My red hair is 'unprofessional' but tattoos aren't!!

[IntegrityisDead]

I work in a uniformed role in the UK, uniform standards say 'Conspicuously "unnatural" colours (e.g. pink) and extreme hairstyles are not allowed.'
I am spitting feathers!!
My hair is L'Oréal Preference Bright Red 8.624.
Yes it's bright

@CumoTow wow. What a powerful rant. You sound vile, frankly.

@CheshireCats Same here, we are rare and special 😊.

@IntegrityisDead The tone of that colour is just a step too far OP. I have seen people with all shades of red from titian to carrot hut natural colour hair does doesn't quite have the same luminous effect.

Your employer can dictate appearance standards and dress codes. It's a matter of personal opinion or taste as to whether you like those rules or not. If you knew the rule and went ahead, perhaps thinking it would.be OK anyway then that's your mistake. If you were unsure you should have asked about the colour before applying it. Employers also have many employees to oversee and if they allow one employee to cross a line, where does it end? It may feel harsh but it's the reality of employment and supervising a workforce.

I'm in a uniform role too. When i started no visble tattoos were allowed. Now 15 years later, full sleeve, neck tattoos hand tattoos are all on show..god forbid I paint my nails pink though!

I remember once about 15 years ago a young woman came to my office (local newspaper) on work experience - she had that shocking pink colour hair. Editor had to quickly rethink her plans as she was planning on sending her with a reporter covering inquests that morning. I'm all for freedom of expression, but I think Editor was right not to send her to inquests.

@superplumb this is really my point I think..... I have no objections to (non-offensive) tattoos, though many do, and I voted in favour of relaxing the rules around them.

People at work, and on here, seem to think they are entitled to make unpleasant remarks about my appearance pretty much whatever I do. When I had short hair it was commented on frequently, especially that it must indicate my sexual orientation FFS!!
Undyed 'salt and pepper' I was told was not very smart!! Etc etc. It has been this colour in this employment before and currently since June I think.
I work hard and take my decision-making responsibilities seriously, generally keep my head down and get on with what needs doing.
We work in small teams and it is generally stressed how important these teams are and that the trust must be there blah blah - I thought it was.
It has really hurt, and shaken me, to find out that rather than speak directly to me when it supposedly first became an issue and say 'there's now a bit of a fuss about the current colour any chance you can tone it down?' there's apparently been weeks of conversations up and down the management chain!!!
Am I really such a difficult employee? Are there red flags all over my file? Is there nothing more pressing for management to deal with? I feel I'm obviously considered toxic, not a team player or surely my team leader would have taken a different approach...
I have a lot of hard, sad things ongoing in my family life so I'm possibly being over-sensitive but honestly I think it's ridiculous so much time has been given to this by others - I'm still smarting now two days later..

Undyed 'salt and pepper' I was told was not very smart!!

Now that is justifiable to complain about 100%

@PanPacificBallroomChampion exactly! Except that was just a passing comment by a colleague - but why does it bother anyone else? Don't they have other interests? Or is it cos I is a woman?🙄I do wonder sometimes.....

@IntegrityisDead I get it. I really do.

I am redoing my roots right now and wondering if I’m seen as professional following this thread. My hair is a toned down version of this. I’m thinking of booking in and going full on tbh.

From manic panic.

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I feel you, op. I was pulled up by a manager for dying my hair at an after school club. When I checked the uniform/professional appearance policy, there was absolutely zero mention of hair colour! The parents and children loved it (the little ones asked if I was a friendly witch 😂) and it didn't affect my performance in any way. The world could always use a little more colour, in my opinion.

The company that I work for has a big list of what is expected & it is printed & displayed in a prominent position. This includes what to wear, hair, tattoos, hygiene etc

Some people blatantly disregard the list & seem to get away with things like weird colours in their hair (including the males). However, some people are reprimanded by their managers to comply with the rules.

One rule for one person, another rule for another person

The rules should be applied consistently !

The other thing that I have found

Men who are grey are known as silver foxes & very rarely dye their hair, depending on what industry that they work in

Women who are grey are sometimes looked down upon & may be expected to dye their hair, also depends on what industry that they work in

But that is a whole other thread for discussion !

Seeing as Conan became the King of Aquilonia and his son became Conan II, you're actually slagging off royalty there. He was also largely working in the Law with particular reference to Tax administration by the time he fucked it all off and sailed away into the sunset like many obscenely wealthy bankers and city traders still do fir their retirement. He also wore whatever clothing was appropriate for the particular adventure he was on in each book, was fluent in multiple languages, could read and decipher previously unknown languages using his linguistic abilities that 'Many a sheltered scholar would have been astonished at' and a superb military strategist.

There's nothing so irritating as somebody who uses faux intellectualisms and literary allusions to try and sound smart when they clearly have no idea what they're talking about beyond watching Arnie shag Sandhal Bergman in the 1984 movie. Sadly, the world is full of such people.

Uniform standards have been around a long time. Why did you choose a career where a certain level of uniformity was to be expected ? I don't think it interferes with personal choice- you have a choice, stay or leave, Yes it is expected that you look the part, a uniform tells others that you rep -present a professional standard.When neat and tidy nothing looks better than a nicely turned out professional. It increases confidence in your ability, etc. etc.

Where are all these prim and constipated workplaces? I’ve never worked in one and I’m not a creative, media, performer etc.

Where I work the policy is practically word for word the same and I have known two people that were spoken to. One person told me that it had happened to them and I was there when the other person was called into the manager’s office about it. They stormed out then phoned in sick for the next week. I wouldn’t mind so much but they were clip in pieces of coloured hair they were wearing.

From memory, they've included (discounting Police, military, etc)

Insurance
Financial Services
Waitrose
M&S
The NHS
Education
Local Authority customer facing

and a clinic offering hair restoration/transplants, as they clearly thought my bleaching my hair and then applying the same shade would be somewhat taking the piss out of the unfortunate men and women who were desperate enough to attend for help with their own hair loss.

Bewildering! Some of these workplaces (all in fact) need to get over themselves.

Take in all the red hair dye colours you can find and ask them to tell you which are acceptable and which not.
Let them give it headspace and be charming and grateful for them clearing up the confusion. Then go blonde.

To be fair, it is a very bright red.
If the uniform policy is no natural colours, then that is what you accepted when you signed your contract. Unless it's a new policy, there's not much you can do about it.

This is the same colour in the pic.

@urbanbuddha Yes! I am very tempted, or blackest black!
However, I should try and be 'the bigger person', probably....
I did say I would change the colour as soon as they can let me know their approved choices - I'm not refusing to cooperate but I now don't trust them to behave reasonably.
And I did check out the policy before I started - orally and in writing I was told 'not pink or blue' and I haven't breached that.
Reds and Auburn's are (and have always been) some of the most popular choices for people who colour their hair so it would seem remiss not to have mentioned their unacceptability in a policy as detailed as this. IMHO obviously. 😞

Oh my. The rule is clear, you just don’t like it. To be so intransigent as to request permitted swatches suggests you really aren’t the team player you perceive yourself to be. I’d be worrying that the weeks of discussion was about other things of concern to bring together or how to ensure that you couldn’t take them to a tribunal for other things eg sex discrimination as seems to have crossed your mind with your bizarre Ali G style is it cos I am a woman comment. People seldom come over as they think they do🙄