Beards in the Workplace: Is It Really Unprofessional?

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If you’ve been clean-shaven your whole life and you just thought that beards suit you and you wish to begin your work soon with a new look, you might be wondering whether beards in the workplace are acceptable or not.

Around the early 1980s, facial hair fell out of favor in the workplace. It has persisted since then that the image of the clean-shaven face is synonymous with professionalism. Sometimes, even if you’re the type of guy who would keep his facial hair taken care of, it’s natural to have reservations about whether or not your beard is considered a professional style¹.

Even though beards should not make or break your ability to secure the job you’re after, it will all come down to the nature of the industry, the type of company, or what looks professional or not to the boss or the people who will interview you. Get a grumpy hiring manager who abhors beards, and you will go from hero to zero. Nobody deserves that.

What you want to do is familiarize yourself with a place before trying to get a job there. They will be searching for someone who is an excellent fit with their organizational culture. Go to the organization page, LinkedIn, or their Instagram, and try to spot two or more men employees who have beards. They more likely value your performance than monitor your self-expression and facial hair.

Until then, if you possess a beard, it’s essential to employ the necessary grooming and trimming techniques² to be ready.

• Having a Beard at Work: According to Science
• Dominance
• Confidence
• Health
• Beards at Work: The Reality
• “What if I Still Want a beard?”
• Naked Armor Essentials for Professional Beards

Having a Beard at Work: According to Science

According to science, beards can make men appear more dominant, confident, and healthy.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Dominance

People have rated men with whiskers as appearing dominant and aggressive³ in numerous studies. Researchers considered this result is associated with biological messages in connection to the hormone testosterone.

Testosterone has a function in increasing muscle and bone mass and the growth of body hair. This chemical becomes higher in men with sexual maturity, so whiskers communicate that you’ve been around the block numerous times to manage problems as they come with a high degree of smarts.

Some evidence⁴ suggests that the evolutionary reason for beard growth might not to attract women but instead show social status and dominance to other men. He probably likes more to be taken seriously by his colleagues than getting many dates. Translated into the world of business, a man having facial hair sends the message he is serious with his role: he’s tough and a go-getter.

Confidence

The fact that many men have more confidence with a beard isn’t anything new. Research studies⁵ have shown a link between men with facial hair and confidence levels. There is no clear explanation of why men with facial hair exude more confidence, but there are possibilities.

It potentially dates back many years where social status was concerned. Bearded men could be associated with being of high social rank. However, it may also date back to when they deemed beards as a sign of strength. They proposed an idea in a book called The Handicap Principle that beards are considered a disadvantage in battles since they can be easily grabbed or pulled by enemies.

Thus, men flaunting facial hair is a sign of confidence⁶, boasting that they will be victorious. It’s an indication that he’s not afraid of challenges and risks or is confident to take over the competition in a work environment.

Health

This probably sounds new, but facial hair indicates that you’re in excellent health. How? First off, flaunting your beard is a sign of confidence, and it includes your assurance that you’re maintaining a healthy beard that doesn’t worry you or make you feel uncomfortable.

Your immune system has to be in good shape to fight off all the critters that can take up residence in the beard. Thus, if your beard has been with you almost throughout your adult life or for a long time, then you must have a good immune system that has been fighting off the critters. If you’re maintaining a pristine beard, you communicate this and indicate that you know how to take care of yourself and your beard.

Beards at Work: The Reality

Science is seeming to be approving of the beards in the workplace concept. However, how some people deem beards in business may be different. For example, there are mainly conservative and strict corporations such as finance and law that are not in favor of facial hair and don’t allow much liberty for self-expression. Moreover, many luxury brands also prefer to keep up their appearance with employees who are clean-shaven.

Other jobs are requiring your face to be clean-shaven to execute your roles and responsibilities. Beards may be prohibited if personal protective equipment such as a respirator mask is mandatory, as such masks demand a tight seal and are not appropriate to use with beards. If you’re asking what specific jobs are more likely to accept the clean-shaven ones or are strictly implementing the “no beard” rule, I must say law enforcement, some healthcare jobs, armed services, and firefighting.

