job hair

i'm approaching my 1 year mark and i have 5 inches of natural hair and 4-5 inches of relaxed hair left. i used to wear a lot of twistouts and flat-twist styles but since i've started my job in october my boss told me i had to straighten my hair because it looked unprofessional- i work in the food services industry. im a broke college student that can't afford a weave and i also have a high dislike for fake hair..ever since starting this job, i straighten my hair every 2-3 weeks, and the heat damage is starting to take a serious toll. do you guys have any suggestions that'll help? once the semester ends in may, i'm quitting my job to go back home and i was planning on BCing in august..i really dont wanna have to transition again due to heat damage. any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated!

wtfshanee wrote:i'm approaching my 1 year mark and i have 5 inches of natural hair and 4-5 inches of relaxed hair left. i used to wear a lot of twistouts and flat-twist styles but since i've started my job in october my boss told me i had to straighten my hair because it looked unprofessional- i work in the food services industry. im a broke college student that can't afford a weave and i also have a high dislike for fake hair..ever since starting this job, i straighten my hair every 2-3 weeks, and the heat damage is starting to take a serious toll. do you guys have any suggestions that'll help? once the semester ends in may, i'm quitting my job to go back home and i was planning on BCing in august..i really dont wanna have to transition again due to heat damage. any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated!

Wow. Do you agree with the suggestion?

...i'm not understanding..when i wore those my boss told me it looked unprofessional, thusfore me straightening my hair. -_____-.

First off, your boss sounds wrong to me. But anyway, wear buns. No one can say buns don't look professional. You can wet/damp bun or you can bun your twist out. HTH

I am so sorry, but that would have seriously offended me. I worked in a hospital cafeteria from ag 14 to 18 and was never told my hair was unprofessional. As long as it fit under my knitted cap it was fine. That included many colors and lenghts of my hair and weaves. Please check your business' hand book and see the policy and guidelines for a professional look because your boss may have been out of line.
As for styles, buns are a great option, as well as braids/braidouts, twist/twistouts or weaves. It just whatever will work out best for you.

Girl, I would have been so upset. I currently work as an administrative assistant for an MD's office and wear a lot of styles (mainly twists), but I have never been told my hair is unprofessional. And I am often in the presence of Dean's, Dept Chair's and CEO's.

So sorry you are going through this.

I agree with NhappyJackie check your employee handbook about that because unless it says your hair has to be a certain way to work he shouldn't be making any demands about how your wearing your hair ESPECIALLY if it is not affecting your performance!! Make sure with straightening your hair you are using a thermal/heat protectant even with blow drying!!

How can someone make you change the God given hair that you were born with? I think that your boss is walking on a very thin line. Like the others posted, read your employee manual and maybe even check with HR dept if you have to.

I have to wonder if age is playing a role here...

Some employers like to manipulate younger employees, meaning they'll make hair (or any little thing) an issue, but not someone older- let's say 25 and up.

Some employers like their staff to be naive to company rules/regulations so they can manipulate them any way they see fit.

As mentioned before, check out the employee manual. If nothing is stated particularly to hair ROCK YOUR STYLES. If the subject came up again, it's time to take boss to HR.