Dye your hair, get fired?

Normally, when you hear about someone getting fired, it can be for any number of reasons – maybe they showed up late all the time; maybe there wasn’t enough work for them; or maybe they just sucked at their job… another reason is that of maintaining a professional appearance. Calgary is home to some pretty casual workplace environments but for the most part, people are still expected to look presentable. What is presentable? Well, that’s up to the discretion of the employer, and that discretion came back to bite Sleep Country Canada employee David Theriault.

Theriault dyed his hair pink in honour of National Cancer Survivors Day, something he has done now for two years running. The issue is one that is near to his heart, with several family and friends being affected by cancer. Last year, Theriault’s employers had asked him to cover the hair with a hat, a request that he obliged. This year, however, Theriault is arguing that the dye is for a good cause, temporary, and harmless, and as such, refused to cover his hair or change it “to a more conservative business-appropriate colour,” as requested by the distribution manager. This resulted in Theriault being suspended from duty.

Now, the question is, was Sleep Country Canada justified  in suspending Theriault? On one hand, I think that the cause is definitely a worthy one to support, and it’s not like his actions were harming anyone, not to mention he likely would have gone back to his natural hair colour after National Cancer Survivors Day (June 5). Moreover, the message he was spreading was one that I think is virtually impossible to offend ANYONE with. Awareness and hope is a strong message to send, and it seems like Theriault was doing his part in spreading this message.

On the other hand, Sleep Country Canada has its own rules and regulations about what appropriate dress and appearance is, and Theriault deliberately ignored said protocols. According to a response released to the Sun by Sleep Country Canada President Christine Magee, Theriault was offered what the company felt was a reasonable compromise by being asked to wear a hat while on the job. Magee argues that “We also have to make sure our customers are comfortable when our delivery associates enter their homes — and that’s why we require employees to maintain a professional, business-like appearance.”

In defense of Sleep Country Canada, much of the situation was driven by Theriault himself. He made the choice to not wear a hat and instead leave the company, which was his prerogative. I feel like the company is being demonized here for what seems to be an issue of sticking to their business practices. Personally, I don’t think that this should have been that big a deal – Theriault’s hair colour change was temporary, and as a customer, I honestly would not care what my deliverer looked like as long as he or she got the job done. Furthermore, I get the feeling that the bad press that Sleep Country Canada is getting will lose them more money than a few customers feeling uncomfortable with a pink-haired delivery man. However, the policies of the company seem to be pretty set in stone, and Theriault chose to ignore that. Good cause or not, I think the choice was kinda in the company’s hands here, and they made the choice that they felt was the right one.