Waitress Shaved Head for Charity, Got Laid Off

1. CheeseDuck
   June 7th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

   What? Would he have kicked out a real cancer patient?

2. ted
   June 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

   Naw, he just wouldn't hire one. Maybe they'd seat a bald cancer patient somewhere in the back, where you couldn't see her.

3. keithl
   June 7th, 2008 at 3:58 pm

   My heart is with her with regards to her fathers battle with cancer. That said if she was a great employee she probably would not have been fired.

4. Blaze
   June 7th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

   If she wasn't a great employee, he should have cited those reasons to fire her, not because shes got a butch cut!

5. SenorMysterioso
   June 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

   Its his business he can fire her if he wants to. He's a huge jerk for it though

6. Erin
   June 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

   That's horrible, the poor thing! When my mother was going through chemo, my family and I shaved our heads for support purposes. I'm employed by the symphony in the city I live in, and my boss was none too pleased. He implied it would be best I wear a wig, and I felt amazingly uncomfortable, to the point where I simply stopped taking shifts until my hair was longer. I really feel for this woman, and I hope the publicity of this story will at least make her ex-boss feel like an ass.

7. Tempscire
   June 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

   "Reasonable length." That's pretty subjective. That cut would be a reasonable length for a man.

   But let's see..."But Fearnall said she never got a clear answer when she asked if she'd still have a job if she went through with her plan."

   So she knew that it wouldn't be a kosher thing to do in advance. And technically, she still has a job there-- they didn't flat-out fire her. That said, anyone who would be so discomfited by a woman with cropped hair (boss or customer) really just needs to get over it.

8. cuimhne
   June 7th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

   Isn't it illegal to fire someone based on their appearance as discrimination?

9. SenorMysterioso
   June 7th, 2008 at 7:24 pm

   it is not cuimhne

10. Tracy Eckels
    June 7th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    Under most circumstances it would be illegal to fire someone for getting their hair cut off. However in this case she has a responsibility to maintain a certain appearance towards the clientell of the restaurant. and the owner has the right to dictate that appearance.
    Think of Hooters without the boobs.

11. MightyCow
    June 8th, 2008 at 1:17 am

    That restaurant owner is a complete tool. He should be helping her raise money for charity, not laying her off. I hope he enjoys the gallons of bad press.

12. Evilbeagle
    June 8th, 2008 at 3:12 am

    It's the principle of the thing, really. I wouldn't eat there knowing what he had done to this woman, and I would encourage others to eat elsewhere too. While yes, it's his restaurant and blahblahblah, it's still very wrong that he laid her off for this. A person who is uncomfortable being served by a bald woman has some issues.

13. Rob F
    June 8th, 2008 at 5:16 am

    FYI:
    Nathaniel’s Restaurant
    215 8th Street East
    Owen Sound, ON N4K 1L2
    (519) 371-3440
    Owner: Dan Hilliard

14. MoonCake
    June 8th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    ha- thanks rob!

    for real, though. how is "shaved" not an appropriate length? i guess knowing the guy's a tool to begin with it shouldn't surprise us that he would be bent on perpetuating stereotypes. in this case, it's the female stereotype that "all" women have long hair and don't shave their heads because women are "supposed" to care about how hot they are. i bet he requires his female employees to wear makeup and short shorts, too.

15. Thomas
    June 8th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    What a d-bag.

16. Sammy
    June 8th, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    Has it occurred to anyone that this woman might have other problems at work, and that this was a way (a very stupid way mind you) of getting her to move on to another job?

    Further more, she was offered a wig, refused to wear it.

    Still, the owner of the restaurant should win multiple prizes in the categories of "PR Disasters of the Year", "Shooting one's self in the foot", "Poorly thought out employee relations policies" and "Defend the Indefensible Golden Cup Award".

17. Evilbeagle
    June 8th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    Sammy, you make a strong point, but in the end, those issues should have been addressed well before she shaved her head, if indeed, they do exist. And assuming that they did, why not just fire her for those issues? It's not as though this guy has a problem with being a jerk, so using the shaved head excuse isn't some sort of easy "out". Furthermore, if she doesn't want to wear a wig, she shouldn't have to. It's insulting that she was even offered one.

18. Art Waite
    June 9th, 2008 at 11:25 am

    If you want to do more than voice an opinion, go to http://www.cancer.ca, and look up the Owen Sound Police Fundraiser, and slip them a little something (use credit card). Under their list of personal targets, you'll see that this woman has already doubled the target she set. I helped, twenty-five bucks' worth.
    Put your money where your mouth is.

19. Melissa
    June 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    While I'm behind her on her support of people with cancer, I don't see any reason she couldn't have put on a wig. If her look is distracting to customers or not up to the restaurant's standards, it's okay for them to fire her for it. They offered her the opportunity to wear a wig. That's not that hard. She chose to not comply. She shouldn't whine about it now.

    It's no different than if she'd gotten a big anti-cancer tattoo on her forehead. Nice sentiment, but still not appropriate for the job. It's hard setting appearance standards when you're a boss. If you start letting some people get by with some things, and start making room for exceptions based on subjective things like why they chose the style, or if you agree with the statement they're making, you're setting yourself up for a ton of hassle and controversy. It's a lot easier (and more fair, in the long run) to just to set a policy and stick to it. Employees can comply or choose to work somewhere else.

20. heather
    June 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    A woman with no hair?! *gasp* The horror! I hate it when companies are to stuck up their won butts to realize that the people that work for them are actual people. what she did was a really brave thing, and she was laid off for it? That's absurd!
    And bald women are gorgeous!

21. mkultra
    June 10th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

    The owner of the restaurant has since flip-flopped on his statement, saying they discussed the option of her taking the summer off "so she could spend more time with her kids". He has also issued an apology, though strangely not to the waitress directly.
    By all accounts she was an excellent employee.
    Today's issue of The Toronto SUn has more details.

22. Persephone
    June 10th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    It sounds like the owners waffled and did not make clear to Ms. Fearnall exactly what the consequences would be. Their mistake. Now, public opinion has come slamming down on them and they're hurting for it. They made a decision. Apparently, legally, they had a right to make it, but it seems to be a poor one, and they're paying the price.

    BTW, my mother-in-law has been through three bouts of cancer. Before chemo, she bought two wigs and some turbans. She never wore the wigs. When you don't have hair, wigs are very uncomfortable and difficult to wear. She wore turbans until her hair came in about an inch, then just let it show.

23. emanuel
    June 10th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    there are other more original ways to show your support. if she really cared about her job, which it doesnt seem like she did, she would have consulted management first.

24. Olivia
    June 14th, 2008 at 3:08 am

    If you're going to do something THAT drastic, consult your employer first. I've worked at two places where people have disobeyed dress code for "legitimate" reasons (one got a tattoo when her mother died, the other refused to take off her grandmother's wedding band, putting her over the 1 ring per hand limit), but they were both fired. The employers were sorry, but if you have a dress code you have to stick to it.

25. Ron
    June 27th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    Why would people give more money to a charity only if a beautiful woman shaves her head? Strange. I don't think this woman should have been canned, but I'd be very upset if my wife chose to buzz her long hair for any reason but medical necessity. Seeing flowing manes on women would be a huge morale BOOST for me if I had cancer. A shaved head on someone I love would just make me sad, even if it was a misguided attempt to support ME.

26. MajorHart
    January 14th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

    I'm with the owner - regardless of the reason - he has to protect his business and the appearance of an employee would impact on that.

    She could go baldy outside work but should wear a wig at work - or just not cut her hair off at all and use a rubber cover.

    The appearance of an employee or manager is very important in business.

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