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Finally, Railcorp addresses the big issue – grooming

Jul 12, 2012Hot Topic

Put those sunglasses away and get that stubble off your face – Railcorp has decided its time for employees to spruce up.

It appears that Railcorp has decided that the issues of overcrowding and staff moral should be put on the backburner while they concentrate on something far more important – grooming.

As part of its “first impressions count” policy, Railcorp has outlined dress and grooming standards all employees – well, almost all employees – must abide by.

From August 1st, staff must wear their Railcorp uniforms and be neat and tidy at all times. That means no piercings, no cardigans around the waist, no ‘grunge’ look, sleeves cuffed at all times, and if you’re thinking about growing a goatee, you’d better check with your manager first.

Those who don’t meet the outlined criteria will be “managed in accordance with the Performance and Conduct Improvement Procedure”. And don’t think you’ll be able to pull the wool over any eyes – managers will be checking your appearance when you sign in, and again at regular intervals throughout the shift.

It makes sense that the company has decided to spend its resources on this issue because as we all know, the thing that really upsets commuters on our rail services is not their train running late or having to change to get into the city, rather its the sight of workers with sunglasses on their heads and their sleeves rolled up. And the sight of a worker wearing a summer blouse after the first Sunday in May? My goodness, you’ve no idea the number of complaints head office gets about that.

Obviously, we jest. In all seriousness, the RTBU has no problem with staff needing to wear and maintain uniforms. We understand the importance of portraying a professional and consistent image. The concern however, is how it will be policed.

If they are going to enforce these dress standards, they need to enforce them across the board. They should probably also have a good think about what they’re going to do if too many staff need to be sent home to clean themselves up at one time.

We’ll be keeping a very careful eye on how it’s policed, and we certainly won’t be accepting a heavy-handed, inconsistent system.

The good news is that it already looks like there’s consistency across the whole workforce. If you think that frontline workers are copping the raw end of the deal here, you’re mistaken. Corporate and non-frontline staff must dress in a professional and business manner at all times too. Except on Fridays that is, when they get free rein on the attire front….mufty day.

What do you think about the ‘First Impressions Count’ policy?

Warning – if all this has got you a bit hot under the collar, then you’d best stand in front of a fan or get a glass of water. The rolling up of sleeves to stay cool is no longer accepted around this neck of the woods.

Click here to see the ‘First Impressions Count’ Q&A document

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