No-Shave November can cause friction at work

The cancer awareness stunt known as No-Shave November could cause a hairy situation at work for employees and employers.

The campaign encourages men to grow out their facial hair in exchange for awareness and funds devoted to beating cancer. According to noshave.org, the ultimate goal of the No-Shave November movement "is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free."

But not every company is a fan of lazy grooming and shaggy workers.

Rosemary Gousman, a regional managing partner with labor law firm Fisher & Phillips in Murray Hill, has previously told New Jersey 101.5 that companies typically have their guidelines for appearance within the employee handbook or the rules and regulations a new worker receives on the first day.

If those rules demand a "clean-shaven" employee, Gousman said, a boss can easily put an early end to No-Shave November.

"The employer has the right to make its rules and decide what image it wants to portray to the public," she said.

The strike on shaving is for a good cause, however, and there are many companies that are willing to bend the rules in the name of cancer and camaraderie.

"It's kind of a bonding thing, a charitable thing; they're all getting together," Gousman said.

Jobs in some industries such as food service and healthcare may have certain restrictions against longer hair for safety reasons.

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