Pexels/Reddit

Getting hired with visible blue hair and then getting flagged for that same hair a week later isn’t the kind of consistency most new employees expect from their employer.

One worker was left blindsided when, after having interviewed on video with blue hair, a manager complained and told her she needed to dye it a more natural color.

The real kicker is she’d been explicitly told during hiring that back-office roles weren’t expected to follow the written dress code as strictly as customer-facing positions.

But without that verbal exception ever put in writing, she’s left navigating a sudden policy shift with little leverage to push back.

Keep reading for the full story

Unnatural hair colors

I recently started a new back-office job after leaving a previous workplace. During my video interview, I had blue hair, which I’ve had for years, and no one mentioned it.

But once she actually started the job, she immediately ran into some trouble.

After my first week, my manager told me another manager had complained about my hair and that we’d need to figure out a solution.

Immediately, it was clear her employer wasn’t completely upfront with her.

The written dress code prohibits unnatural hair colors, but during the hiring process I was told that back-office employees weren’t expected to follow the dress code as strictly as customer-facing employees.

The policy obviously wasn’t evenly enforced.

I’ve also seen coworkers with tattoos, piercings, and clothing that don’t match the written policy.

I realize I should have asked for that exception in writing, but I didn’t.

Has anyone else had an employer change expectations after hiring? How did you handle it?

This is an impossible situation for anyone to find themselves in.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user has a solution so crazy it just might work.

This situation is worth quitting over according to this user.

This reader went through the exact same situation but worse.

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If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about an employee who decided to push back against time micromanagement.

Employers who enforce these rules usually don’t value an employee’s individuality.

Verbal promises made during hiring should count for something, but this situation is a pretty clear example of why they often don’t hold up once someone with more influence decides to push back.

The written policy clearly exists, yet apparently gets selectively enforced, since tattoos and piercings on other coworkers haven’t triggered the same urgency her hair suddenly has.

This employee wants to be an individual, not another cog in the corporate machine.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.