Employers should pay close attention to their state legislatures as many begin to introduce the CROWN Act. With hair discrimination abuzz in the media,
you can take the following steps to avoid potential litigation:
Review the wording of your employee appearance policies and remove references to specifically prohibited hairstyles;
Educate employees on all policies, including the appearance policy;
Train managers on any changes in policies and on how to handle appearance policy infractions with sensitivity;
Apply policies equally to all employees regardless of race;
Train any individuals responsible for hiring not to comment on an applicant’s appearance and on appropriate interview questions and comments;
Consider instituting unconscious bias training;
Consider instituting escalating punishments for appearance policy infractions.