Undreaded and dreaded folks, I have a question for the both of you

Very nicely played.

 

well i am kinda new to this forum, and browsed it a lot before i got dreads... (only a few weeks ago). i've wanted dreads for a while, had (and still do have) massive awe for other people's gorgeous dreads. so finally my hair was long enough, and i felt like the time was right.
but the last thing holding me back? what my boss would think. and why? there are a lot of posts here asking "will i get a job if i have dreads?", "will my boss hate me if i get dreads" etc. i guess it confirmed my suspicion that perhaps having dreads does affect your employability...
but i am also in a different position in that i already have a job. [however my boss is also a director of an institute, holds a lot of power and is a bit of a politician (i.e., schmoozes with them). and he recently fired someone because he didn't like their personality...]
so yeah, i was unsure how to go about it... whether i should run it by him first blah-de-blah. in the end i just did it. rocked up to the monday morning meeting with my babylocks, and carried on like nothing else had changed - because it hadn't! i am still me, i still have the same skills and experience, still do the job like i had before.
the only thing he said was "you look like the hippies in Nelson" (NZ). (he'd recently been there). awesome i was worried for nothing.
perhaps australia is more laid back and less conservative than other places in the world...

well that's my 2 cents worth. my anecdotal summary would be just have confidence in who you are as a person, an employee, and your ability to do the job you are in/going for. depending on the job (i.e., if you work with customers/food etc, like someone pointed out already), you hair ain't got much to do with it.

 

I Like Your Approach To Life....

Thanks For The Input....

And Welcome To Our Humble * but sometimes volatile* Dready Forum....



Cheers Glen.

 

yeah for a newbie like me, 'flamed' has a strong ring to it :cuss: lol!

but i enjoy reading the discussions and differences of opinion... great forum!

:cheers2:

 

um, well with my last set of dreads, my boss was a very conservative lebanese (from the middle east, can't spell it right you get it) guy and when i asked him about it he was actually really cool with it. he told me that being religious should never have anything to do with business, and he wasn't about to judge me based on my hair alone, he knew i was a nice person. my next job was working with all chicks and i was hired on the spot with dreads, everyone loved them and i even helped some of the younger girls deal with their parents about getting them.

i just put my new set in almost a week ago and tried asking my boss about it before hand, but his english is not so great.. but when i came in last night he said it was fine and he wasn't worried as long as i kept them as neat as possible.

i guess it also has to do with the industry you go in? i've been working with food the past few years and it's not really a concern as far as outward appearance goes, just come clean and showered. although, in my opinion, as someone whose been in management, i always looked at work ethic and personality before what people looked like. if someone shows up on time or early, is engaging with customers and their coworkers, does their shit right and on time, and is generally reliable, why should it matter how they do their hair?

if you're looking to get dreads and are in a new job, i would first of all make it very clear by your actions that you are an incredible asset to the company and you have a winning personality. then bring up the topic, and be educational, not defensive.