Do you care what colour hair your midwife has?

[Purplekaz08]

I have seen on the news that a midwife is Lincoln has been told not to go to work and may lose her job because her hair is dyed red? AIBU to think this trust is out of touch with the modern world? I really would not care if a midwife or nurse had rainbow coloured hair as long as they were kind and competent?

My hair is currently bright red, a few months ago it was bright purple. I'm not a midwife but I do work with vulnerable people of all ages. My hair colour has never been an issue.

Quite shocked at how people would judge me for my hair colour not my general appearance or ability to do the job. Be as judgmental as you want. I would still support you if you needed it.

I wouldn't care. I'd be more interested in whether she was good at her job and her bedside manner.

Wtf .. if someone is good at their job who would give a shit !! Rather a blue haired great and kind midwife ... than a bouncy blow dry who is incompetent !!!!

I genuinely cannot see how it is unprofessional. I really can’t. There are some things that are universally offensive but hair colour is not one of them.

I work in the public sector (not a hospital) and they don't give a shit about tattoos or hair colour.

I love the fact that people are so sure this must be about more than just hair colour. Of course it might be, I don’t know the case, but it wouldn’t remotely surprise me if this was solely about the hair colour. As PP says, this is very similar to when secondary schools are struggling, they bring in a strict uniform code as if it will wave a magic wand on their problems. The NHS hugely short of staff but that does not mean that all Trusts attempt to retain the staff they have.

My hair is my natural colour but I know loads of HCPs with bright hair colours. It has no bearing on their clinical abilities.

Sadly also not surprised by the RCM’s lack of teeth on this. Can only hope the negative press coverage shames the Trust into waking up.

Sitting here with pillar box red hair myself, covered in tattoos, at 31 weeks pregnant I'm fairly confident in saying I couldn't give a fuck.

I was on her side until I read the Trust had offered to compromise and were willing to allow her to work with a head scarf, theatre cap or wig.

I get why a wig would be unpractical but what's wrong with a theatre cap or head scarf?

While I agree her hair colour does not reflect upon her professionalism or ability to do her job it does appear as though she is the one turning this into a bigger issue than it needs to be.

I don't even remember what colour hair my midwife had, I avoided looking after she ended up with my waters in her hair

Hair colour does not matter.

Nope Frequency she shouldn’t have to do any of those things.

Non Muslims wear head scarfs all the time

I have a head scarf for when my hair is minging but I still want to look 'done'.

Maybe I'm just lazy but it seems like a lot of effort and stress when she could just wear a hat. In her shoes, I would wear the hat. I've had plenty of jobs where I have to wear a hat.

If they were asking her to change her appearance in a way she couldn't un-do when she clocked off I would fully support her but is this not making a mountain out of a molehill?

Theatre caps make your head hot and are itchy. Wigs are surely an infection control risk, you can't exactly wash them can you? Again I imagine a head scarf would be hot.

It wouldn't bother me at all. I work in the civil service and have bright pink/ red hair myself, I go out to visit schools as a regulator. My employer has no issue with my hair as my hair does not do my job for me. I would be happy to have a nurse with bright hair, as we would have common ground and I would feel more comfortable. This story is ridiculous - surely common sense would say that she has performed her job well with red hair for years, she isn't suddenly performing badly because she no longer complies with the uniform code, despite having not changed herself. Her union should be all over this, shame on them if they are not.

Wouldn’t bother me at all, nor would tattoos or piercings. Irrelevant to people’s ability to do their job.

I’m a registered professional (not a midwife) and have colleagues with piercings, bright green hair, tattoos etc. Never been an issue.

My DH is in a senior role in a professional environment and is absolutely covered in tattoos. A few people have expressed surprise when they’ve seen them but no negative comments, no disciplinary action and not held him back in terms of progession.

I really wish people were this enlightened about the hair colour of secondary school students

As long as they look well kept so uniform isn't dirty etc it wouldn't matter what Hair colour somebody has!

I personally couldn't care less but any organisation is allowed to set their own dress codes and adults who choose not to follow it because 'but I want to have rainbow hair... what difference does it make to...' remind me of petulant teenagers squabbling over school uniform.

Some places have rules you might not like. If you sign up to work somewhere, follow the rules. Don't like it? Go somewhere else.

My friend has amazing coloured hair. She's a goth. And a midwife.

Hell no. I'd have found a lurid haired midwife quite refreshing, if anything.