Beards are also discouraged for jobs like retail sales and food service or any position where there must be an interaction between you and the public. This is because managers want the employees to look approachable as much as possible. Some customers may find beards intimidating or associate beards with anything that has a negative connotation. Therefore, employees are required to have their faces shaven.

Beards also leave a strong impression on other employers because they judge too based on superficial appearances. Having a beard can sometimes lower your chance of getting job offers because it might cause the hiring manager to suspect you of hiding something. They aren’t able to see enough of your face to judge you as an individual. In their view, they consistently identify a clean-shaven face as a “critical grooming cue,” and facial hair is one of the red flags when meeting a job candidate for the first time.

“What if I Still Want a beard?” 

Beards should be kept professional, neat, and trimmed to maintain a polished and polished appearance.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

You can keep it if you’re sure enough that your target company accepts it. Though, you must keep it look professional, neat, and trimmed. Everything is dependent on the position and the ways of the company that employs us. Looking around your co-workers or browsing social media accounts of the company itself or the CEO will provide an idea of his level of acceptance of facial hair. Knowing your working environment’s culture is necessary to determine when will be the best time to grow your beard.

It’s all about the kind of image that a business wants to uphold at the end of the day. Rather than disagree with the common stereotype that beards in the workplace are unprofessional, it’s easier for companies and hiring managers to stick with the status quo and prohibit their employees from growing a beard. If they allow beards, they will undoubtedly stipulate that it must be clean, professional, and well-groomed, which shouldn’t be a problem if you wish to keep up.

Naked Armor Essentials for Professional Beards

The Naked Armor Grizzly Beard Kit helps men maintain a professional look with precise beard trimming and grooming tools, ideal for workplace neatness.

With that, we’ll leave you to decide whether or not you should shave off your glorious and grown beard. Whether clean-shaven or keeping the beard, no matter which way you’re leaning, is respected. Though, you are responsible for a well-rounded skincare routine regardless of your facial hair situation.

With the bearded look, you need to take care of the skin underneath the beard to prevent beard acne or dandruff problems. Also, pay attention to the length of your beard. Proper trimming is essential to make sure that it looks professional and not distracting in the workplace. If you decide to shave, it becomes even more important to use the right beard grooming products to achieve that perfectly neat and groomed look. Get the Naked Armor Grizzly Beard Kit for the best results.

More Naked Armor Reads

Clean Shaven vs Beards: Pros and Cons of Men Having Facial Hair
Restoring Self-Esteem with a Shave
Why Do Women Like Beards?

References

1. Jasmin. (2017, November 1). Facial Hair :: Professional Beard Styles – How to Grow an Office Beard. AtoZ Hairstyles. https://atozhairstyles.com/articles/professional-beard-styles/
2. Ghaly, K. (2016, March 23). The Importance of Trimming Your Beard. Milkman Grooming Co. https://www.milkmanaustralia.com/blogs/mens-style/113563460-the-importance-of-trimming-your-beard#:~:text=Trimming%20means%20less%20knots%20and,long%20boys%20strangling%20the%20others
3. Puiu, T. (2019, April 16). Beards make men look more angry and aggressive, but also more prosocial. ZME SCIENCE. https://www.zmescience.com/science/psychology-science/men-beards-social-signals-042432/
4. Saxton, T. (2016, April 14). Hirsutes you sir: but that beard might mean more to men than women. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/hirsutes-you-sir-but-that-beard-might-mean-more-to-men-than-women-56784
5. Dixson, B. J., & Vasey, P. L. (2012). Beards augment perceptions of men's age, social status, and aggressiveness, but not attractiveness. Behavioral Ecology, 23(3), 481–490. https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/23/3/481/221987
6. 4 REASONS YOUR BEARD CAN HELP YOUR CONFIDENCE. (2021, July 23). The Beard Struggle. https://www.thebeardstruggle.com/blog/4-reasons-your-beard-can-help-your-confidence