working and bad comments

jolynn61

I work in a hospital and my co workers are very supportive .It's my boss , he has made comments about my hair loss and what I wear on my head.   On one occasion I did not wear my wig and wore a scarf like head cover he told me basically that it was not acceptable and he would prefer i would wear a wig.There are many other employees in the hospital with bc that wear scarfs or nothing at all and nothing is said . does anyone know if he can make me wear the wig while working? I am not comfortable wearing it for 10-12/hours/day. called employee services and never got an answer. thanks in advance .

dee1961

Keep calling your employee services. He may be discriminating against you. You could always check with the ADA. Good luck

jenn3

That is a form of harrassment and I would make a notation of when and where he said it and if there were people present when it was said.  In addition I would probably call the HR dept.  What if you didn't have bc and were w/o hair - would he say the same thing?  If he did, it would be unacceptable. 

Good luck and I hope all works out for you.........

Anonymous

What a jerk!  HE is uncomfortable with you and the fact you are going through BC and is calling is unacceptable like it is policy or something.  You'd think in a hospital he would be more sympathetic.  Call HR and discuss it with them, there should not be any reason whatsoever you can't wear or not wear anything on your head.  Ridiculous!!

jolynn61

thanks every one .Still waiting from  the H.R.D. I think they don't want to deal with this either.But i will be persistent.

Anonymous

The next time you contact HR, remind them that if this boss wouldn't require a bald man to wear a toupee while at work, but he requires you to wear a wig, that is gender discrimination and is actionable.

dee1961

GRRR!!!! The more I think about this the madder I get.

thepinkbirdie

You definitely need to speak with HR.  It may be that he's uncomfortable with it all (which I can understand but there's still no excuse for his behavior) or it could be outright discrimination.  Either way it's wrong what he's doing.

On a lighter note, maybe he'd feel better if you wore a rainbow colored wig? ;-)

(I'm like that...if it were me, I'd push my limits and show up with a clown wig just to piss him off) 

Sandygirl

I am just wondering how this boss would handle a woman who wears a scarf for religious reasons?  Sounds to me he is out of touch with current HR policies.

dreaming

There is an 800 number to complained about discrimination at work, because of your health he is discriminating, many times when one works in a hospital they are hardened and not very understanding, also you can go to Employee Relations, or his boss.

NatsFan

jolynn - you go girl!  You have the right to wear what you want on your head or to even go bald.  I know the last thing you want to do while you're going through chemo is deal with this, but keep pushing.  I'm with Dee - the more I think about him putting you through this at this time, the madder I get too!

lovemyfamilysomuch

WTF??? What a jerk.  Follow up and get his ass fired.

LRM216

I agree - follow up and get this monster crushed. 

Linda

Karen09

That's awful!  Don't let him get away with this.  You can go in there and wear whatever you want or don't want on your head.  If he's uncomfortable with it, maybe he should go grow a pair. 

hollyann

I can't believe this jerk!.....HOW DARE HE!....Please PM me his name and the hospital and number and I will call and tell them what is what!......That is discrimination in the first degree!......If you were a man who was bald would he STILL require you to wear a wig???....NO he would not!.....Keep calling your HR dept or better still go to HIS boss and tell HIS boss what is going on and tell HIS boss that this is discrimination and you WILL file a complaint with the American Medical Association......OOOHHHHH!!! This makes me so ANGRY!!........

crazy4carrots

One thing to remember about HR departments is that they work on behalf of the hospital/company and not on behalf of individual employees.  I think Marie317 has the right idea -- wear whatever you feel is comfortable and let him make the first move/take action.  If you charge him with discrimination, it could backfire, or at least make life miserable for you.  But if he complains to the higher-ups first, then you have a solid defense.

Terrible thing to go through along with the trials of chemo....sending you hugs and wishing you the best.  Stay strong and resolute!

Linda

smithlme

I agree with Linda. Pick your battles and stick to a plan. Wear what is most comfortable and let him make the first move to complain to HR. Document everything that he says and if there are witnesses, document that too.

If you have an employee handbook for work, I doubt head attire is even discussed in it. Hopefully someone in HR will contact you soon and talk to your boss about his unacceptable behavior...

Linda

Anonymous

Something tells me your boss is worried that baldness is catching.  How is his hairline doing?

Wear what makes you as comfortable as possible.  HR seems to have failed to give you any guidence, hopefully they've quietly let him know that he is in the wrong.   If he says ANYTHING at all negative, go to HR and file a formal complaint.  Document, document, document.

The law is on your side, and something tells me that especially in a hospital environment, if you remind anyone who has an issue with it that wigs are not readily sanitized and disinfected, they will have no choice but to back you on this issue.

jolynn61

thanks everyone spoke to my medical director and he's going to talk to him and as he said set him straight.

crazy4carrots

Glad to hear that, Jolynn!

 Stand your ground; don't let the turkeys get you down!!

Karen09

Good to hear!  You have enough to deal with right now.