I’d like to clarify that this is mainly addressed to the Savoy Talent & Culture and has nothing to do with the people who actually wanted me to join the team. I was recruited by a Hays recruiter who is working for Savoy to find suitable candidates. I was not actively looking for a new job and was convinced by an appealing offer and the perspective of working with nice colleagues. Talent & Culture department is not willing to show any type of flexibility with regards to their frankly obsolete Grooming And Appearance Policy which I was made aware only after accepting the offer. Here are some points I would like to raise: * During the interview I was asked by the Talent & Culture associate if I’d be willing to comply with grooming standards, to which I obviously replied yes as I was led to believe that this was referred to adhering to a dress code and have an overall tidy professional appearance, while maintaining an acceptable level of hygiene, which is exactly how I presented myself at the interview. My outfit was compliant and I was neatly groomed and tidy. * I was not ever mentioned precisely what these grooming standards are, nor was it ever clearly pointed out at the interview that I would need to cut my beard in order to be able to work at the Savoy.  * After my second interview I was told by recruiter that the feedback was “glowing” and everyone was very impressed by my profile and eager to have me on board. * I then asked the recruiter to please fetch the answers to some questions I still had on the role, last one of which was about the grooming standards, where I asked to please make sure what it actually meant in detail, after enigmatically being asked about it in the first interview. At present I still haven’t had a clear direct answer to that question, as T&C never got back with a definitive answer. * The only supporting document that I was given as an answer was the Colleague Handbook, which I read thoroughly, and was told it was going to have the answers to my questions. By the time I accepted the offer, the only documents I was given to make an educated decision were the Contract and the Colleague Handbook, which reads: Facial hair must be either clean shaven or conservative in style, neatly trimmed and create a professional image. * At the time, I was told that this was the only document I’d have to refer to for my questions including grooming standards. As far as this policy go, it is a guideline about overall tidy appearance and conservative style, to which I comply as my beard is conservative, looked after, trimmed, and surely does not display any “exotic” novelty design or extreme length. * With these documents on hand everything was in order for me to accept the offer, which I did while at the same time offering my resignation to my current employer, in order to be able to accommodate an earlier start date as requested by the Savoy, while also duly serving my notice period with my current employer.  Only two days after I offered my resignation, I received a welcome enrolling email which also had attached the Grooming And Appearance Policy which reads: Facial hair must: by no more than 1.3 cm long, and beards must be grown away from the hotel * At no stage of the hiring process was I ever mentioned specifically 1.3cm in length, information which seems to be too critical to be able to go ahead with my enrolment, but yet withheld from me only until after I accepted the offer, despite having repeatedly asked for it in the span of over a month.  * If I was told exactly what the grooming standards were and that I had to cut my beard since the very first interview, instead of being deceived into thinking I’d be compliant because of a poorly asked question, such waste of everyone’s effort and time, including the recruiter’s and the manager’s, could have easily been avoided. * On top of that there is also my embarrassment of having to submit my resignation with my current employer with whom I have a long solid relationship of trust and respect, only to withdraw it after less than a week, and last but not least exposing me to the risk of remaining unemployed.  * I have not proactively applied for the role, I was recruited and approached as my profile matched their needs and I was really looking forward to join the team to get up and running with the new to me duties and tasks. I felt like I would have been a very good fit with the team and they felt the same but it seems like a couple of extra centimetres of facial hair, even when tidy and looked after, is enough to reject a candidate, rather than evaluating their actual commitment, skills, experience, and talent.  There are many reasons why a style choice is made including things like gender identity, religious background, or having a condition that are being wrongfully judged, and there are times in which contesting that choice is stepping into someone’s personal space and can easily fall into discrimination.