Too Many Holes in Your Face

“I have had employees with a small nose ring and have been okay with that. However, I’ve been interviewing a candidate with numerous facial piercings and don’t want employees to have that many. How do I deal with this?”

Your HR Survival Tip

Carefully. You can’t just blindly allow one person to have facial jewelry and deny others or you could be accused of discrimination.

Think this through before saying anything to the candidate. You’ll want to be careful of religious meanings, plus just what you’re willing to tolerate. I think it’s easiest to first decide what you’d like to see (or not see).

In some ways this is no different than specifying what other type of jewelry is allowed. Questions to ask yourself:

• Are there safety issues to consider? Safety may require employees only to wear rings that are flush to their hand or earrings no larger than 1/2″ in diameter.
• How many pieces of jewelry are allowed in the ears and face? You can limit it to something as small as only one stud less than 1/8″ in diameter in each ear lobe.
• Are unlimited earrings allowed but no facial jewelry? A small nose stud is considered facial jewelry. You might also want to consider wrapping in a tongue piercing.
• Are there different groups of employees that might be allowed or not allowed to wear more facial jewelry? If someone is only in the warehouse and never seen by customers, you could have lower standards for that group of employees. However, clearly identify the groups (office vs field, office vs warehouse, etc.) and their specific rules.

Once you have decided what you (and your customers) will allow, write it up and have each employee sign it. Add a clause that the policy is not intended to hamper religious freedom and the employee should speak with you if the jewelry/piercings represent their religious beliefs. If that happens, talk with an attorney.

You have a great deal of freedom in deciding what your employees can and can’t wear because they are representatives for your company. You need to be consistent, though, or you’ll have bigger issues than facial jewelry.