Can I require my employee to remove his nose piercing while he is at work?

Q&As

Published by a LexisNexis Employment expert

Published on: 11 December 2015

Consider any existing dress code or policy

The first issue to consider is whether the employer already has a dress code or policy in place that covers this issue.

Employees have no right to dress in a particular way, or to be permitted to wear jewellery to work. Subject to discrimination issues (see: Assess the risk of a discrimination claim below) it is lawful for an employer to insist that their employees dress in a certain style, for example smart business wear, or to forbid the wearing of certain clothes or jewellery.

For further information on dress codes generally, see Practice Note: Dress codes and appearance policies.

If the employer does have such a code, which has been properly communicated to employees, and the code makes it clear that nose piercings are not permitted in the workplace, the employer should follow the procedure prescribed in the policy in relation to contraventions of dress code.

This will usually involve a request to remove the piercing and an informal

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Jurisdiction(s):

United Kingdom

Key definition:

Discrimination definition

What does Discrimination mean?

It is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sex, marital status, civil partner status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability and age.

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