Do grooming standards restrict someone’s personality?

This morning, just like any other, I was getting cappuccino in the same local cafe.

There is a reason I come here, among many other beautiful cafes in my neighborhood.

A barista here is someone I can trust with my first cup of coffee, especially since it’s cappuccino.

He always follows temperature so it’s just as it should be, warm but not hot. Ready to drink right away with foam that lasts.

Anyway, today they had a new barista and his cappuccino was hot which ruined the coffee flavor, foam and the moment.

(This reminds of the importance of standard practices, training and taking the ownership of guest experience.)

But it was something else that made me think. It was his long, curly, messy hair.

He certainly made a visual impression. He stands out being handsome, with nerdy black glasses and voluminous hair covering half of his face.

As he was foaming a milk, his curls were just above a pot. This got me thinking if making him wear a headband or similar, would hurt his image and uniqueness he brings to this place.

Employees are an important part of any business. Company’s values can be delivered successfully and brought to life, only when their people find ways to incorporate those values into who they are.

But then, there is interweaving between those.

Like ensuring high hygiene standards and mitigating risk of things such as customers finding a hair in their drinks or food AND encouraging your team to show their personality and character and be genuine ambassadors of your business.

There are many limitations when it comes to tattoos, piercings or unnatural hair color, especially practiced by high-end places.

There is no right or wrong, but there should always be conscious decision and mitigation actions taken according to it, because there will always be both risks and opportunities.

And when something is done out of integrity, guests will always feel it.

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