially the contract is being changed without negotiation which they can't do, unless it something positive for you like a raise or some other perk etc..

Only 6 months ago in a previous company, one of my rates was reduced by those management people due to some new positions taking up a part of some of my roles. After a quick word with an employment lawyer friend who advised me on the above, I ended up going to HR mentioning his advice and they quickly undid that mullarkey.

Reku

Deleted User wrote: »

There is no company hand book. Hell I don't even get a pay slip which I believe is illegal. There is no policy in operation, he just changes what is and is not acceptablewhen it pleases him.

They are required by law to give you some form of payslip, whether it be paper or electronic (pdf/word file) is entirely up to them.

Lockstep

Ah yes I've been there.

For some reason in Dunnes, visible tattoos were ok. But ear piercings on guys werent. I was told to take it out and didn't. THe manager used to be a sound guy but had it in for me after that.
In fairness, I was on a temporary contract. They didn't like me and I didn't like them so I wasn't bothered about losing the job as they were hard pressed enough for staff that they needed me at the time.

What I found really ridiculous was their policy on ear piercings. One guy I worked with was told to go away and find something to cover his earing. He couldnt find anything so they stuck some duct tape over his earring (!) which made it even more noticable and just looked plain silly.

Silly Dunnes.

Crumble Froo

hmph, i used to work in a place that would allow only wedding rings. no watches, bracelets, other rings, any visible piercings, nail polish ...

and no, it was nowhere posh.. i was working the till in ****ing centra.

Mr. Presentable

Were you in drapery or grocery, kickoutthejams?

In grocery health legislation forbids the wearing of earpiercings where there is food, though such piercings may be covered with a plaster. So, in your example it may be that it was not the appearance that was the problem.

Le Rack

I'm in dunnes too, in grocery, one of the girls has her nose pierced, I've my tongue pierced and one of the boys has his eyebrow pierced, at first he wore a plaster over it, but now just wears a clear bar, retainer or keeper, whatever ye call em, and a bunch of us have tragus done, they've not said anything to any of us, the only thing they seem to be strict on is hair...a brazillian dude had a tiny bit of a..not even a beard, twas a little line down his chin and all the managery people got on to him and made him buy shaving stuff and shave during his break, even did it to the security guard!

OP, if they hire you with piercings and nothing is said either during interview or trainging day they can't turn around a year later and say, hold on, get em out, even my piercers were telling me it, cuz my folks had me freaked going to an interview once, over my tongue piercing so i went in to get a clear bar and he said that if they're gonna see it, best let em see it during interview and if it's not a problem then it shouldn't be a prob during employment

Lockstep

Le Rack wrote: »

a brazillian dude had a tiny bit of a..not even a beard, twas a little line down his chin and all the managery people got on to him and made him buy shaving stuff and shave during his break, even did it to the security guard!

Such a strict policy isn't done for women.

You should have seen the women managers.
Most of them had tashes like Hitler.


I mostly worked in a freezer round the back,
if I was lucky I'd get to stack toilet paper in the lovely warm store.

mick.fr

garthv wrote: »

you aare easily replaceable (no offence but theres millions of students out there

Yeah you meant Indian and Chinese right?

eth0_

mick.fr wrote: »

Yeah you meant Indian and Chinese right?

DON'T quote another poster out of context like that. That is clearly not what Garth_V meant:

"you aare easily replaceable (no offence but theres millions of students out there without piercings who would jump at the chance to work in a music store)."

Any more posts like that and you will be banned.

I ended up removing the piercings as I know my parents would give off like hell if I lost a job over them. My boss gave me a load of crap and then told me that from now on I have to be clean shaven, get a hair cut, dye it fully black as at the minute I have red highlights in it.

Le Rack

twat....

you say anything about the fact that it wasn't a problem during the interview or for the last year like?

Le Rack

Le Rack wrote: »

twat....

you say anything about the fact that it wasn't a problem during the interview or for the last year like?

I did and he told me that if I had a problem taking them out I could fu*k off out the door. I was making a move for the door when I realised if I did, he'd never pay me the money he owes me. I emaild NERA and they said he was breaking a number of my rights and that if I was to take action against him there is no way that he could win.

Best thing happened after all this, he told me he had decided to go on holidays next Thursday and that I would have to work. I reminded him that I had booked the Thursday till Sunday off nearly three months back and he told me that it wasn't his problem, he couldn't care less what I wanted he was the boss and that was that.

I was considering a hatchet to the back of his neck but realised that if anyone saw this thread they may put 2 and 2 together.

GrumPy

I was hired in my current job after two interviews with no mention of my facial piercing. When I began work I was "advised" to remove it by another staff member as our boss/supervisor would challenge it. At the time I just took it out.

Now that I think about it, if I was to get said face re-pierced dunno if they could really do anything about it tbh.

Anyone reckon I should chance it?

Le Rack

dunno, anyone else had any extra holes in their faces without trouble?

Darko, I'd bring it to em, had holiday difficulty last week myself, which i had cleared in november! Fought it and got it, so totally go for it...as for the hatchett..I shant tell you the plans we've "made" for one of our managers!