To think you're not a special snowflake if you can't adhere to company policy.

[ScreechingWeasel]

New employee in my department. Policy states no visible tattoos, neat appearance, clothing regulations and sensible hairstyles.

Within a month new employee has coloured her hair pink, had a sleeve tattoo and refuses to stick to uniform policy. She claims she's being discriminated against and should be allowed to express herself. Employer obviously disagrees.

AIBU to think you are not exempt from the rules just because you feel like it? Other people in the office think she should be left alone and are making me feel like an old fussy woman!

YANBU. You work in a disciplined service, she should have realised that when she accepted the job.

I love it when people get so righteously angry at other people breaking 'rules'. Reminds me of the prefects at school.

Don't get angry at your colleague, OP. Either get angry at your employers for not enforcing their rules, or start breaking them yourself if you want to.

That's an interesting one actually, because that could be considered discrimination. The fact they don't want workers with beards (for understandable reasons) could be construed as them discriminating against Muslims (for example), who are more inclined to have beards. They are certainly leaving themselves open to the hassle of a tribunal if a Muslim applicant felt they were being treated unfairly, regardless of what the tribunal ultimately decided

I have no idea if children with special needs are frightened by beards but if they are disability needs generally trump discrimination on religious grounds.

It's public facing so appearance matters

And having pink hair and tattoos doesn't make you less qualified for a public facing role, nor indeed do those things make your appearance shoddy or inappropriate

Depends on the job.

pastel princess cupcake That cheered me up !

If she gets a row/dimssed/put on a disciplinary then it is a matter for her and her supervisor. Absolutely nothing for you to get bumthrills over op get on with your own work and stop worrying about what other people may or may not be getting away with.

Are you her manager?

Are you sure it's a real tattoo and not one of those fakey roll-on sleeves, that she's wearing just to be difficult?

I ask as any tattoo artist would take min two weeks between sessions for a sleeve and it's usually a few hrs per session. If she was untattooed a month ago it would be bloody tough to have a sleeve by now, not to mention costing hundreds of pounds.

DB's sleeve took 6 months! Though it is very elaborate.

Maybe give her arm a twang next time you go past her? (I jest... but..maybe...)

Or can she not cover it up with a real sleeve? I go into police stations for work and at this time of year they're inevitably baltic and everyone is wearing fleeces anyway!

Rixera a lady after my own heart.

I have never conformed I was a 'flower child' 'hippy' 'head' call it what you will in my youth at 62 I still dress in colourful manner when not at work.

But at work I wear suits and tone down my make up, when I put on my work suit today I am putting on a costume like an actor going on stage, playing a part which has enabled me to be successful in my role.

Because a TRUE individual doesn't need to flaunt it, having pink hair and tats which scream look at me I am 'different' doesn't make someone an individual it what's inside that counts.

In fact personally I think having coloured hair and tats is actually boring because so many people do it.

Another vote of thanks for pastel princess cupcake. Lovely turn of phrase.

As for the actual issue, I agree with the OP. There are rules, if you don't agree with them then make a convincing case to get them changed. Don't just expect special treatment. At work the most important person is the customer/client, not you and your right to self expression.

I love coloured hair and don't have any kind of issue with tattoos on other people, but if that is company policy then challenging it just tells her employees that "I'm a rebel, me".

I don't think what you wear or how you look impacts on your ability to do a job but, it is as if she is making a statement about herself, and the message that will come across will be that she is always going to be challenging and perhaps confrontational.

Sometimes it isn't what you look like so much as how others perceive you, and it seems as if she is completely unaware of this.

YANBU OP, and there are definitely people that authority just won't challenge when it comes to dress codes. I even remember this at school. One person was allowed to not wear uniform (before anyone says it, we were ALL poor and secondhand uniform was to be had for pennies).

I've always turned the snowflake situation to my advantage by gently flouting the dress code when a protected snowflake is part of the team. It's not as though the person in authority can do anything. Appreciate this would be more difficult in a police station than an office.

YABU
If the employer has no problem, you shouldn't either. Not your call

Speak to the person who hired her if you're that bothered.