While wisdom teaches us not to judge a book by its cover, practicality in the workplace says otherwise. Employers are at odds over the issue of appearance on the job. Today there seems to be an ever broadening palette of choices when it comes to things such as clothing, hairstyle, weight, and yes, body piercing.

According to one report, in which 1,000 people were surveyed, 40 percent of them agreed that companies have the right not to hire someone because of his or her appearance as it relates to weight, hair style, body piercing, and tattoos. In fact, one-third of those in the survey said “better looking” individuals are more likely to be hired as well as be promoted.

Conversely, “less attractive” individuals, those who might be overweight or who wear less traditional clothing on the job, should be protected by federal law, the survey said.

Nearly one-fifth of respondents said they have been discriminated against because of their appearance. A little less than half of those respondents said it was for their general appearance. One-third of those surveyed cited weight as the reason for the discrimination, while hair style was the culprit for 15 percent of respondents.

Individuals in management positions, rather than subordinates, are more likely to be the ones having something to say about a company policy regarding personal appearance.

One interesting fact in the survey stated that nearly half of the employers in the country have no policy addressing employee appearance.

There was a time when most legal suits brought against a company came from employees having close contact with the public such as waiters, waitresses, drivers, and salesmen.

That has changed.

Now complaints are coming from  more quarters of  the workplace. The pressure is on employers to be very specific about job requirements when interviewing potential job candidates.

When you’re looking for exceptional and reliable workers for your Manhattan company’s temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments, contact Winston Resources. We’ll be able to source, vet and place workers who possess the skills and qualities you need. We look forward to hearing from you.